pump iron

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pump iron (third-person singular simple present pumps iron, present participle pumping iron, simple past and past participle pumped iron)

1. (bodybuilding) To lift weights; to engage in weight or strength training.

   Her upper body strength has been improving since she started pumping iron at the gym.

   • 1987 September, Robert McKay, “The National Standard”, in Cincinnati Magazine, page 104:

     For years now, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made the talk-show rounds telling audiences that pumping iron is better than sex. No wonder it took him so long to find a bride.