2
general::
muscle
adjectives
big muscles
• He's developed big arm muscles.
hard muscles
(= strong, firm muscles )
• the hard muscles of his back and shoulders
arm/leg/stomach etc muscles
• Her leg muscles ached after the run.
rippling muscles
(= muscles that move in a strong attractive way )
• The sight of his rippling muscles sends women wild.
verbs
use your muscles
• Bend your knees and use your thigh muscles when picking up heavy objects.
strengthen/build up your muscles
(= make them stronger )
• If you strengthen the muscles in your back you are less likely to have back problems.
pull/strain a muscle
(= injure it )
• He pulled a muscle in his calf.
stretch your muscles
• It’s a good idea to stretch your muscles after weight lifting.
flex your muscles
(= bend your arm muscles so that people can see how strong you are )
• He was lifting weights and flexing his muscles.
relax your muscles
(= make them feel less tight )
• A hot bath will help relax sore muscles.
tense/tighten your muscles
(= make them more tight )
• He tensed his stomach muscles, ready for the blow.
your muscles contract
(= tighten so that you can move a part of your body )
• These nerves tell the muscles when to contract.
your muscles ache
(= hurt after being exercised too much )
• I ran until my muscles ached.
muscle + NOUN
muscle strength/power
• This exercise will help increase muscle strength.
muscle tone
(= the firmness of your muscles )
• Swimming is good exercise for improving muscle tone.
a muscle spasm
(= when your muscles tighten suddenly )
• The drug helps control painful muscle spasms.
muscle tissue
(= the substance that muscles are made from )
• If you lose weight too quickly you will lose muscle tissue as well as fat.
transnet.ir
3
general::
noun ADJ. hard, powerful, strong | taut, tense, tight | cramped I walked up and down the aisle to stretch my cramped muscles. | tired | abdominal, arm, calf, facial, heart, thigh, etc. | skeletal VERB + MUSCLE flex, tense He flexed his muscles, then set off to run. | relax Learn how to relax tense muscles. | stretch | build (up), strengthen, tone (up) | pull, tear I laughed so hard I almost pulled a muscle. MUSCLE + VERB ache | clench, contract, stiffen, tense, tighten | go limp, loosen, relax, slacken | quiver, ripple, twitch His muscles rippled beneath his T-shirt as he worked. | control sth the muscles controlling speech production MUSCLE + NOUN cell, fibre, tissue | group | disease, pain | contraction, relaxation, spasm, tension | tone PREP. ~ in The muscles in my face tensed.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary