Planning on hitting the salle de sport (gym) in a French-speaking country? Or maybe you just want to describe someone who's costaud (well-built)? While the most direct translation for 'muscle' is simply le muscle, French offers a variety of more colorful and specific terms. Knowing these words will not only expand your vocabulary but also help you sound more like a native speaker when talking about fitness, strength, or the human body. Let's flex our linguistic muscles and explore 9 different ways to say 'muscle' in French!

1. The standard 'muscle' – le muscle

The most direct and common word for 'muscle' in French is le muscle. It's a fundamental vocabulary word for anatomy, fitness, and health, functioning almost exactly like its English counterpart.

Le muscle is a masculine noun, so you'll always use masculine articles like le (the) or un (a). The plural form is les muscles. For example, you would say le muscle de la jambe (the leg muscle) or les muscles du dos (the back muscles).

Its primary use is in a literal, anatomical sense. You will hear and use this word when talking about the body, exercise, or injuries. For example, a doctor might talk about une blessure musculaire (a muscle injury) or une contraction musculaire (a muscle contraction).

Just like in English, muscle can be used figuratively to mean power or force. The expression montrer ses muscles means 'to flex one's muscles' or 'to show strength', which can apply to a person, a company, or a country demonstrating its power.

To talk about muscles effectively, you should know these related terms:

• musclé(e): The adjective for 'muscular'. Example: un homme musclé (a muscular man).
• se muscler: The verb meaning 'to build muscle'. Example: Je veux me muscler. (I want to build muscle.)
• la musculation: The noun for 'weight training' or 'bodybuilding'.

💡 * Après le sport, j'ai une douleur dans ce muscle.

• Il va à la salle de sport pour se muscler les bras.
• Le cœur est le muscle le plus important du corps.
• L'entreprise a montré ses muscles en dominant le marché.
• Elle est très musclée car elle fait beaucoup de musculation.

The 'muscular build' or 'physique' – la musculature

To describe a person's overall 'muscular build' or 'physique' in French, the specific noun you need is la musculature.

Unlike the simple adjective musclé(e) (muscular), la musculature refers to the entire system and structure of the muscles. It describes the quality, development, and appearance of someone's physique as a whole, rather than just stating they have muscles.

You will often encounter la musculature in contexts related to fitness, bodybuilding, sports, or art. For instance, a commentator might praise an athlete's build by saying they have une musculature impressionnante (an impressive physique).

It's crucial to remember that la musculature is a feminine noun. Therefore, any accompanying articles or adjectives must agree. For example, you would say sa musculature est bien définie (his/her muscular build is well-defined).

While le physique can refer to someone's overall physical appearance and le corps means 'the body,' la musculature specifically isolates and describes the muscular aspect. It's a more technical and descriptive term.

💡 * Il travaille tous les jours pour développer sa musculature.

• Les athlètes olympiques ont souvent une musculature impressionnante.
• Ce régime aide à maintenir une musculature sèche.
• Le sculpteur a parfaitement représenté la musculature humaine dans son œuvre.

The 'biceps' – le biceps

Here's an easy one for English speakers: the word for 'biceps' in French is le biceps. It's a direct cognate, meaning it's the same word with the same origin, and it is a masculine noun.

One of the most important things to know about this word is that its spelling doesn't change between singular and plural. A word ending in '-s' in its singular form in French keeps the same spelling for the plural. You only change the article.

• Le biceps - The biceps (singular, e.g., on one arm)
• Les biceps - The biceps (plural, e.g., on both arms)

Unlike most French words ending in '-s', the final 's' in biceps is pronounced. It sounds very similar to the English pronunciation: [bi.sɛps].

In everyday language, you will most often hear the word used in its plural form, les biceps, even when talking about one person's arms. It's treated as a pair, much like 'les yeux' (the eyes).

💡 * Il va à la salle de sport tous les jours pour travailler ses biceps.

• Après l'entraînement, j'ai une douleur dans le biceps gauche.
• Le bodybuilder a des biceps énormes.
• Montre-moi tes biceps pour voir si tu es fort.

The slang for 'biceps' or 'guns' – les biscoteaux

The slang for 'biceps' or 'guns' – les biscoteaux

Les biscoteaux is a popular and informal French slang term for biceps. It's the direct equivalent of calling someone's arms 'guns' in English, used to playfully refer to well-developed, muscular arms.

The word is humorously derived from biscotte, a French term for a hard, dry toast or rusk. The imagery suggests that the biceps muscle is as hard and well-defined as a small loaf of a biscotte, giving the slang a very visual and funny connotation.

Grammatically, les biscoteaux is a masculine noun and is almost exclusively used in its plural form. You would use it in casual, everyday conversations, especially when talking about fitness, strength, or someone's physique.

💡 * Regarde ses biscoteaux, il va à la salle de sport tous les jours ! (Look at his guns, he goes to the gym every day!)

• Il contracte ses biscoteaux pour la photo. (He's flexing his biceps for the picture.)
• Pour avoir de gros biscoteaux, il faut manger beaucoup de protéines. (To get big biceps, you have to eat a lot of protein.)
• Arrête de frimer avec tes biscoteaux ! (Stop showing off your guns!)

The 'abs' – les abdos

The 'abs' – les abdos

Les abdos is the common, shortened, and informal term for les abdominaux, which directly translates to 'the abdominals' or 'abs' in English.

This is a masculine plural noun. You will always use it with plural articles like les (the) or des (some). For example, you would say avoir des abdos (to have abs).

The term is primarily used in conversations about fitness, exercise, and physical appearance. A very common phrase is faire des abdos, which means 'to do sit-ups' or 'crunches'.

