Once the urban myths recounting women climaxing in the gym found their way to the Men’s Health idea dungeon, you could consider the coregasm a closed case. In no time, the MH staff set to work uncovering the mystery of reaching climax during core fitness training--and just how many women were having this “issue.” Here's a breakdown of what they found.
What’s a coregasm?
When Men's Health editor Adam Campbell mentioned the coregasm in his blog, The Fitness Insider, the female feedback was astonishing. Women all over were experiencing this strange (but orgasmic) fitness phenomenon:
"Seems on my third set of 15 reps, if I crank out a few more reps and go to 20, well, yeah, I can have an orgasm!" one wrote about her abs workout. "And no one notices, trust me."
Another said it worked on a leg-lowering drill: "I have to be lying down and usually put a small towel or pillow under my lower back. I get the best “coregasm” when I lower my feet close to the floor."
How the heck...?
Victoria Zdrok, Ph.D., a sex therapist and author of The Anatomy of Pleasure, provided scientific insight.
"A lot of women require a buildup of tension in their legs before they can achieve the release of orgasm," she said. "So, when a woman exercises, the release of endorphins and dopamine, which are necessary for orgasm, combined with the tension in the abs and lower extremities, can cause the clitoral stimulation" that is needed.
Joy Davidson, Ph.D., author of Fearless Sex, offered a fitness angle:
"When that happens, usually it's women who already have very strong pelvic muscles," she said. "And when they’re doing certain exercises that are tapping into the deep core or into the quads and inner thighs, what they wind up doing is almost automatically squeezing pelvic muscles in addition.
Davidson speculated that the tightening of core and leg muscles are "triggering the nerve impulses in the pelvic area. It's a little unusual to get that much response from one squeeze, but if you're doing multiple reps, you're squeezing your pelvic muscles over and over again.
How to have a coregasm (or at least your best bet):
Inspired from these accounts, we put together a list of WH-approved
moves that may help you have your very own coregasm. We can't guarantee one--but at the very least you'll get nicer abs.
Try these moves separately, or do the the whole coregasm workout.
Arm pullover straight leg crunch
But remember, good form counts! Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., the MH Bedroom Confidential columnist, gives this advice:
“I would emphasize, though, that as fun as [coregasms] are, women should
always maintain proper form during physical exercise so that they don’t
hurt themselves and so that they get the best physical benefits from
exercise. If an orgasm “just happens” to occur while using good form,
that may be an added bonus, but I would advise women not to pursue an
orgasm at the expense of proper form. After all, they can always enjoy
orgasms later on at home or in the shower.”
More tips from coregasm vets
Kristin, a married 26-year old woman in Ontario who has fun with her leg-lowering exercise, says the number of reps she requires for coregasm is different every time.
But she also has an at-home trick: "The thing that sends me to the moon and back is when I use my vibrator at the same time. WOW! It totally vamps up the intensity."
Kali, a woman in Oklahoma, applied her gym training in bed. After discovering the coregasm while doing a hanging hold (like the top position of a chinup), she "held a leg and shoulder lift" during sex.
"It only intensified the pulsing," she reports. In the gym, she starts to reach orgasm after five repetitions of the hanging leg raise. “I’m just glad to know I'm not the only one with this side effect."
Another writer said she had to stop in mid-set during decline weighted crunches with her workout partner because of the intense feeling. "Funny," she adds, "this was before I ever even had sex in my life, so I didn’t know what the heck that feeling was!"
A female trainer told us, "Whenever I either do hanging leg raises or knee ups, I get the best 'coregasm' a girl could dream of. I'm guessing it happens due to activation of the Kegel muscles in conjunction with friction from moving your legs up and down."
Either way, she said, "I don't care why it happens, but just am happy it does."
The added benefit, noted one woman who also finds the exercise orgasmic: "What a great motivator to do hanging leg raises."
