Many guys don’t talk about it, but the truth is that more than half of us will suffer from ED at some point in our lives. When we do, it’s easy to panic and look for a quick fix. However prescription ED medications provide a band-aid solution, helping the immediate issue without resolving the underlying cause. When it comes to ED, there are as many causes as there are cures. The key is to figure out what’s holding you back - low testosterone, high blood pressure, performance anxiety, declining libido, stress - and give your body the support it needs.
The best place to improve your sexual performance may not be in the doctor’s room but in the gym. Let’s talk about how exercise can optimise your sex life!
Boost Testosterone
Most of us know that testosterone plays a big role in a healthy and active sex life, but don’t understand exactly how it works. Testosterone is a hormone that is produced in men when the testicles receive a signal from the brain’s pituitary gland. It helps to stimulate sperm production, regulate libido, and build muscle and bone mass. These signals from the pituitary gland naturally reduce with age at a rate of up to 2% per year after age 30. This can hamper your libido, reduce your spontaneous erections, and cause ED. The gym is one of the best places to boost your testosterone naturally through strength training, heavy lifting, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and compound movement exercises such as squats and rowing. Just make sure you keep it balanced - rest days will prevent overtraining and undoing all your hard work.
Reduce Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is one of the main causes of ED, as it can reduce blood flow to the penis and affect ejaculation. Regular aerobic exercise can lower your blood pressure by conditioning your heart and blood vessels, increasing blood flow around the body - including to the penis! - while also improving your overall vascular health and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Improve Confidence
One of the biggest libido killers is a lack of body confidence and self-esteem, which can lead to persistent performance anxiety. Looking after your body by going to the gym and feeling yourself get stronger is one of the best ways to feel better in your skin and regain your confidence in the bedroom.
Reduce Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress
Depression, anxiety, and stress are major psychological contributors to ED, but luckily these can also be mitigated with regular gym sessions. Improving your mood and increasing your psychological resilience through regular exercise can have a great impact on your erectile function and sexual stamina.
Top Exercises to Improve Sexual Stamina for Men
So which exercises, specifically, can help you improve your stamina and performance? The expert team at TESTO have put together this list to help you boost your sexual health and get back on track in the bedroom.
Planks
A strong core is one of the key ingredients to a healthy and enjoyable sex life; one of the most effective ways to build core strength is through planks. To do the perfect plank, get on the ground in a press-up position, squeeze your thighs, quads, and core, and hold. Start with 20-30 seconds, and build up to 60 seconds or more as your stamina increases. This is an excellent exercise to start with if you want to see speedy results in the bedroom!
Weightlifting
Stimulate testosterone production and improve overall strength with weightlifting exercises that build muscle mass and improve performance. Some great options to try at your next gym session include bench presses, kettlebell swings, squats, and deadlifts.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise is vital for vascular health. Cardio is also an excellent tool for mental health as it is known to reduce stress and mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Increase your blood flow, improve your mood, and boost your erectile function with cardio exercises including speed walking, running, and climbing.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training can be a great libido booster as it provides efficient endorphin release and increases overall power and physical stability. There are a lot of HIIT exercises you can try - mountain climbers, box jumps, burpees, and jumping lunges are a great place to start.
Yoga and Stretching
You don’t always have to go hard in the gym to see big results! Yoga and stretching exercises can also provide significant benefits for your flexibility and sexual satisfaction in the bedroom. Some beginner-friendly poses to try include Cat Cow, Bridge Pose, and Happy Baby.
Squats
Squats are the workhorse of any gym routine as they are a compound exercise that engages multiple large muscle groups at once. Regular squats will increase blood flow to the pelvic region, improve your lower body strength, and give you extra thrusting power!
Kegels
You’ve probably mostly heard about kegels as an exercise for women, but men can also reap great benefits from training our pelvic floor and pubococcygeus (PC) muscles. These muscles help control blood flow to the groin and can also help delay ejaculation, leading to better stamina and more satisfying sexual performance. To train this muscle group, squeeze your PC muscles - as you would do to control the flow of urine - for 10 seconds, release, and repeat.
Support Peak Performance, Naturally
Exercise is one of the best ways to increase your sexual performance and improve your overall health. By doing 75-150 minutes of medium- or high-intensity exercise each week, you can improve your endurance, boost your blood flow, raise your confidence, heighten your testosterone levels, and increase your flexibility, all of which will lead to better sexual stamina and a more satisfying sex life.
If you need a bit of extra support to take your energy, performance, and vitality to the next level, TESTO supplements can recharge your energy, restore your drive, and help you feel like yourself again. Try our natural, all-in-one dietary supplements to support your testosterone, improve your performance, and recharge your vitality today!