How Does Exercise Help Men Sexually?

How Exercise Improves Men’s Sexual Health

Being active is good for everyone, but there are benefits specific to males.

Author: Laura Williams Bustos, ACSM EP-C
Published: February 21, 2023

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Giddy

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Key Points

‧ Everyone can benefit from exercise.

‧ Men have specific reasons for maintaining fitness as they age.

‧ Exercise may help to prevent erectile dysfunction.

Men, women, children and anyone else can reap the benefits of exercise. From helping prevent weight gain to reducing the risk of major chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, exercise is something for which everyone should make time.

But there are reasons men, specifically, should consider including physical activity in their day-to-day lives. These reasons include sexual health benefits as well as reducing the risk of sex-specific issues such as erectile dysfunction (ED) and prostate cancer.

Men’s exercises

The ins and outs of exercise are similar for all adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines that all healthy adults should aim to accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, every week. In addition, adults should perform at least two days of strength-building exercises, which target major muscle groups.

If you’re not currently exercising, this may sound overwhelming, but it breaks down to about 30 minutes of exercise per day, five days per week. And if strength-building exercises are performed in a circuit format, with little rest between exercises or sets, they can actually double as the recommended moderate-intensity cardio, too.

While there are lots of ways to meet this goal, a sample schedule may include:

  • Monday. A 15-minute morning walk plus a 15-minute evening walk.
  • Tuesday. Thirty minutes of strength training exercises performed as a circuit. For example, perform 10 repetitions each of bodyweight squats, pushups, walking lunges, dumbbell overhead shoulder presses, dumbbell row, triceps chair dips, dumbbell biceps curls and sit-ups. Then repeat the series two more times without rest between exercises or rounds.
  • Wednesday. Thirty minutes of pickup basketball or playing soccer at the park with your kids.
  • Thursday. Thirty minutes of strength training exercises performed as a circuit.
  • Friday. A 15-minute morning walk plus a 15-minute evening walk.

It’s important to remember that exercise preference plays a key role because if you can choose exercises you enjoy and can do confidently, you’re more likely to continue doing them.

For instance, a study published in 2018 by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University found men were significantly more likely than women to enjoy weightlifting, while they were less likely to enjoy moderate-intensity cardio. So even if the CDC’s guidelines suggest doing “moderate-intensity cardio” for 150 minutes per week, it’s important to find options—like playing sports or strength training—that are most appealing to help you meet those overarching goals.

“Regular exercise decreases the risk of all diseases and mortality from all causes,” said Kirk Parsley, M.D., a sleep expert and retired Navy SEAL based in San Diego as well as a medical team member for LegacyExpeditions.net Triple 7 Expedition. “It also helps men maintain blood flow throughout the body, enhancing muscularity and reducing the severity of male pattern baldness. Blood flow to the skin and genitals also makes sexual dysfunction less likely and improves sensation during sex. Maintaining cognitive function through balanced neurochemistry and blood flow is one of the major benefits of regular exercise and, in many cases, can counteract the risk of inherited genetic diseases.”

Risks and benefits

When started slowly, conscientiously and progressively, an exercise program carries very few risks and offers a slew of potential benefits.

“If a man is completely untrained—has never exercised regularly in his life—and he is over 30-ish, he should be evaluated by a physician for serious cardiovascular risk as well as musculoskeletal stability and movement prior to starting an exercise program,” Parsley explained. “For example, if a man has always been overweight, has never played sports or wasn’t active growing up, he may well have some biomechanical deficits that would make certain exercises more dangerous than would be worth the risk. However, generally speaking, men are no more or less likely to get any specific injury from exercise. The exercise dictates the risk.”

If you haven’t exercised in some time, schedule a quick health screening with your doctor to make sure there aren’t any specific exercises to avoid. Then consider enlisting a trainer for a few sessions to help you perfect your form and start a safe, well-designed program.

Certain exercises pose a higher level of risk because performing them incorrectly (or doing too much too soon) can place undue stress on the joints. If you’re new to exercise, it’s best to ensure you’re doing each movement correctly.

“Dead lifts are risky for low back injuries, running is risky for knee and hip injuries, [and] swimming, boxing or any racket sport has a higher risk of shoulder injuries,” Parsley said.

Even if the risk of an injury is slightly elevated due to the specific movement, the risk can be mitigated by perfecting proper form and gradually increasing workout intensity.

