Entra en la primera unidad y empieza a hablar de tus hábitos de ejercicio: podrás contar cómo entrenas, qué actividades practicas y cuándo te mueves. Avanza paso a paso y convierte cada palabra en una frase que usarías de verdad.

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To talk about physical activity, hacer ejercicio is used when someone trains or moves to take care of their body. Practicar deporte is used when the activity is a specific sport, such as practicar tenis or practicar natación. General words such as entrenar, moverse, actividad física and rutina also appear. Entrenar is used when there is a regular plan, for example entreno tres veces por semana. Calentamiento is the part before exertion, and descanso is the time to recover energy. In a gym, pesas, máquinas, clase and sesión are heard often, because they name the type of work being done.

Cardiovascular activities make the heart beat faster and usually move the whole body for several minutes. Correr means moving quickly with the feet, caminar means moving at a normal pace, and saltar means lifting both feet off the ground or one after the other. Nadar is done in water, and montar en bicicleta is used for riding a bike or pedaling. In everyday sentences, one can say salgo a correr por la mañana, camino al trabajo or nado en la piscina. When talking about a routine, these activities often go with expressions such as dar un paseo, salir a correr and hacer cardio.


Vocabulary of cardiovascular activities
WordDefinition
🏃correrto move quickly with the feet to advance along the ground.
🚶caminarto advance at a normal pace without needing to hurry.
🏊nadarto move through the water using the arms and legs.
🚴montar en bicicletato go on a bicycle to move around or exercise.
🤸saltarto raise the body suddenly with one or two feet.
🐢trotarto run slowly to maintain a comfortable pace.
🧗escalarto go up a high surface using the hands and feet.
🚣remarto move a boat with oars or make the gesture of that movement.
🛼patinarto move on skates across a smooth surface.
💪hacer ejercicioto practice physical activity to care for the body and health.

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To work the muscles, verbs such as levantar and expressions such as levantar pesas are used. Hacer flexiones consists of lowering and raising the body with support from the hands, hacer abdominales works the abdominal area, and hacer sentadillas consists of bending the knees and lowering the body as if one were sitting down. Musculación is also heard for strength work in general and repeticiones for counting how many times a movement is repeated. At the gym, a common sentence is hago tres series de sentadillas.


Vocabulary of strength exercises
WordDefinition
🏋️levantar pesasto raise weight with the hands to strengthen the muscles.
🤲flexionesto lower and raise the body with the arms while keeping the torso straight.
🧘abdominalesexercises to strengthen the abdomen by lifting the torso.
🦵sentadillasto lower the body by bending the knees and then rise again.
⚖️pesasheavy training objects used for strengthening.
🏠mancuernassmall weights for one hand used for strength exercises.
📦cargarto lift or move weight using physical strength.
👉empujarto apply force forward against an object or surface.
🪢tirarto exert force to bring something closer to the body.
🛠️entrenar fuerzato work the muscles in a planned way to gain power.

Before or after exercise, estirar prepares the muscles or relaxes them. Doblarse describes moving the body forward or to one side, and respirar accompanies many exercises to maintain the rhythm. Relajarse is used when finishing the activity, when the body gradually returns to a calm state. One can say estiro las piernas, me doblo hacia delante and respiro despacio. In yoga and during warm-ups, flexibilidad, postura and respiración appear frequently.


Vocabulary of stretching and flexibility
WordDefinition
🧎estirarto lengthen the muscles gently to prepare or relax the body.
🤸doblarseto lean the body to bring it closer to a lower part.
🌬️respirarto take in and let out air consciously and calmly.
😌relajarseto leave the body without tension after exertion.
🪁flexibilidadthe body’s ability to move with a wide range without stiffness.
🔥calentarto prepare the body with gentle movement before exercise.
🧴aflojarto reduce tension in the muscles or in a posture.
↗️inclinarseto move the torso forward or to one side with control.
🌀girarto move a part of the body in a circle to loosen it.
🌙relajacióna state of bodily and mental rest after exertion.

Individual sports are practiced personally, although there may sometimes be a coach, judge or opponents. Yoga combines postures, breathing and body control. Tenis is played with a racket and ball, almost always against another person. Atletismo includes races, jumps and throws. Gimnasia works on balance, strength and coordination. Patinaje is done on skates, on ice or on wheels. In these sports, people often talk about técnica, equilibrio, velocidad and resistencia.


