Spanish Gym Vocabulary: Essential Terms for Your Workout

Key takeaways

• The verb “hacer” carries most gym language: hacer sentadillas (do squats), hacer cardio (do cardio), hacer dominadas (do pull-ups).
• Equipment names split between Spanish words (la barra, el banco) and loanwords (la kettlebell, el rack).
• Body part vocabulary at the gym differs from general anatomy: los glúteos, los isquiotibiales (hamstrings), and el core are the terms trainers use most.
• Trainer conversations require only a handful of phrases: ¿Cuántas series hago?, ¿Cuánto peso recomendas?, and Me duele [body part] handle most situations.

The gym has its own language in any country. In a Spanish-speaking gym, that language combines standard Spanish nouns with fitness loanwords from English, and the verb “hacer” (to do) holds most of the sentence structure together. Knowing the vocabulary is one part of the preparation.

Knowing how to ask a question when the weight machine label is only in Spanish is equally important.

italki connects 10M+ learners with 30,000+ teachers across 150+ languages since 2007. If you need to ask about equipment, pain, or technique in Spanish, a Spanish tutor can run a practical gym conversation drill before a trip or before joining a local gym where the trainers work in Spanish.

Gym equipment: what to call what you see

Spanish gym equipment names split into two groups: traditional Spanish words (la barra, el banco, la pesa) and English loanwords used widely across Latin America and Spain (la kettlebell, el rack, el spinning). For a broader foundation, review common Spanish vocabulary before adding gym-specific terms.

Spanish	English	Notes
la pesa / la mancuerna	dumbbell	pesa is more general; mancuerna is common in Mexico and Latin America
la barra	barbell
la barra olímpica	Olympic barbell
el banco	bench	bench press bench
el rack / la percha	squat rack	percha is used in some Spanish gyms
la cinta de correr / la caminadora	treadmill	caminadora is common in Latin America
la bicicleta estática / la bici fija	stationary bike
las pesas libres	free weights
la esterilla / el tapete	exercise mat	tapete is common in Mexico
la kettlebell / la pesa rusa	kettlebell	both forms are used
la máquina	machine	generic term for any resistance machine
la polea	cable pulley machine
el espejo	mirror

A practical note on the treadmill: in Spain cinta de correr is standard. In much of Latin America, caminadora (literally “the walker”) is the common word. Both are understood, but the local term will make you sound more natural.

Exercise names and action verbs

The verb “hacer” (to do) is the engine of gym Spanish. It combines with exercise nouns to build most workout descriptions.

Spanish	English
hacer sentadillas	do squats
hacer flexiones	do push-ups
hacer lagartijas	do push-ups (Mexico, Central America)
hacer abdominales / hacer crunches	do crunches / sit-ups
hacer dominadas / jalones	do pull-ups
hacer peso muerto	do deadlifts
hacer press de banca	do bench press
hacer press de hombros	do shoulder press
hacer curl de bíceps	do bicep curls
levantar pesas	lift weights
hacer cardio	do cardio
correr	run
estirarse	stretch
calentarse / hacer el calentamiento	warm up
enfriarse / hacer la vuelta a la calma	cool down

Sentence pattern to remember: subject + hacer + exercise noun.

• Hago sentadillas tres veces por semana. (I do squats three times a week.)
• Estamos haciendo press de banca. (We are doing bench press.)
• ¿Cuántas flexiones puedes hacer? (How many push-ups can you do?)

The infinitive “hacer” drops into any tense: hago (present), hice (preterite), hacía (imperfect), voy a hacer (near future).

Body parts Spanish gym-goers talk about most

General anatomy and gym anatomy overlap but are not identical. Trainers and gym-goers use a specific set of terms that may not appear in a basic vocabulary list.

Spanish	English	Where it appears
los bíceps	biceps	“Trabajar los bíceps” (work the biceps)
los tríceps	triceps
los hombros	shoulders	very common in workout planning
el pecho	chest	“pecho” in gym context, not “tórax”
la espalda	back
la espalda baja	lower back
el abdomen / el core	core / abdomen	core is widely used as a loanword
los glúteos	glutes	standard gym term
los cuádriceps	quadriceps	often shortened to “los cuádris”
los isquiotibiales	hamstrings	a longer term but widely used
las pantorrillas	calves
las piernas	legs	general, covers the whole leg

Practical use in sentences:

• Hoy quiero trabajar los hombros y el pecho. (Today I want to work shoulders and chest.)
• Me duelen los isquiotibiales después de ayer. (My hamstrings are sore after yesterday.)
• Necesito fortalecer la espalda baja. (I need to strengthen my lower back.)

The word for muscle soreness is “agujetas” in Spain or “dolor muscular” in Latin America. “Tengo agujetas en las piernas” (I have muscle soreness in my legs) is a common post-workout complaint.

