• 5 years ago
Vocabulary at the Gym

I was just in the gym and I was thinking of all the fun expressions and phrasal verbs that we use in English to describe different types of exercises. I don’t know why, but for some reason we use many phrasal verbs to talk about exercise. Here are some of my favourites. I hope you enjoy them and don’t forget to use them in your writing exam. They will get you extra points!

Exercise Vocabulary
To Work Out – When you do exercise, you can say you are going to “work out”. This is an American expression but we also use it in Britain too.

“I’m going to the gym tonight to work out. I need to exercise after eating too many ice-creams!”
“I’ve got a new bikini and I think I need to work out so I good for the beach this summer!”
“I hate working out at the gym, I prefer to go running at the beach!”
To Shape Up – When you want to improve your body and make it look better, you can say that you want to shape up.

“I’ve been eating too much tapas this year. I need to go to the gym and shape up!”
“Have you seen Jordi? He has been at the gym 5 times a week recently, he has really shaped up!”
To Get in Shape – This is like “shape up” and when you say that you want to improve your body you can say that you want to get in shape.

“I am going on holiday this summer and I want to get in shape so I can buy some new clothes!”
“I have put lots of weight on recently, I need to go to the gym and get in shape!”
To Pump Iron – When you lift weights up and down at the gym, to make your muscles bigger, you can say that you are pumping iron.

“I’m going to the gym to pump some iron”
“My muscles are getting bigger because I have been pumping lots of iron”
“I need to pump some iron at the gym to keep my body in shape!”
Push Ups – Push ups are when you push your body up and down while you face the ground.

Sit Ups – Sit ups are a good way of make your stomach muscles stronger.

Chin Ups or Pull Ups – When you pull your body up off the ground, it is called a chin up or a pull up.

Exercise Vocabulary for TEFL/ESL students in Barcelona Spain

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