Gym talk is everywhere. If you want to chat like a native (or just sound like you actually go), use these phrasal verbs and expressions.
Useful for trainers, friends, and people who only visit the gym for the free towels.
🏋 10 Phrasal Verbs for the Gym
Warm up
Prepare your body before exercise to reduce injury risk.
Don’t skip the warm up — your muscles will thank you.
Cool down
Gentle exercises after a workout to return your body to normal.
Five minutes cool down and you’re done.
Work out
To exercise, usually at a gym.
I try to work out three times a week.
Bulk up
Gain muscle mass, often intentionally.
He’s bulking up for summer.
Slim down
Lose weight or get leaner.
Trying to slim down before the wedding.
Tone up
Make muscles firmer and more defined.
Pilates helps to tone up the core.
Max out
Reach the maximum weight or effort you can do.
I nearly maxed out on the bench press.
Burn off
Use energy (calories) through exercise.
A quick run will burn off that pastry.
Push through
Continue despite difficulty or fatigue.
Just push through the last five reps.
Give up
Stop trying (often used jokingly after a short attempt).
I tried the treadmill and gave up after five minutes.
💪 10 Gym Expressions People Use
No pain, no gain
Classic motto — effort leads to results.
It hurts now, but no pain, no gain.
Hit the gym
Go to the gym to exercise.
I’m going to hit the gym after work.
Leg day
A workout day focused on legs.
I can’t move — it was leg day yesterday.
Feel the burn
Sense of muscles working hard during exercise.
Keep going — you should feel the burn now.
Get ripped
Become very muscular and defined.
He’s been training hard to get ripped.
Work up a sweat
Exercise enough to produce sweat.
Twenty minutes on the bike and I’d worked up a sweat.
Spot someone
Support someone performing a heavy lift for safety.
Can you spot me on the last set?
Plateau
Stop improving despite training.
My gains plateaued last month, so I changed my routine.
Warm-up set
A light exercise set before heavier lifts.
Do two warm-up sets before your work sets.
Fitness regime
Your regular plan or routine of exercise.
My fitness regime includes running, cycling and weights.
Before You Go
Use these words at the gym or to pretend you do. “I’m just popping in for a quick workout” sounds far better than “I sat on a bike for 3 minutes and cried.”