How Working Out Improves Your Sex Life

working out affects sex drive and libido
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist
Jason Hoffman/Thrillist

I work out six days a week; and trust me, it's not just for the abs.

If there is one thing I can say for sure, it's that working out regularly greatly improves a person's sex life. Getting out of bed in the morning is infinitely easier when I know my orgasms are going to be better. The gym really does correlate with an improved bedroom life in physical and psychological ways.

If there is one thing that should get you into the gym, my friends, it should be the possibility of better sex.

How you work out affects how you bang

Working out is about improving your health (so you can screw more). What you do at the gym is just as important as getting to the gym in the first place. If you want to have better sex, you have to focus on getting into bedroom shape.

Working out will "improve your flexibility, increase your cardiovascular fitness (because we all know how high your heart rate can get during bedroom workouts), and build your strength," says Virginia Kinkel, owner and trainer at Bodymass Gym. "Each of these components of fitness can directly tie to an improved sex life.”

This means spending time on different aspects of your fitness training. You can't just spend 30 minutes on the elliptical and expect to be in sex shape. You have to combine stretching, weight training, and cardio. "Exercise improves various aspects of fitness such as stamina, flexibility, and strength," Kinkel says. "These components can also help increase the quality of your sex life by adding variety, movement, and the ability to last longer.”

When you work out more, your body wants more sex

As many a gym-goer will tell you, working out can really put you in the mood for a hot and sweaty sex session. It is science! When you work out, your body releases endorphins: those beautiful hormones that make you feel euphoric. The "runner’s high" is no myth.

Unsurprisingly, these endorphins are also released during sex. Your body recognizes that both exercise and sex make it feel fantastic and wants to continue those feelings of pleasure. "Because this feeling of a euphoric 'high' can transcend each activity, a hard workout can elicit the desire to extend this influx of endorphins," Kinkel says. "Intense exercise helps bolster testosterone levels as well, which will be elevated following a workout, increasing the desire for post-lift sex."

Increased testosterone is directly and positively correlated to increased libido in men. So ladies, if you're trying to get laid more, get your man to the gym.

Increased confidence means an increased sex drive

When you set fitness goals and hit the gym on a regular basis, you'll start seeing those highly anticipated results. In turn, your body confidence will jump.

"Confidence can also translate from the gym to the bedroom," Kinkel tells us. Whether those changes are totally physical or just a change in mindset, they can really impact your sex drive. Feeling good about yourself is the first step toward feeling good naked… and during sex.

If you're focusing more on your orgasm and less on a stray stomach roll, the sex is better overall.

Working out with your partner can help your relationship

I started going to the gym with my boyfriend early on in our courtship as a way to better relate to him. I’m so glad I did: We love lifting together, and that has made us stronger as a couple.

Not only will your sex life improve with regular visits to the gym; but your relationship with your partner will become healthier. Taking your gym sessions from solo to coupled will increase constructive changes for you as partners. Working out is about trust. When you can count on your partner to spot you in the gym, you can count on your partner to spot you in life.

Couples who go to the gym together, stay together. Having a shared hobby offers a healthy, wholesome common ground; and "provides a physical outlet so that our daily stress doesn't become verbal," Kinkel says. "It also allows each of us to work toward a goal, side by side."

Nothing is sexier than seeing your hot, sweaty, and toned partner lift some heavy weights. And by the time you get home, you'll be dying to get naked, hit the sheets, and tackle a different kind of workout.

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Gigi Engle is Thrillist's Sex and Dating staff writer. She loves working out and it sure isn't about the abs. Follow her lovable crazy on Twitter, iTunesFacebook, and Instagram @GigiEngle.