Balancing Training Intensity and Recovery | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: At a gym, a person discusses lowering workout intensity so recovery improves while the training habit stays steady..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Balancing Training Intensity and Recovery to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Træningsplanen er krævende, men min restitution har været svær på det seneste.

TREH-nings-PLAH-nen air KREH-ven-uh, men meen reh-stee-too-SHYOHN har VEH-uhth svehr poh deh SEH-nuh-steh. The workout plan is challenging, but recovery has been hard lately.
B

Træningsmængden er måske for høj i forhold til din tidsplan lige nu.

TREH-nings-MENG-den air MOH-SGAY foh HOY ee foh-HOHL teel deen TEETS-plahn LEE-uh noo. The volume may be too high for your schedule right now.
A

Jeg kan gennemføre træningspassene, men jeg føler mig helt drænet bagefter.

yai kan gheh-nem-FUR-uh TREH-nings-PAS-uh-nuh, men yai FUR-uh my helt DREH-nud BEH-uhf-tuh. I can finish the sessions, but I feel drained afterward.
B

Restitutionen er lige så vigtig som at gennemføre træningspassene.

reh-stee-too-SHYOH-nen air LEE-uh soh VIG-tee som eh gheh-nem-FUR-uh TREH-nings-PAS-uh-nuh. Recovery matters as much as completing the sessions.
A

Kunne vi sænke intensiteten og stadig holde fast i vanen?

KUN-uh vee SENG-uh in-ten-see-TAY-den, oh STAY-thee HOL-uh fast ee VAY-nun? Could we lower the intensity and still keep the habit steady?
B

Det kan vi; regelmæssighed er vigtigere end at presse sig selv ved hver træning.

deh kan vee; RAY-gul-MESS-uh-hayth air VIG-dee-uh-ruh end eh PRES-suh sigh selv vehd vair TREH-ning. We can; consistency matters more than pushing every session.
A

Jeg vil hellere gøre langsomme fremskridt end ende med at stoppe helt.

yai vihl HEL-uh-ruh GEUR-uh LANG-soh-muh FREHM-skreet end EN-uh meh eh STUB-uh helt. I would rather progress slowly than end up stopping completely.
B

Det burde gøre det lettere at holde træningen ved lige.

deh BOH-uh GEUR-uh deh LEHD-uh-ruh eh HOL-uh TREH-ning-en vehd LEE-uh. That should make the training easier to sustain.

