Vocabulary Lesson

French Exercise Vocabulary

In this short lesson, you'll master essential exercise vocabulary in French. After learning the words, use the flashcards or quiz to reinforce your knowledge.

A1-C1 Audio Included Quiz Flashcards
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French Exercise Vocabulary

Start with the most common words, then expand your knowledge with intermediate and advanced vocabulary.

Beginner (A1)

  • exercise l'exercice
  • shower la douche
  • walking la marche
  • gym la salle de sport
  • towel la serviette
  • shorts le short
  • sport le sport
  • t-shirt le t-shirt
  • sneakers les baskets

Elementary (A2)

  • membership l'abonnement
  • workout l'entraînement
  • goal l'objectif
  • stretching l'étirement
  • injury la blessure
  • weight le poids
  • running la course à pied
  • fatigue la fatigue
  • strength la force
  • water bottle la gourde
  • gymnastics la gymnastique
  • swimming la natation
  • routine la routine
  • speed la vitesse
  • headband le bandeau
  • wristband Le bracelet connecté
  • locker le casier
  • trainer le coach/la coach
  • muscle le muscle
  • pace le rythme
  • diet le régime
  • gym bag le sac de sport
  • breath La respiration
  • athlete le sportif/la sportive
  • tracksuit le survêtement
  • mat le tapis
  • yoga le yoga

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

  • sit-up le relevé de buste
  • endurance l'endurance
  • dumbbell l'haltère
  • hydration l'hydratation
  • warm-up l'échauffement
  • balance l'équilibre
  • barbell la barre
  • jump rope la corde à sauter
  • weightlifting la musculation
  • plank la planche
  • push-up la pompe
  • posture la posture
  • protein la protéine
  • fitness la remise en forme
  • repetition la répétition
  • resistance la résistance
  • flexibility la souplesse
  • set la série
  • pull-up la traction
  • sweat La sueur
  • pilates le Pilates
  • cardio le cardio
  • personal trainer le coach personnel/la coach personnelle
  • group class le cours collectif
  • sports bra le soutien-gorge de sport
  • squat le squat
  • step le step
  • treadmill le tapis de course
  • stationary bike le vélo d'appartement
  • calories les calories
  • agility l'agilité
  • resistance band l'élastique de résistance
  • heart rate la fréquence cardiaque
  • kettlebell la kettlebell
  • mobility la mobilité
  • power la puissance
  • recovery la récupération
  • crossfit le CrossFit
  • supplement le complément
  • bench press le développé couché
  • core les muscles du tronc
  • medicine ball le medecine-ball
  • bodyweight le poids du corps
  • rowing machine le rameur
  • fitness tracker le tracker d'activité
  • elliptical machine le vélo elliptique
  • lunges les fentes

Practice What You've Learned

Review your French exercise vocabulary and test your knowledge with interactive practice.

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Put your new exercise vocabulary into practice and see how many words you can remember.

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Practice with flashcards

Review French exercise vocabulary and strengthen your memory with interactive flashcards.

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Example Sentences

In proper context. With highlighted verbs and adjectives.

Beginner & Elementary (A1-A2)

Basic sentences about exercise, gym routines, and fitness gear.

  • Je cours tous les matins dans le parc. I run every morning in the park.
  • Tu manges des légumes pour garder la forme. You eat vegetables to stay in shape.
  • Elle nage deux fois par semaine à la piscine. She swims twice a week at the pool.
  • Nous marchons lentement après l'entraînement. We walk slowly after training.
  • Il boit beaucoup d'eau pendant l'effort. He drinks a lot of water during exertion.
  • Le sac de sport est très lourd. The gym bag is very heavy.
  • Ma serviette est encore mouillée. My towel is still wet.
  • Ce short bleu est trop grand pour moi. These blue shorts are too big for me.
  • L'entraînement du soir est très fatigant. The evening workout is very tiring.
  • Le tapis de sol est bien propre. The floor mat is very clean.

Intermediate & Advanced (B1-C1)

More complex fitness sentences using precise verbs and descriptive adjectives.

  • Il développe sa force musculaire grâce à cet exercice. He develops his muscle strength thanks to this exercise.
  • Vous renforcez vos abdos avec des séries de gainage. You strengthen your abs with core holding sets.
  • Elles transpirent beaucoup pendant la séance de cardio. They sweat a lot during the cardio session.
  • Nous étirons nos muscles après chaque entraînement intense. We stretch our muscles after every intense workout.
  • Tu améliores ton endurance en courant régulièrement. You improve your endurance by running regularly.
  • Cette séance de musculation était extrêmement intense. This weightlifting session was extremely intense.
  • Il garde une posture bien droite pendant les squats. He maintains a very straight posture during squats.
  • La respiration doit rester régulière pendant l'effort. Breathing must remain steady during effort.
  • Ce programme de remise en forme est très efficace. This fitness program is very effective.
  • Ses muscles sont devenus plus forts cet été. His muscles have become stronger this summer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions about French exercise vocabulary, gym terms, and workout expressions.

When discussing exercising and going to the gym in French, several common verbs and expressions are frequently used:

  • Faire du sport – to work out or play sports in general
  • S'entraîner – to train or work out
  • Faire de la musculation – to do weightlifting or strength training
  • Aller à la salle de sport – to go to the gym

To describe the different steps of your gym routine, use these essential French verbs:

  • S'échauffer – to warm up before exercising
  • S'étirer – to stretch your muscles
  • Transpirer – to sweat during physical exertion
  • Récupérer – to rest or recover between sets or workouts

Here are common French adjectives to qualify your physical effort or state of fitness:

  • Intense – demanding or high-intensity
  • Fatigant(e) – tiring or exhausting
  • Courbaturé(e) – sore with muscle aches
  • En forme – fit, energized, or in good shape

In French, athletic footwear can be described using different terms depending on formality and sport type:

  • Les baskets – the everyday informal word for sneakers or sports shoes in France
  • Les chaussures de sport – the standard, formal French term for all athletic shoes
  • Les runnings – specialized running shoes meant for jogging or road running

When following or explaining a workout program in French, count your movements with these terms:

  • Une série – a set (for example: trois séries de dix pompes)
  • Une répétition – a single rep or repetition
  • Le temps de repos – rest time between sets

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