When learning Spanish in school, the topic of working out is not paid enough attention to. While you get some basic words, it might not be enough for when you actually have to communicate with someone at the gym. We’re going to fix that – we gathered the most useful vocabulary for going to the gym and exercising. Browse through this, memorize it, and don’t let anything surprise you when taking care of yourself and your body.
Body Parts Used in Exercises
The first category of vocabulary we will focus on are body parts – after all, your trainer will use them frequently to explain a specific exercise to you. Safe to say, you will probably hear them quite often.
| BODY PART IN SPANISH | BODY PART IN ENGLISH |
| La cabeza | Head |
| El cuello | Neck |
| Los hombros | Shoulders |
| El brazo | Arm |
| El antebrazo | Forearm |
| El bíceps | Bicep |
| El tríceps | Tricep |
| La muñeca | Wrist |
| El codo | Elbow |
| Las caderas | Hips |
| Los glúteos / Las nalgas | Buttocks / Glutes |
| La pierna | Leg |
| El tobillo | Ankle |
| El pie | Foot |
| Los pies | Feet |
| El pecho | Chest |
| El core / El núcleo / El tronco / El centro | Core |
| Los laterales | Lats |
| Las pantorrillas, gemelos, batatas | Calves |
| La espalda | Back |
| La articulación | Joint |
Basic Gym Equipment in Spanish
After body parts, another common vocabulary category you will encounter at the gym is the gym equipment. There’s plenty of it, so we won’t list all of it, but here is some working out in Spanish vocabulary that is sure to be more useful than others.
| GYM EQUIPMENT IN SPANISH | GYM EQUIPMENT IN ENGLISH |
| La caminadora | Treadmill |
| La bicicleta estacionaria | Stationary bicycle |
| Las escaleras | Stair climber |
| Las pesas | Weights |
| Las mancuernas | Dumbells |
| Los sacos de boxeo | Punching bags |
| La colchoneta de yoga | Yoga mat |
| La elíptica | Elliptical machine |
| Pelotas de ejercicio | Exercise balls |
| Las bandas de resistencia | Power/resistance bands |
| La banca | Bench |
| La cuerda de saltar | Jump rope |
| La barra olímpica | Barbell |
| La prensa / La prensa de piernas | Leg press |
| La máquina de remo | Rowing machine |
| El balón medicinal | Medicine ball |
| La bicicleta spinning | Spinning bike |
| La barra de levantamient | Pull up bar |
Basic Exercises in Spanish
The next group of words we’re going to present concerns some basic exercises you will have to do when working out.
| EXERCISES IN SPANISH | EXERCISES IN ENGLISH |
| El ejercicio / El entrenamiento | Workout |
| Las abdominales | Crunches |
| Las sentadillas con salto | Jumping squats |
| Las sentadillas | Squats |
| La plancha | plank |
| Los fondos | Lunges |
| las flexiones / Las despechadas, / Las lagartijas | Push ups |
| La plancha | Plank |
| El HIIT / El entrenamiento de alta intensidad | HIIT (High intensity interval training) workout |
| El press de banca | Bench press |
| Las elevaciones laterales con mancuernas | Lateral shoulder raises |
| El estiramiento | Stretching |
| El entrenamiento de circuito | Circuit training |
Gym Facilities in Spanish
Nowadays, the gym not only contains workout equipment but also has several other facilities that the gym members can take advantage of. For this reason, we decided to also include them in our lesson.
| GYM FACILITIES IN SPANISH | GYM FACILITIES IN ENGLISH |
| El gimnasio | Gym |
| La recepción | Reception |
| El cuarto de los casilleros | Locker room |
| Los vestidores | Changing room |
| Las duchas | Showers |
| El sauna | Sauna |
| La piscina | Swimming pool |
| El ring de boxeo / El cuadrilátero | Boxing ring |
| El estudio de yoga | Yoga studio |
| El salón de baile | Dance studio |
| El área de peso libre | Free weights area |
Verbs for Working Out in Spanish
We already gave you quite a bit of nouns to use when talking about working out in Spanish – however, with only nouns, you won’t be able to hold a proper conversation. So here are some useful verbs that can help you talk about your workouts.
| VERBS IN SPANISH | VERBS IN ENGLISH |
| Hacer ejercicio* | To work out |
| Ejercitarse* | To exercise |
| Calentar | To warm up |
| Enfriarse | To cool down |
| Levantar | To lift |
| Bajar | To put down |
| Repetir | To repeat |
| Agacharse | To crouch |
| Levantar | To raise |
| Doblar o flexionar | To bend |
| Descansar | To rest |
| Mantener(se) | To keep |
| Aumentar | To increase |
| Reducir | To decrease |
| Mejorar | To improve |
| Saltar | To skip or jump |
| Relajar | To relax (your muscles) |
| Relajarse | To relax (yourself) |
| Ducharse | To take a shower |
| Alternar | To alternate |
| Trotar | To jog |
*Ejercitarse tends to be used in more formal conversations, while hacer ejercicio is more informal.
Goals in Spanish
When talking about working out in Spanish or in English, you will also most likely mention why you’re doing it. So, here is basic vocabulary regarding fitness goals.
| GOALS IN SPANISH | GOALS IN ENGLISH |
| Ganar músculo | Gain muscles |
| Perder grasa / Perder peso | Lose weight |
| Volverme más fuerte | Become stronger |
| Volverme más rápido(a) | Become faster |
| Ponerme en buena (mejor) forma | Get in good (better) shape |
| Sentirme mejor | Feel better |
| Fortalecer | To strengthen |
| Para no estresarme | To not stress |
| Mantenerse en forma | Stay in shape |
The Bottom Line
Exercising can be a fun way to spend time, and it becomes even better when you’re able to freely communicate with other gym enthusiasts whenever you’re going for a workout. Although it might seem like a lot at first glance, a lot of the vocabulary you learn when it comes to working out in Spanish can also be used in other contexts – especially the verbs or body parts.
Having fun learning? Why don’t you check out some of our helpful learning resources – suitable for use by both teachers and students, it allows you to expand your Spanish knowledge in a fun way.
Check out these other English Spanish articles.
Featured photo credit: [108/365] Ill-advised by pasukaru76, on Flickr