“If you start by exercising at a moderate pace, tempo and intensity, and gradually add short bursts of higher-intensity exercise progressively over months to years, you can do any exercise without unreasonable risk-to-reward benefits,” Parsley said.

And about those rewards? They’re extensive. The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus information resource highlights the following:

  • Boosts mental health and mood
  • Enhances sexual health
  • Helps keep cognitive health sharp with age
  • Helps manage blood sugar and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
  • Improves sleep
  • Increases the likelihood of living longer (and living better as you age)
  • May help you quit smoking
  • Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
  • Reduces the risk of falls
  • Reduces the risk of some cancers, including colon, breast, lung and prostate

It’s important to note that while these benefits apply to men and women, a few of them should be of particular interest to men.

“Regular exercise lowers the risk of diabetes and high cholesterol, as well as lowers the risk of high blood pressure, which is elevated, in particular, in this gender,” said Rathna Nuti, M.D., an orthopedic physician at DFW Sports Medicine in North Texas.

Exercise and sexual health

One of the reasons exercise is so beneficial for men lies in how it can benefit sexual health. Arguably, this could be one of the biggest motivating factors for starting and maintaining an exercise program.

Benefits to sexual health are not emphasized as often as some of the other reasons to exercise, such as reducing the risk of heart disease. However, the increased blood flow that helps reduce the risk of heart disease is actually the same reason exercise can improve sexual health.

“Regular exercise impacts men’s sexual health by increasing the circulation of blood flow to various areas of the body, which helps ensure a healthy circulatory system,” Nuti explained. “A strong, smooth blood flow is key for arousal, which helps with erections and increases libido in men. Men who exercise more often are less likely to suffer from sexual dysfunction.”

“Sexual health is hugely impacted by fitness, for endurance, strength, the ability to move in certain ways, hold certain positions and carry your partner’s weight,” Parsley added. “However, high-intensity interval training [HIIT], a certain form of exercise, has been shown to increase testosterone levels, as can weightlifting or competitive sports. Testosterone has an impact on sexual desire, sexual confidence and oftentimes erection quality and duration. Cardiovascular fitness is not only beneficial to sexual performance, but the reverse is true, too. Poor cardiovascular fitness is often associated with greater difficulty getting and maintaining an erection.”

Exercise and ED

As Parsley and Nuti both pointed out, the impact exercise has on blood flow and circulation can positively influence the ability to get and maintain an erection. Believe it or not, studies have investigated the kinds of exercise that make a difference.

A study published in 2018 in the journal Sexual Medicine observed the impact and results of multiple exercise interventions to improve ED and concluded 160 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise performed each week for six months would help decrease erectile problems in men with ED. The study authors recommended 40 minutes of this kind of training four days per week.

If you currently aren’t exercising and the thought of carving out two and a half hours per week from your schedule for exercise seems daunting, remember that something is better than nothing. You can work your way up to the goal of 150 to 160 minutes of exercise each week by starting with 10 to 15 minutes of exercise per day.

Consider all the ways it can benefit your health, including your sexual health, and you’ll soon realize that once the habit is formed, it’s going to be worth the effort and time. The trick is simply finding the form of exercise that you enjoy.

A Physical Therapist Shares 5 Shoulder Strength Exercises

5 Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Shoulders

You don’t need a ton of weight to make a big difference for these important muscles.

By Perri O. Blumberg 

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Men’s Health.

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Our Takeaways:

· Shoulder pain can inhibit training and quality of life.

· Targeted movements can be used to address specific aspects of shoulder development, strength and flexibility.

· Use controlled speed and good form on your exercises for maximum results and to minimize the chance of injury.

Aching, stiff shoulders can be a major impediment to your strength training routine—not to mention your overall quality of life. But big weight exercises alone aren’t going to be your fix to build up strength; there are some more targeted movements you can use to shore up the muscles around your joint to bulletproof your upper body. It’s time to go the extra mile for your shoulders.

Physical therapist Daniel Giordano, DPT, PT, C.S.C.S. of Bespoke Treatments has walking through a quick series of exercises that target all the muscles surrounding your shoulders (sometimes referred to as the “shoulder complex”) to make them as strong as possible. This will help with any aches and pains you get in your joints, and better yet, you’ll be working towards a “a better foundation for your heavier lifts,” according to Giordano.

You’ll need an adjustable bench and some light dumbbells to take on the series. Check out the video with Giordano and personal trainer Vaughn Gray, NASM-CPT, to see each move in detail, and read on for a brief overview.

