5 Best Types of Exercise for Sexual Health Benefits

Are you currently interested in working on your fitness so that you can improve your overall health and sexual performance? We have chosen the best types of exercise that will provide you with the most sexual benefits. This article discusses the top five exercises for men who are seeking to reclaim their sexual health. 

Cardio 

Cardio exercise focuses on your endurance or capacity to physically exert yourself over a longer period. It's also called aerobic exercise because this term translates to “with oxygen.” To do cardio, your body needs to be able to properly harness oxygen. It makes sense that cardio also strengthens your lungs, apart from your circulatory system. Since blood flow is integral to maintaining and sustaining erections, men with erectile dysfunction should target cardio in their exercise regimen. 

Cardio has numerous benefits for your sexual health, including improving physical stamina for prolonged sexual activities and enhancing your arousal or libido. It also lowers your blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose levels after exercise. Don’t worry if your heart rate increases during exercise, as it’s normal for blood pressure to rise during any kind of physical exertion. Note that cardio exercise outcomes also depend on your target heart rate zone. 

According to the American Heart Association, the target heart rate zone should generally be 50-70% for moderate intensity and 70-85% for vigorous intensity. If you’re a beginner, you should aim for 50-60% as this is gentle impact. Brisk walking is moderate intensity, while running is vigorous intensity. There are also a variety of cardio-focused sports such as swimming and cycling. You can also do cardio at home by using skipping ropes or jogging in place. Going to the gym will give you access to treadmills and stationary bikes. 

Strength Training 

Strength training is a form of anaerobic exercise. Simply put, it’s the opposite of aerobic exercise. If aerobic exercise is of longer duration, anaerobic exercise is shorter in duration but typically more intense. This is because anaerobic exercise often demands more than your aerobic system can provide. While aerobic exercise burns fat and some glucose while using oxygen for sustainability, anaerobic exercise uses up the glucose in your muscles. This means strength training is great for body fat loss. 

If you’re experiencing sexual struggles due to obesity or excess belly fat, anaerobic exercises such as strength training would be your best option. However, your weight may actually increase with strength training. Even if you’re burning fat, you’re gaining muscle mass. Note that, as the name suggests, the goal of strength training is to become stronger, which means being able to lift heavier weights using workout routines that require fewer repetitions. In strength training, more muscle tissue is engaged. 

The easiest way to get into strength training is to use dumbbells, whether from the gym or purchased from a fitness store. Equipment isn’t required for strength building, though, as shown by calisthenics, which uses your own weight for the workouts. Burning fat aside, strength training is also excellent at increasing your testosterone, which means better libido and better erectile capacity. It’s great for men dealing with hypogonadism or testosterone deficiency, chronic stress, and depression/anxiety. 

Resistance Training 

Resistance training is also a form of anaerobic exercise. In fact, strength training falls under resistance training. However, resistance training offers more benefits than strength training because the goal isn’t just to increase strength. It can be done to build endurance, such as in planking and push-ups. Men can also simply do it because they want to achieve a muscular physique or trigger hypertrophy. Hypertrophy refers to the increase in the volume of your muscles and tissue. 

Resistance training is more flexible than strength training, so it’s good for beginners. You can use anything that offers external resistance against your muscles, such as free weights, resistance bands, your own weight, gravity, or even gallons of water. Basically, anything goes. However, it’s better to use proper equipment because it’s intentionally designed for workouts and is safer for you. Whether you do strength training or resistance training, it’s better to have a trainer to avoid injuries and ensure proper progression. 

Just like strength training, resistance training is also helpful in stimulating testosterone production, improving erectile strength, fertility, and sexual desire. It can also improve stamina by training your body on how to effectively manage energy. This means that you’ll last longer in bed, leading to more fulfilling sessions of sexual activity. As an anaerobic exercise, resistance training also increases bone density and protects joints, preventing chronic pain. 

HIIT 

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. While it’s done in short bursts of high-intensity exercises, it doesn’t really focus on dealing with external resistance. It also leans more towards aerobic exercise. Simply put, the goal of HIIT is to engage in vigorous exercise where you’ll sweat a lot. You’ll see HIIT routines featuring exercises where both the legs and arms are working simultaneously. This can be very taxing, so after a few seconds of rapid exercise, you’d need to rest for a few seconds. 

The intervals of exercise depend on the workout routine you’re doing. An example is the Tabata protocol, which consists of 20 seconds of vigorous exercise and 10 seconds of rest, repeated for 4 minutes. While this may seem easy, it’s intense on your body, which is why sometimes the burning of calories extends even after the exercise is done. There are lighter HIIT exercises than the Tabata protocol, which beginners may want to explore first to get accustomed to intense exercise. 

If you are overweight or obese and coming from a sedentary lifestyle, you might want to get used to moving first through moderate aerobic exercise before attempting HIIT. Remember to rest as well if your muscles are aching. HIIT can be a shock to your system initially. Even though it’s an aerobic exercise, the intensity of HIIT helps with stimulating testosterone. It will also increase your energy levels and improve your self-confidence. Research has also shown that HIIT intervention is effective for ejaculatory control. 

Pelvic Floor Exercises 

Pelvic floor exercises are a no-brainer when it comes to enhancing your sexual health. These exercises work on your pelvic floor muscles, which help with ejaculatory control and the erectile process. This means they should be a core part of your workout if you have premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. Remember, the stronger your pelvic floor muscles are, the less intense or less likely sexual dysfunction will be. Pelvic floor exercises also help with your bladder and bowel function. 

The time it takes for your pelvic floor strength to improve varies because there are often multiple factors at play with your overall fitness. If you have a chronic condition or are overweight, it may take longer before you start to feel a difference in your pelvic area. You will also need to address any chronic diseases with proper treatment so that they don’t worsen. Erectile dysfunction, for example, is often triggered by conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease. 

Kegels aren’t the only exercises that can restore your pelvic floor muscles. Certain yoga poses, lunges, and squats may also help strengthen your pelvic area. In particular, yoga helps tremendously with men who suffer from premature ejaculation because of its mental health benefits. Note that premature ejaculation has predominantly psychological causes compared to erectile dysfunction, though both can be triggered by depression or anxiety alone. 

Conclusion 

Exercise is undoubtedly a cornerstone of sexual health. Depending on your sexual dysfunction, each exercise offers an array of benefits that extend to other areas of your life. It’s best to combine several types of exercise for optimal results. But if you’re not seeing any improvement in your sexual performance, book an appointment with us. Our experts will help pinpoint and address the causes of your sexual dysfunction!