You hit the gym to get strong, build muscle, and improve your health, but could your gains in the gym translate to gains in the bedroom?
According to new research, there’s another big benefit to add to the list: better erectile function.1
The study looks into the connection between your muscle mass, strength, and what’s happening below the belt.
Testosterone is essential for both muscle building and sexual function, but this new research suggests that healthy muscle has its own independent benefits for your erections, separate from testosterone.
How Does This Work?
- Your muscles are awesome at soaking up glucose, which improves insulin sensitivity. Poor insulin sensitivity is a known party-pooper for erections because it messes with blood flow.
- Healthy muscles contribute to better endothelial function. That’s a fancy way of saying the lining of your blood vessels is in good shape. Getting and maintaining an erection is a lot easier if it is.
- A good muscle-to-fat ratio keeps inflammation in check. Chronic inflammation can tank both testosterone production and your vascular health.
So, by gaining muscle mass and strength, you’re creating a better internal environment for, well, everything, including your doodle.
And muscle loss in older men is linked to significantly higher rates of ED. We’re talking 73% vs 43% in older men with a decent amount of lean mass. So lifting weights and building muscle is essential as you get older for that reason, too. But the underlying mechanisms apply to guys of all ages.
Summary
In short, building muscle with lifting and good nutrition isn’t just for show or performance in the gym. It’s also linked to better erectile function, independent of your testosterone levels.
