“Stamina. Strength. Control,” you repeat to yourself. Sweat pours down your face; lungs and muscles burn. Your thighs quake. You ask why you’re subjecting yourself to such torture. As total collapse seems imminent, the whistle blows. It’s finally over. You wonder if you’re going to be able to walk after this. Your dumbbells hit the floor with a thud.
“Good job,” your fitness trainer exclaims. “I knew you could do it.”
Shift some of the qualities of this familiar gym scenario – stamina, control, sweat and even a partner’s praise – to the bedroom, and you shouldn’t be surprised that an increasing number of people curiously ask, “Does sex count as exercise?”
Hundreds of clinical trials have put that question to the test, but, thanks to the variables involved, such as the health, age and gender of the participants, position choices, time of day and other considerations, a definitive answer to this question remains elusive.
One study considered the endurance of 21 “…young, healthy couples in their natural environment” and compared it against a session of endurance exercise. The conclusion of this polite Canadian study was that 30 minutes of sex could burn roughly 85 calories and that their results “…suggest that sexual activity may potentially be considered, at times, as significant exercise.”
“Potentially?” “At times?”
Those aren’t phrases upon which anyone can confidently hang a verdict. Taking 30 minutes to burn a mere 85 calories isn’t exactly efficient. And the 30-minute benchmark? That might be unfeasible to many.
In a review of more than 900 scientific studies, researchers at the University of Almería and the University of Murcia in Spain determined that while, yes, sex involves energy expenditures and physical movement, calling sex “exercise” is a tentative assignation at best.
Charleston personal trainer Jenny Fisher, of Jenny Fisher Fitness and creator of the popular fitness app Get Salty, agreed.
“My overarching opinion is that sex is not exercise. Sure, we expend calories and move our bodies and it can contribute to our nonexercise activity thermogenesis, or what we call our NEAT – Non Exercise Activity Thermogeniesis – ” Fisher laughed.
“NEAT,” Fisher explained, “accounts for calories spent while doing anything but sleeping, eating or athletic endeavors. Sex could certainly fall into that category, and, just because it isn’t exercise doesn’t mean it isn’t beneficial. An increase in NEAT equates to an increase in your resting metabolic rate, and that’s a good thing.”
In short, sex may not be widely accepted as exercise, but it still counts for something.
In a 2013 study funded by The Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and l’Institut Santé et société of the Université du Québec à Montréal, men burned 3.5 calories per minute during sex. In another study, women burned 69.1 calories in a 25-minute between-the-sheets session. A calorie burned is better than nothing.
While the caloric expenditures are negligible, sex is still considered good for your health.
In 2020, a Big Think article, “How a Healthy Sex Life Can Help Minimize Depression and Anxiety Symptoms,” shared researchers’ discovery that just 10 minutes of sex increases levels of:
- Serotonin – a neurotransmitter related to feelings of satisfaction and optimism.
- Prolactin – a relaxing hormone that lulls you to sleep and improves moods.
- Oxytocin – a hormone attributed to pro-social behaviors and, more importantly, those warm and fuzzy feelings we all enjoy.
Sex might not be good exercise, but exercise can be good for sex, Fisher asserted.
“I’ve tried to talk about this a few times without sounding salacious,” Fisher added. “But there are definitely exercises that can help one’s sex life.” For example, flexing and engaging the muscles in the lower portion of one’s abdomen helps bring focus, control and a connection to their use. For some, just the exercises alone can produce an orgasm.”
Fisher shared some of these helpful, core-strengthening exercises.
Hollow body isometric holds: Working deep core muscles, abs, glutes and quads, this deceptively simple exercise is a powerhouse move. Lie on your back, legs together and arms by your side. Simultaneously raise your legs and shoulders off the ground and keep them hovering, pressing your lower back into the floor. Hold for as long as you can, then release and try again.
Hanging reverse crunches: Hanging by your arms from a secure chin up bar, and pulling your navel toward your spine, slowly roll your knees as high as possible, roll into a crunch, hold and slowly release.
Hip thrusters: Starting from a seated position on the floor – knees bent, legs slightly wider than hips’ width apart, upper back resting against the edge of a weight bench – squeeze your glutes and lift your hips, driving pressure through the heels until your hips are in line with your shoulders and knees. Slowly lower until your hips are just a few inches from the floor and lift again.
Though sex, like exercise, often includes quaking thighs, increased heart rate and heavy breathing, the innumerable components involved will likely prevent sex from ever becoming a prescribed exercise routine. The potential boost to health and well-being, however, makes it a remedy worth trying.
By Amy Gesell