Vocabulary of individual sports
WordDefinition
🧘yogaphysical and mental practice with postures and breathing.
🎾tenisracket sport in which a ball is hit over a net.
🏅atletismoa set of physical events such as running jumping and throwing.
🤸gimnasiasporting activity with balance strength and coordination exercises.
⛸️patinajesport practiced with skates on ice or the ground.
🌊nataciónsport involving movement through water with technique and endurance.
🚲ciclismosport practiced on a bicycle on a road or track.
🥊boxeocombat sport in which one strikes with the fists.
🗡️esgrimacombat sport with a sword and precision rules.
🎿esquísport of gliding over snow on skis.

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Team sports are played in groups and depend on cooperation among players. Fútbol is played with a ball and goals are scored in the net. Baloncesto uses a ball and a basket. Voleibol consists of passing the ball over a net without letting it fall to the ground. Béisbol is played with a bat, ball and bases. In this type of sport, words such as equipo, partido, jugada, pase and defensa appear. Jugar al fútbol, jugar al baloncesto and ir a entrenar con el equipo are used frequently.


Vocabulary of team sports
WordDefinition
⚽fútbolsport in which a goal is scored mainly using the feet.
🏀baloncestosport in which a ball is put through a hoop.
🏐voleibolnet sport in which a ball is hit with the hands.
⚾béisbolsport in which a ball is hit and players run around bases.
👥equipogroup of people who play together to achieve a common goal.
🤝compañeroperson who plays with you in the same group.
🥅porteríaplace where one tries to score in sports such as soccer.
🧺canastahoop into which the ball is put in basketball.
💥rematefinal hit to send the ball with power or precision.
🛡️defensaaction of preventing the opponent from scoring or advancing.

Many movement verbs are used when exercising. Empujar means moving something away from the body with force. Tirar means doing the opposite, bringing or dragging something toward oneself. Levantar means raising an object or part of the body. Agacharse means lowering the body by bending the legs and waist. These actions usually go with body parts such as brazos, piernas and rodillas. One says doblar las rodillas, levantar los brazos and empujar la puerta. In an exercise class, estirar los brazos and flexionar las piernas are also heard.


Vocabulary of movements and body
WordDefinition
👉empujarto apply force forward against something or someone.
🪢tirarto pull toward you with controlled force.
🙌levantarto raise an object or part of the body upward.
🧎agacharseto lower the body by bending the legs and waist.
💪brazopart of the body that extends from the shoulder to the hand.
🦶piernapart of the body we use to walk run and jump.
🦵rodillajoint connecting the thigh to the lower part of the leg.
🧍hombroupper part of the body where the arm joins.
🪑espaldarear area of the body that supports the torso.
🍃abdomenarea of the body between the chest and pelvis.

Exercise can be done in many places. Gimnasio is the most common place for training with machines or weights. Parque and casa are also common spaces for walking, running or following a routine. Equipment includes mancuernas, esterilla, bici estática, pelota and raqueta, depending on the activity. To talk about frequency, expressions such as todos los días, tres veces por semana or de vez en cuando are used. For intensity, one says suave, moderado or intenso. In a complete sentence, one can say hago ejercicio en casa tres veces por semana or entreno en el gimnasio con pesas.

Uses for talking about regular exercise
UsageExplanation
🏋️Training locationUsed to say where exercise or sport is practiced.
🌳Outdoor spaceUsed when the activity takes place outside the home or a building.
🏊Aquatic facilityUsed to talk about the place where people swim or train in water.
🧘Training equipmentUsed to name what you need to train.
👟Sports equipmentUsed to refer to objects or clothing for practicing sport.
📅Weekly frequencyUsed to indicate how many times something occurs in a week.
🔥High intensityUsed to describe an activity that is very demanding or energetic.
🍵Low intensityUsed to talk about an activity that is gentle and not very demanding.
⏱️Short durationUsed to say that an activity lasts a short time.
🔁Regular routineUsed to express that something forms part of a constant and habitual practice.

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Ahora puedes describir tus entrenamientos, hablar de deportes, nombrar movimientos y explicar dónde, cuándo y con qué intensidad haces ejercicio. Ponlo en práctica: cuenta tu rutina en voz alta y después busca un entrenamiento en español para reconocer estas palabras en contexto.

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Last updated: Sat Aug 22, 2026, 5:27 PM

Exercise And Movement — Words for training and moving