Fitness & Exercise Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on gym equipment, workout types, exercise technique and healthy-lifestyle vocabulary. A2–B1 level. Great for everyday English learners and sports fans.
Fitness & Exercise English — FAQ
'Exercise' is the general word for any physical activity done for health (e.g., swimming, walking, cycling). A 'workout' usually refers to a structured session of physical training, often at a gym — for example, a 45-minute workout. You can say 'I do exercise every day' or 'I do a workout three times a week.' Both words are very common in everyday English.
To 'warm up' means to do gentle, low-intensity exercise before a main workout. The goal is to raise your body temperature, increase blood flow to the muscles, and reduce the risk of injury. A warm-up typically includes light jogging, stretching, or mobility exercises. The opposite is a 'cool down', which you do at the end of a workout to let your body return to its resting state.
Aerobic exercise uses oxygen as the main energy source and is sustained over a longer period — for example, running, cycling, or swimming. It improves cardiovascular fitness. Anaerobic exercise is short and intense, like weightlifting or sprinting, and does not primarily rely on oxygen. It builds muscle strength and power. Most fitness programmes include a mix of both types.
Common gym equipment vocabulary: treadmill (a machine for running or walking indoors), dumbbells (short hand weights), barbell (a long bar with weights on each end), resistance bands (elastic bands for strength training), kettlebell (a cast-iron weight with a handle), rowing machine, stationary bike (also called an exercise bike), pull-up bar, bench press, and foam roller (used for muscle recovery).
A 'rep' (short for repetition) is one complete movement of an exercise — for example, one push-up or one bicep curl. A 'set' is a group of consecutive reps performed without a break. For example, '3 sets of 10 reps' means you perform the exercise 10 times, rest, then repeat that sequence three times in total. These terms are used universally in strength training.
'Cardio' is short for cardiovascular exercise — any activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for a period of time, improving the health of your heart and lungs. Examples include running, cycling, swimming, skipping (jump rope), dancing, and rowing. 'Doing cardio' is a very common informal expression: 'I do 20 minutes of cardio before weights.'
DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness — the muscle pain or stiffness you feel 24 to 48 hours after an intense or unfamiliar workout. It is a normal result of microscopic muscle damage during exercise, which leads to muscle growth as the fibres repair. DOMS is common when you start a new exercise routine or increase the intensity of your training.
Body composition vocabulary: muscle mass (the amount of muscle in the body), body fat percentage (the proportion of fat to total body weight), lean body mass (everything except fat — muscles, bones, organs), BMI (Body Mass Index — a basic measure of body weight relative to height), core (the muscles of the abdomen, back, and pelvis), and metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories at rest).
Stretching is any exercise where you lengthen a muscle to improve its range of motion — for example, touching your toes or a standing quad stretch. Flexibility training is the broader programme that includes stretching as well as yoga, Pilates, and mobility drills, with the long-term goal of improving overall flexibility. Static stretching (holding a stretch for 20–30 seconds) is best done after a workout; dynamic stretching (controlled movements) is better before.
Words to describe fitness levels: beginner (someone new to exercise), intermediate (some experience), advanced (high level of fitness and training), fit (in good physical condition), unfit (poor physical condition), active (regularly doing physical activity), sedentary (spending a lot of time sitting, little physical activity), athletic (strong and physically skilled), stamina/endurance (ability to exercise for a long time without getting tired), and strength (physical power).