Word by Word

Træningsplanen Træningsplanen means the workout plan in this sentence. The ending shows that the speaker is referring to a specific plan already under discussion; the same pattern can be reused with other definite plans.
er Er means is and links Træningsplanen with its description krævende. It is used here to describe the plan’s current character.
krævende Krævende means demanding or challenging, describing the workout plan as requiring substantial effort. It can be reused after er to describe a task, plan, or activity that requires effort.
men Men means but and introduces a contrast between the demanding plan and the difficult recovery. It commonly connects two statements with contrasting information.
min Min means my and shows that the recovery belongs to or concerns the speaker. It is placed directly before restitution in min restitution.
restitution Restitution means recovery from training in this dialogue. It refers to the body’s recovery process, and it can be used as a noun when discussing whether recovery is sufficient.
har Har is the auxiliary in har været, meaning has been here. Together with været, it presents the difficult recovery as a state continuing into the recent period.
været Været is the form used with har in har været, meaning been. In har været svær, it helps describe recovery as having been difficult over a period of time.
svær Svær means difficult or hard and describes restitution in this sentence. It can be reused after er or har været to describe something that is difficult.
på In på det seneste, på helps frame the time period in which something has happened. The whole expression refers to the recent past and is useful when describing a recent change or problem.
det In på det seneste, det is part of the expression referring to the recent period. In the later sentence Det burde gøre det lettere, the capitalized form refers back to the proposed adjustment.
seneste Seneste means most recent or latest in på det seneste. The expression describes the period immediately before now rather than one specific dated moment.
Træningsmængden Træningsmængden means the amount or volume of training being done. The exact form refers to the training volume already relevant to the discussion and can be used as the subject when evaluating it.
måske Måske means maybe and marks the statement as a possibility rather than a certainty. It is placed before the description for høj in this sentence.
for In for høj, for means too and shows that the training volume exceeds what is suitable for the schedule. The pattern for plus an adjective can express an excessive degree.
høj Høj means high and describes the level of træningsmængden. Here it refers to a high amount of training rather than physical height.
i In i forhold til din tidsplan, i is part of the expression meaning in relation to or relative to. The expression sets the schedule as the basis for judging whether the volume is suitable.
forhold In i forhold til, forhold contributes the idea of a relation or comparison. The whole expression is used to compare one situation with a reference point such as a schedule.
til In i forhold til din tidsplan, til links the comparison to its reference, din tidsplan. It completes the fixed expression i forhold til rather than meaning direction here.
din Din means your and identifies the schedule as belonging to or concerning the person being addressed. It comes directly before tidsplan in din tidsplan.
tidsplan Tidsplan means schedule and refers here to the person’s available time for training. It can be used after a possessive when discussing someone’s schedule.
lige In lige nu, lige means right or just and strengthens the reference to the present moment. In ved lige, it is part of a different expression meaning keep something maintained, so its contribution depends on the construction.
nu Nu means now and places the situation in the present. In lige nu, the combination means right now and emphasizes the current circumstances.
Jeg Jeg means I and marks the speaker as the subject of the sentence. It appears at the beginning of the statement about what the speaker can complete.
kan Kan means can and expresses ability in Jeg kan gennemføre træningspassene. A modal such as kan is followed by an infinitive describing the action that is possible.
gennemføre Gennemføre means complete or carry through, referring to finishing the training sessions. It follows kan in Jeg kan gennemføre træningspassene and can be reused before an activity or task that someone completes.
træningspassene Træningspassene means the training sessions and refers to the specific sessions under discussion. The form is used as the object of gennemføre and later appears after gennemføre in the comparison about recovery.
føler Føler means feel and describes the speaker’s present experience after the sessions. In føler mig helt drænet, it introduces the state the speaker experiences.
mig In føler mig helt drænet, mig refers back to the speaker as the person experiencing the feeling. The combination føler mig is used to describe how the speaker feels.
helt Helt means completely and intensifies drænet. It shows that the speaker feels entirely exhausted rather than only somewhat tired.
drænet Drænet means drained and describes the speaker’s condition after training. It follows føler mig and can be used to describe a person’s depleted state.
bagefter Bagefter means afterward and places the feeling after the training sessions. It is useful for describing what happens after an activity or event.
Restitutionen Restitutionen means the recovery and refers to the specific recovery process being discussed. It is the subject of the statement that compares recovery with completing the sessions.
så In lige så vigtig som, så helps form an equality comparison meaning as important as. The full construction compares the importance of restitution with the importance of completing the sessions.
vigtig Vigtig means important and describes the value of restitution in the comparison lige så vigtig som. It can be used after er to evaluate the importance of a person, thing, or activity.
som In lige så vigtig som at gennemføre træningspassene, som completes the comparison meaning as. It introduces the element that restitution is being compared with.
at At introduces the infinitive phrase at gennemføre træningspassene, meaning completing the training sessions. It is used here so an action can function as the thing being compared with restitution.
Kunne Kunne means could in the polite suggestion Kunne vi sænke intensiteten. At the beginning of the question, it presents the proposed action as something the speakers might agree to do.
vi Vi means we and identifies the speaker and listener together as the people who might lower the intensity. It follows the modal in the question Kunne vi sænke intensiteten.
sænke Sænke means lower or reduce and refers to reducing the workout intensity. It follows Kunne and therefore appears as the infinitive for the proposed action.
intensiteten Intensiteten means the intensity, specifically the intensity of the training. It is the object of sænke and can be used when discussing how hard an activity is performed.
og Og means and and links lowering the intensity with keeping the habit. It joins two actions that are intended to happen together.
stadig Stadig means still and shows that keeping the habit is intended to remain possible even after lowering the intensity. It commonly marks that a situation continues despite a change.
holde In holde fast i vanen, holde contributes the idea of keeping or maintaining something. It follows Kunne in the question and forms the broader expression for maintaining the habit.
fast In holde fast i vanen, fast means firmly or steadily and strengthens the idea of continuing to keep the habit. The whole expression holde fast i is used for remaining committed to something.
vanen Vanen means the habit and refers to the established training routine. It is the object of holde fast i, so the sentence asks whether the routine can be maintained.
regelmæssighed Regelmæssighed means consistency or regularity and is presented as more important than pushing hard at every training session. It can be used as a noun when discussing a repeated pattern that is maintained over time.
vigtigere Vigtigere means more important and creates a comparison in regelmæssighed er vigtigere end at presse sig selv. It is used before end to show that one priority ranks above another.
end End means than and introduces the activity being compared with consistency. In vigtigere end at presse sig selv, it marks the lower priority in the comparison.
presse In at presse sig selv, presse means push or exert pressure on oneself. The infinitive follows at, and the full reflexive expression refers to forcing oneself to train harder.
sig In presse sig selv, sig refers back to the person doing the pushing. Together with presse and selv, it forms the expression push oneself rather than push another person.
selv In presse sig selv, selv emphasizes that the person is pushing their own effort. It completes the reflexive expression and can be used to stress that someone acts on themselves.
ved In ved hver træning, ved means at or during each training session. It also appears in ved lige, where it is part of the expression for keeping something maintained; the surrounding construction determines the meaning.
hver Hver means every or each and indicates that the statement concerns each individual training session. It comes directly before træning in ved hver træning.
træning Træning means training or a training session in ved hver træning. The phrase refers to what happens during each session, and træning can be used when discussing regular exercise activity.
vil In Jeg vil hellere gøre langsomme fremskridt, vil expresses the speaker’s preference or intention, meaning wants to or would. It combines with hellere to introduce the preferred option.
hellere Hellere means rather and shows which of two outcomes the speaker prefers. The reusable comparison pattern is vil hellere do one thing end do another.
gøre In gøre langsomme fremskridt, gøre forms the expression make progress. It also appears in gøre det lettere, where it means make something easier; its contribution depends on the object and construction.
langsomme Langsomme means slow and describes the progress as gradual rather than rapid. It appears directly before fremskridt in gøre langsomme fremskridt.
fremskridt Fremskridt means progress in the expression gøre langsomme fremskridt. The expression is used to describe improvement that develops over time.
ende In ende med at stoppe helt, ende means end up and introduces a possible final result. The construction describes arriving at an outcome, here stopping training completely.
med In ende med at stoppe helt, med is part of the construction meaning end up doing something. It links the result introduced by ende with the following action.
stoppe Stoppe means stop and describes ending the training altogether in ende med at stoppe helt. It follows at in the construction describing the possible final outcome.
burde Burde means should or ought to and expresses an expected result in Det burde gøre det lettere. It presents the adjustment as likely to make training easier to maintain.
lettere Lettere means easier and describes the expected effect on maintaining the training. In gøre det lettere at holde træningen ved lige, it is part of the pattern make it easier to do something.
træningen Træningen means the training and refers to the ongoing training practice discussed throughout the dialogue. In holde træningen ved lige, it is the thing that should be maintained.

