Yup, I said it and it’s the truth: Fit people have better sex. Why, you wonder? For starters, the better shape you’re in, the less self conscious you’ll be about your body. Confidence is built on feeling good about yourself. When you like your body, you won’t hide it under the sheets, you’re more likely to leave the lights on during sex, and when you’ve got more stamina, you have more fun. So here are five sex-friendly movements you can do at home to rock your partner’s – and your own – world in no time flat.
1. Kegels Kegel exercises require tightening and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles. They can be done virtually anywhere, and on the sly. Guess what? Guys can do Kegels, too. If you think him doing them won’t help you, think again. These little exercises will help your guy control his ejaculation – and everybody wins there, right? To perform a Kegel, just sit or lie on the floor and contract the muscles you’d use to stop peeing midstream. If you feel your abs or leg muscles tighten, you’re doing it wrong. For one rep, contract for 3–5 seconds, then relax for 3–5 seconds. Do a set of 10 reps a few times a day.
2. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) If you don’t exercise enough or your endurance level is low, you’re going to get tired during sex – especially if it lasts more than 10 minutes. HIIT cardio uses bursts of intense cardio (think sprints) followed by a decrease of intensity like a jog or a quick walk. You can also try skipping and running – performed on a 2:1 ratio. Popular HIIT training programs such as Turbo Fire (Turbo Kick in the gyms), Insanity (at home or in the gym) or Focus T25 (in home program) will take you through the steps.
3. Push-Ups Push-ups work the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and core — all of which you use in a variety of sex positions, whether you’re hoisting someone in the air, bracing yourself against the headboard or wall, or whatever else gets your heart racing. The point is, push-ups build upper body strength and endurance to prevent you from killing the mood by stopping every two minutes to shake out your fatigued spaghetti arms. If regular push-ups have you winded, try them from your knees or from a standing position, using the edge of a counter or the wall. Take as many sets as you need to work up to 50 reps. Once you can do 50 unassisted push-ups (no knees, no counter), move on to 100 reps. If you can rock out reps like Rocky, add difficulty by elevating your feet or clapping between each rep.
4. Towel Twists This is a simple one. Without getting too technical, let’s just say we need our hands for sex. There’s nothing worse than being left hanging because your partner’s forearm strength suddenly gave way. To help improve forearm strength, regularly grab a hand towel and ring it out for up to a minute. In the process, you’ll also make your handshake something guys remember.
5. Body Awareness Activities Activities such as yoga, Pilates and martial arts make you more aware of your body. When you can feel different muscle groups working, you’ll also be able to cue into what feels good, what doesn’t and most important, what you really want. Body awareness also leads to overall confidence. When we feel fitter, we feel better about our bodies, and all of a sudden, sex becomes more fun, more open and more exciting.
photo credit: nicola.albertini via photopin cc
