Today's words · 🏋️ Exercise & gym
Get gym-ready in German with these 10 words
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When your legs won't work the day after training, Germans say a ‘muscle tomcat’ has come to visit.
New year, new you: you've joined the local gym. The trainer asks ‘Wie oft trainieren Sie?’ and your mind goes blank. The next day, everything hurts and you can barely make it down the stairs.
Today's ten words are for sport and the gym. You'll be able to handle the sign-up chat, talk about your workouts and complain about the aches afterwards. Lots of them look like English, so they'll stick fast! 🏋️
📋 The ten words at a glance
- das Fitnessstudio — gym, fitness centre
- der Sport — sport(s), exercise
- trainieren — to train, to work out
- das Training — training, practice
- fit — fit, in shape
- der Muskel — muscle
- schwitzen — to sweat
- die Hantel — dumbbell; barbell
- dehnen — to stretch
- der Muskelkater — sore muscles, muscle ache (after exercise)
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Fitnessstudio
[FIT-ness-shtoo-dee-oh]gym, fitness centre(Pl. die Fitnessstudios)
📌 Ich gehe dreimal pro Woche ins Fitnessstudio.
→ I go to the gym three times a week.
💡 fitness + Studio = gym 💪 Yes, that's three s's in a row!
Bonus to go to the gym = ins Fitnessstudio gehen; casually also ins Fitti
der Sport
[SHPORT]sport(s), exercise((pl. rare))
📌 Ich mache dreimal pro Woche Sport.
→ I do sport three times a week.
💡 English sport, but say it with a ‘sh’ ⚽ Words starting sp- and st- sound like shp- and sht-.
Bonus to exercise = Sport machen: Ich mache viel Sport.
trainieren
[tray-NEE-ren]to train, to work out(trainiert – hat trainiert)
📌 Ich trainiere dreimal pro Woche.
→ I train three times a week.
💡 English train + -ieren 🏃 -ieren verbs drop ge-: hat trainiert
Bonus Say what you work on: die Beine trainieren
das Training
[TRAY-ning]training, practice(Pl. die Trainings)
📌 Das Training beginnt um 18 Uhr.
→ Training starts at 6 p.m.
💡 Straight from English 🏋️ English nouns in -ing are usually das.
⚠ A tracksuit is der Trainingsanzug, not das Training.
fit
[FIT]fit, in shape(= fit sein)
📌 Ich mache Sport, um fit zu bleiben.
→ I do sport to stay fit.
💡 Exactly like English 🍏 Feeling good? Ich bin fit!
Bonus to stay in shape = fit bleiben
der Muskel
[MOOS-kel]muscle(Pl. die Muskeln)
📌 Nach dem Training tun mir die Muskeln weh.
→ My muscles ache after training.
💡 Latin for ‘little mouse’ 🐭 A flexing muscle looked like a mouse under the skin.
⚠ The plural adds -n: die Muskeln
schwitzen
[SHVIT-sen]to sweat(schwitzt – hat geschwitzt)
📌 Im Sommer schwitze ich sehr schnell.
→ In summer I sweat very quickly.
💡 A cousin of English sweat 💦 The sweat itself is der Schweiß.
Bonus The opposite feeling: frieren (to be freezing)
die Hantel
[HAN-tel]dumbbell; barbell(Pl. die Hanteln)
📌 Mit leichten Hanteln kann man auch zu Hause trainieren.
→ You can also train at home with light dumbbells.
💡 Think Hand: the weight you hold in your hand 🏋️♀️
Bonus strength training = das Krafttraining
dehnen
[DAY-nen]to stretch(dehnt – hat gedehnt)
📌 Nach dem Laufen sollte man die Muskeln dehnen.
→ After running you should stretch your muscles.
💡 Stretch the vowel as you say it — ‘daaay-nen’ 🧘
Bonus to warm up = sich aufwärmen
der Muskelkater
[MOOS-kel-kah-ter]sore muscles, muscle ache (after exercise)(Sg.)
📌 Nach dem ersten Training hatte ich drei Tage Muskelkater.
→ After the first training session I had sore muscles for three days.
💡 Muskel + Kater (tomcat, or hangover) = a muscle hangover 🐈
⚠ Kater on its own means a hangover: Ich habe einen Kater.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany, local sports clubs (Sportverein) are just as popular as gyms. They offer everything from football to swimming to badminton, membership is often affordable, and plenty of adults join one for the first time.
Before you sign up at a gym, read the contract (Vertrag) carefully. Many tie you in for several months or a year, and there's often a fixed notice period if you want to cancel (Kündigung).
And bring a towel: in many gyms it's expected that you lay it on the machines and benches while you train. 🧺
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Your legs ache badly the day after training. What do you tell a friend?
- ① Ich habe einen Kater.
- ② Ich habe Muskelkater.
- ③ Ich bin fit.
Show the answer
② Ich habe Muskelkater.
Muskelkater means sore muscles after exercise; Kater alone means a hangover.
As you stretch today, name each body part in German: ‘Ich dehne die Beine!’ Viel Spaß beim Training! 💪
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: ⚽ Football