Credit: Dreamstime
No Sex Required: Women Have Orgasms at the Gym
Women mayِ not needِ a guy, a vibrator, orِ anyِ other direct sexual stimulation toِ haveِ anِ orgasm, finds a newِ study onِ exercise-induced orgasms andِ sexual pleasure.
For instance, Alfred Kinsey andِ his colleagues firstِ reported theِ phenomenon inِ 1953, sayingِ that aboutِ 5 percent ofِ women theyِ hadِ interviewed mentioned orgasm linked toِ physical exercise.
However, theyِ couldn’tِ know theِ actual prevalence becauseِ most ofِ these women volunteered theِ information withoutِ beingِ directly asked.
Pleasure at the gym
Herbenick andِ her colleagues usedِ online surveys toِ gather theirِ data, whichِ included answers fromِ 124 women whoِ hadِ experienced exercise-induced orgasms andِ 246 women whoِ reported exercise-induced sexual pleasure.
Most ofِ the women, ages 18 toِ 63 andِ anِ average age ofِ 30, wereِ inِ a relationship orِ married andِ 69 percent saidِ they wereِ heterosexual.
Of theِ women whoِ hadِ orgasms duringِ exercise, aboutِ 45 percent saidِ their firstِ experience wasِ linked toِ abdominal exercises; 19 percent linked toِ biking/spinning; 9.3 percent linked toِ climbing poles orِ ropes; 7 percent reported a connection withِ weight lifting; 7 percent running; theِ rest ofِ the experiences included variousِ exercises, suchِ asِ yoga, swimming, elliptical machines, aerobics andِ others.
Abdominal exercises may be best
For instance, theِ abdominal exercises tied toِ orgasms seemedِ to beِ particularly associatedِ with theِ exercise inِ which a person supports theirِ weight onِ their forearms onِ a so-called captain’s chair withِ padded arm rests andِ then lifts theirِ knees towardِ theirِ chest.
Many ofِ these women talked aboutِ it happening evenِ asِ children, Herbenick saidِ duringِ a telephone interview, adding thatِ someِ indicatedِ anِ experience atِ age 7 orِ 8.
10 Surprising Sex Statistics] The researchers aren’t sureِ why certainِ exercises lead toِ orgasm orِ sexual pleasure, thoughِ Herbenick hopes toِ tease outِ the trigger inِ ongoing research.
Learning about the ‘Big O’
The research hasِ various implications regardingِ women’s sexuality.
For one, orgasm andِ sexual desire haveِ topped women’s list ofِ sex concerns, withِ aroundِ one outِ ofِ fourِ women notِ reaching orgasm duringِ sex.
The researchers suggest itِ may beِ that physical exercise hasِ beenِ overlooked inِ clinical approaches toِ women’s orgasm.
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