At the Gym in Chinese: Workout Words and Phrases

Gyms in China look the same as anywhere else, but the words don't. This guide covers the equipment, the main lifts, how to count sets and reps, and the phrases you need to share a gym floor with other people.

Around the Gym

• 健身房 jiànshēnfáng — gym
• 健身 jiànshēn — to work out; fitness
• 教练 jiàoliàn — coach; trainer
• 私教 sījiào — personal trainer (short for 私人教练 sīrén jiàoliàn)
• 会员卡 huìyuánkǎ — membership card
• 更衣室 gēngyīshì — changing room
• 跑步机 pǎobùjī — treadmill
• 器械 qìxiè — machines; equipment
• 哑铃 yǎlíng — dumbbell
• 杠铃 gànglíng — barbell
• 毛巾 máojīn — towel

Training Words

• 热身 rèshēn — to warm up
• 拉伸 lāshēn — to stretch
• 举重 jǔzhòng — weightlifting
• 深蹲 shēndūn — squat
• 卧推 wòtuī — bench press
• 硬拉 yìnglā — deadlift
• 俯卧撑 fǔwòchēng — push-up
• 引体向上 yǐntǐ xiàngshàng — pull-up
• 平板支撑 píngbǎn zhīchēng — plank
• 有氧 yǒuyǎng — cardio (short for 有氧运动 yǒuyǎng yùndòng)
• 休息 xiūxi — to rest

Counting Sets, Reps and Weight

A set is 组 zǔ and a rep is 次 cì. Put the number in front of each one, the same way you would with any measure word.

三组，每组十二次。 Sān zǔ, měi zǔ shí'èr cì. (Three sets of twelve.)
再来一组。 Zài lái yì zǔ. (One more set.)
六十公斤 liùshí gōngjīn (60 kg). Gyms in China use kilograms.

In casual speech people often count reps with 个 ge instead of 次: 做十个 zuò shí ge (do ten).

Gym Phrases

• 你平时去健身房吗？ Nǐ píngshí qù jiànshēnfáng ma? — Do you usually go to the gym?
• 我一周练三次。 Wǒ yì zhōu liàn sān cì. — I train three times a week.
• 今天练什么？ Jīntiān liàn shénme? — What are you training today?
  Answer with 练 liàn + body part: 练腿 liàn tuǐ (legs), 练胸 liàn xiōng (chest), 练背 liàn bèi (back).
• 先热身一下。 Xiān rèshēn yíxià. — Warm up first.
• 这个器械怎么用？ Zhège qìxiè zěnme yòng? — How do I use this machine?
• 你还要用吗？ Nǐ hái yào yòng ma? — Are you still using this?
• 可以帮我保护一下吗？ Kěyǐ bāng wǒ bǎohù yíxià ma? — Could you spot me?
  保护 bǎohù means "protect". At the gym it is the word for spotting someone on a heavy lift.
• 我想减肥。 Wǒ xiǎng jiǎnféi. — I want to lose weight.
• 我想增肌。 Wǒ xiǎng zēngjī. — I want to build muscle.
• 练完了，全身都酸。 Liàn wán le, quánshēn dōu suān. — Done. Everything aches.
  酸 suān (literally "sour") is the word for sore muscles the day after training.

Learn the Words While You Train

HanziBook's Hanzi Gym is a workout log that names every exercise in Chinese with pinyin. Log your sets and reps there and words like 深蹲 shēndūn and 卧推 wòtuī stick because you use them three times a week.

Hanzi Gym: a workout log in Chinese → · Sports in Chinese → · Watching and Talking About Sports →