5 Shoulder Strength Exercises

Shoulder As

Make sure your chest is flat on an incline bench, keeping your head in the neutral position without any cervical extension (this to help you avoid putting pressure on your neck). You should be holding light dumbbells in each hand, with your arms hanging straight down. Depress the shoulder blades, then retract them and move your arms backward into an “A” position, with your arms at your sides. Pause here for three seconds. Do five to eight repetitions on each side and increase the reps as you get stronger.

Shoulder Ts

This is the same basic motion as above, but you come into a “T” position with your arms by lifting your arms out horizontally. When you lift out into that “T” shape, hold for three seconds and then come down back to your starting position. Do this for five to eight repetitions and increase this as you get stronger.

Shoulder Ws

Start in the same beginning stance with your chest flat on the bench, holding dumbbells in each hand. Raise the dumbbells so that your upper arms are parallel to your torso and your elbows are bent, with the weights right in front of your chest. Lift the weight out into an externally rotated position, then pause for three seconds before moving your arms back down. “This exercise will work his mid-back muscles and also start to really incorporate those external rotators of the shoulder, taking pressure off of the shoulder, building that foundation to get you stronger on your heavy lifts,” said Giordano. Do five to eight repetitions with light weights and then increase the repetitions as you build strength.

Shoulder Ys

Start out in the same spot as the first two exercises, but lift your arms straight up above your head in a “Y” position, taking care that your hands are a little wider than shoulder-width apart. “We want to make sure that he’s staying in that scaption plane, so that the lower trapezius muscle starts to work,” explains Giordano. “These exercises will humble you because they are extremely hard. Start light. Don’t start with a heavy weight until you learn how to do this.” Again, do five to eight repetitions and then increase the weight and increase the repetitions as you get stronger.

Shoulder Rows

Start on the bench in the same position as the other moves, the row the weight back, squeezing your shoulder blades while you keep them depressed (so don’t elevate them). Aim for five to eight repetitions to start and then increase the weight. (Provigil) You can try to increase the repetitions, too.

“This group of exercises is a great way to strengthen the shoulders,” says Giordano. “But remember, this can also be used as a warm-up for your next high-volume heavy lift at the gym.”

Bodyweight Only Training Exercises for Mass and Strength

Bodyweight Only Training Exercises for Mass and Strength

Courtesy of Ultimate Male Enhancement

Here’s a list below of some bodyweight and calisthenic exercises below which can be used in lieu of weight training exercises. These are good for alternative training as well as for those times you may not have access to free weights.

Having a fit overall body is the best way to maximize your sexual health. Overall muscle strength and physical stamina are key to a great sex life! (Valium online) Following are bodyweight only exercises you can do, most without any special equipment. Plus, you can do most of them almost anywhere, which makes them perfect for busy schedules.

As always, be sure to get clearance from your medical professional before starting any new exercise routine.

Bodyweight Only Training Exercises for Mass and Strength

inSHAPE Fitness Program: The Modern Way to Get Fit

inshape fitness sexual fitness

inshape fitness sexual fitnessExpert Trainer and Nutritionist, Jake Kocherhans’ inSHAPE fitness program helps those looking to improve their health and fitness. As we’ve talked about for years, your general fitness is critical to maximizing your sexual fitness. Strength and cardio stamina are key to be being a great lover. Plus, a healthy body weight and strong cardio system is needed for the hardest erection possible.

This is where fitness programs, like inSHAPE and nutrition programs like Isagenix, really come into play.

What makes inSHAPE so different from other programs out there is the importance they place on adaptation. Without proper phasing, it can be easy for our body’s to become adapted to what they’re doing and stop progressing. You may see great results initially, but if you’re not incorporating different stimulus into your training, those results will eventually begin to plateau. With inSHAPE, you’ll have six months worth of phased programming designed to take your body through a different style of training every four weeks. With new workouts provided every two weeks, you’ll never get tired of the same old routine.

The other factor that separates inSHAPE Fitness from other programs is the way they incorporate frequency into our program. It only makes sense that the more you’re constantly stimulating your muscles, the quicker they will get stronger & grow. As more and more science comes out supporting the idea of increasing frequency as a means to promote muscle growth, inSHAPE made it a priority to incorporate it into the program in a way that would maximize your results without sacrificing adequate recovery

For less than 50 cents a day, you’ll have unlimited access to everything you need to achieve your fitness goals:

  • 6 MONTHS OF PHASED EXERCISES designed specifically to avoid plateaus and help you see results week after week.
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