In everyday spoken French, you will almost exclusively hear les abdos rather than the full medical term les abdominaux. It's the standard word to use at the gym or when talking with friends.

💡 * Je fais 50 abdos tous les matins.

• Il rêve d'avoir des abdos bien visibles pour l'été.
• J'ai mal aux abdos après mon cours de gym.
• Quel est le meilleur exercice pour muscler ses abdos ?

The 'six-pack' – la tablette de chocolat

When you want to talk about chiseled 'six-pack' abs in French, the most common and colorful expression is la tablette de chocolat.

Literally, la tablette de chocolat translates to 'the chocolate bar.' The comparison is purely visual and quite clever: the grid-like sections of well-defined abdominal muscles look just like the breakable squares of a bar of chocolate.

This is not obscure slang; it's a widely used and understood idiom in everyday French. You'll hear it in gyms, see it in fitness magazines, and find it in casual conversations about fitness and body image. While the general term for 'abs' is les abdos (short for les abdominaux), la tablette de chocolat specifically refers to the visible, sculpted 'six-pack' look.

So, if you're discussing workout goals in French, aspiring to get a tablette de chocolat is the perfect way to express your aim for a toned midsection. It's a fun, descriptive phrase that everyone will immediately understand.

💡 * Il va à la salle de sport tous les jours pour avoir une tablette de chocolat.

• Pour l'été, je veux travailler mes abdos et avoir une tablette de chocolat.
• Regarde ce mannequin, il a une tablette de chocolat parfaite !
• Avoir une tablette de chocolat demande beaucoup de discipline et d'exercice.

The 'pecs' – les pectoraux

When talking about 'pecs' or the pectoral muscles in French, the term to use is les pectoraux. This is the formal and common word for the chest muscles, especially in fitness and anatomy contexts.

Les pectoraux is a masculine plural noun. The singular form, le pectoral, refers to a single pectoral muscle. In casual gym slang, you might also hear the shortened version, les pecs.

You will commonly use this term when discussing workout routines (les programmes d'entraînement) or describing physical attributes. It is often preceded by a possessive adjective like mes (my), tes (your), or ses (his/her).

💡 * Il va à la salle de sport pour travailler ses pectoraux.

• Le développé couché est un exercice de base pour les pectoraux.
• Après l'entraînement, j'ai des courbatures aux pectoraux.

The 'hunk' or 'pile of muscles' – un tas de muscles

The phrase un tas de muscles literally translates to 'a pile of muscles.' It's a very visual and informal expression used to describe someone who is extremely muscular.

In practice, un tas de muscles is the French equivalent of calling someone a 'hunk,' 'beefcake,' or simply a 'pile of muscles.' It's a colloquial term, often used with a humorous or slightly exaggerated tone.

This expression is best reserved for casual, informal conversations. While it can be seen as a compliment about someone's physique, it can also sometimes imply that the person is all brawn and no brains, so context is very important.

💡 * Regarde ce mec à la salle, c'est un vrai tas de muscles. (Look at that guy at the gym, he's a real hunk.)

• Depuis qu'il fait de la musculation, il est devenu un énorme tas de muscles. (Since he started weightlifting, he has become a huge pile of muscles.)
• Je ne suis pas attirée par les tas de muscles, je préfère l'intelligence. (I'm not attracted to hunks, I prefer intelligence.)

The 'flesh' or 'meat' (slang) – la viande

The primary and most common meaning of la viande in French is simply 'meat.' This is the word you'll use at the butcher shop (la boucherie) or when ordering a meat dish at a restaurant. It refers to the flesh of an animal consumed as food.

In informal and slang contexts, la viande can also refer to a person's 'flesh' or 'body.' This usage is very similar to the English expression 'a piece of meat' and often carries a crude, pejorative, or objectifying connotation, reducing a person to their physical form.

The tone of this slang usage is critical. While it can be derogatory, it can also be used more neutrally in specific contexts, like sports, to simply mean 'flesh' or 'body.' For example, a boxer might talk about taking punches to la viande (the body).

A common slang expression you might hear is de la viande fraîche, which translates to 'fresh meat.' Just like in English, this term is used colloquially to describe newcomers to a group, such as new employees at a company or new students at a school.

💡 * Je vais acheter de la viande pour le barbecue de ce soir. (I'm going to buy meat for tonight's barbecue.)

• Le manager considère les nouvelles recrues comme de la viande fraîche. (The manager sees the new recruits as fresh meat.)
• Il a été critiqué pour avoir parlé d'elle comme d'un morceau de viande. (He was criticized for talking about her like a piece of meat.)
• Après le match de rugby, il avait des bleus sur toute la viande. (After the rugby match, he had bruises all over his flesh.)

Are there other ways to say 'muscle' in French?

Are there other ways to say “muscle” in French?

Our guide covers the most common and essential ways to say “muscle” in French. However, the language is full of other terms, from highly technical anatomical words to informal slang used in gyms across the French-speaking world.

You can expand your vocabulary by doing an online search for “termes d'anatomie pour muscle” or “argot pour muscle” to find more specialized or colloquial options.

When you discover new synonyms for muscle, always check the context. A term used in a medical journal will be very different from a word you hear in a bodybuilding video, so be sure you understand its proper usage before trying it yourself.

Pay attention when you watch French sports, read fitness articles, or listen to discussions about health. You'll start to notice the subtle and varied ways native speakers refer to muscles and physical strength.

For a deeper dive into related vocabulary, such as different muscle groups or words describing strength, the Larousse dictionary entry for muscle is a fantastic resource.

I hope this article has helped you build a stronger French vocabulary. To finish, here is a powerful quote from French writer Joseph Joubert: La force ne vient pas des capacités physiques, elle vient d'une volonté indomptable. (Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will.)