Grammar Points

vigtigere end + sammenligning

Regelmæssighed er vigtigere end intensitet.

RAY-gul-MESS-uh-hayth air VIG-dee-uh-ruh end in-ten-see-TAYD.

Consistency is more important than intensity.

Komparativformen vigtigere bruges til at sammenligne to ting. End betyder “than”.

ende med at + infinitiv

Man kan ende med at presse sig selv.

man kan EN-uh meh eh PRES-suh sigh selv.

You can end up pushing yourself.

Efter ende med står at + infinitiv. Udtrykket beskriver et muligt slutresultat.

Danish Vocabulary

gennemføre verb
gheh-nem-FUR-uh to complete; to carry out
i forhold til prep
ee foh-HOHL teel in relation to; compared with
krævende adj
KREH-ven-uh challenging; demanding
lige nu phrase
LEE-uh noo right now
måske adv
moh-SGAY perhaps; maybe
på det seneste phrase
poh deh SEH-nuh-steh lately; recently
restitution noun
reh-stee-too-SHYOHN recovery
Gender
common
svær adj
svehr hard; difficult
tidsplan noun
TEETS-plahn schedule
Gender
common
træningsmængde noun
TREH-nings-MENG-uh training volume Træningsmængden
Gender
common
Definite
singular definite
træningspas noun
TREH-nings-PAS training session; workout session træningspassene
Gender
neuter
Definite
plural definite
træningsplan noun
TREH-nings-PLAHN workout plan Træningsplanen
Gender
common
Definite
singular definite

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

hard; difficult

Show Answersvær

schedule

Show Answertidsplan

recovery

Show Answerrestitution

perhaps; maybe

Show Answermåske