Talking to a trainer or gym partner in Spanish

Most gym interactions follow a small number of conversational patterns. The phrases below cover the situations that come up most often.

Asking for guidance:

Spanish	English
¿Cuántas series hago?	How many sets do I do?
¿Cuántas repeticiones?	How many reps?
¿Cuánto peso recomendas?	How much weight do you recommend?
¿Me puedes ayudar con este ejercicio?	Can you help me with this exercise?
¿Estoy haciendo bien la técnica?	Is my technique correct?
¿Puedo usar esta máquina?	Can I use this machine?
¿Cuánto tiempo de descanso?	How long for rest?

Describing how you feel:

Spanish	English
Me duele el hombro.	My shoulder hurts.
Siento un tirón en la espalda.	I feel a pull in my back.
Estoy agotado/a.	I’m exhausted.
Me falta el aliento.	I’m out of breath.
Ya no puedo más.	I can’t do any more.

Sample trainer conversation:

Trainer: “¿Cuántas series de sentadillas haces normalmente?” (How many sets of squats do you normally do?) Response: “Hago cuatro series de doce repeticiones.” (I do four sets of twelve reps.) Trainer: “Bien. Mantén la espalda recta y las rodillas sobre los pies.” (Good. Keep your back straight and your knees over your feet.)

An online Spanish tutor can role-play these conversations before a first session with a Spanish-speaking trainer, which removes the hesitation from the actual interaction.

Counting reps, sets, and describing your routine

Numbers and structure words are the backbone of workout conversations.

Spanish	English
la serie / el set	set
la repetición / la rep	rep
el peso	weight
el descanso	rest
la rutina	routine
la sesión de entrenamiento	training session
el calentamiento	warm-up
el progreso	progress
el objetivo / la meta	goal

Describing a routine:

• Hago cuatro series de diez repeticiones con veinte kilos. (I do four sets of ten reps with twenty kilos.)
• Descansamos dos minutos entre series. (We rest two minutes between sets.)
• Mi rutina tiene cinco ejercicios por día. (My routine has five exercises per day.)
• Entreno cinco días a la semana. (I train five days a week.)
• Hoy es día de piernas. (Today is leg day.)

“Día de piernas” (leg day), “día de pecho” (chest day), and “día de espalda” (back day) are widely understood gym culture terms used the same way across Spanish-speaking gyms.

Regional vocabulary differences

Spanish gym vocabulary is largely consistent across countries, but a few terms vary noticeably.

Term	Spain	Latin America (broad)	Mexico specifically
push-up	flexión	flexión / lagartija	lagartija
treadmill	cinta de correr	caminadora	caminadora
dumbbell	mancuerna / pesa	mancuerna / pesa	mancuerna
pull-up	dominada	dominada / jalón	jalón (often for lat pulldown machine)

“Lagartija” (literally lizard) is the word for push-up in Mexico and much of Central America. In Spain and most of South America, “flexión” is the standard term. This is one of the clearest regional gym vocabulary splits.

In gym contexts, English loanwords appear more commonly than in everyday Spanish: el spinning, el crossfit, el cardio, el fitness, el stretching. These are used without translation across all Spanish-speaking countries and generally carry masculine gender.

Take your Spanish gym vocabulary into action

Gym conversations in Spanish are practical and repetitive – the same questions about sets, weights, and technique come up session after session. That repetition is an advantage for learners. A small working vocabulary handles most situations, and the vocabulary builds naturally through use.

italki works well for this use case because gym Spanish is practical, repetitive, and tied to real actions. Book a trial lesson and use the session to run through a full training conversation: warm-up, exercise selection, technique questions, and the cool-down.

FAQ

What is the Spanish word for gym?

The gym is el gimnasio in Spanish. “Voy al gimnasio” (I’m going to the gym) and “Hoy fui al gimnasio” (I went to the gym today) are the most common phrases.

How do you say “sets and reps” in Spanish?

Sets are las series (or los sets in many gym contexts). Reps are las repeticiones, often shortened to las reps. “Hago tres series de doce repeticiones” (I do three sets of twelve reps) is the standard format.

What does “hacer” mean in gym context?

Hacer means “to do.” In gym Spanish it combines with exercise nouns: hacer sentadillas (do squats), hacer flexiones (do push-ups), hacer cardio (do cardio). The pattern is: hacer + exercise noun.

How do you say muscle soreness in Spanish?

In Spain the common term is agujetas: “Tengo agujetas” (I have muscle soreness). In Latin America, dolor muscular is more widely used. Both describe the familiar post-workout ache.

What is “push-up” in Spanish?

In Spain and most of South America: la flexión. In Mexico and Central America: la lagartija (literally, lizard). Both refer to the same exercise.