'Coregasm': Everything you need to know about an exercise-induced orgasm

The gym has more perks than you realise

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There are many benefits to hitting the gym - setting yourself challenges, boosting your fitness levels and feeling that rush of endorphins course through your body.

However, some are using their workouts to experience a phenomenon called a “coregasm”, otherwise known as an exercise-induced orgasm (EIO).

The coregasm was first described in 1953 by sexologist Alfred Kinsey in his book Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female.

“Some boys and girls react to the point of orgasm when they climb a pole or a rope, or chin themselves on a bar or some other support,” Kinsey and his research team wrote.

“Some of them engage in exercise with the deliberate intention of securing this sort of satisfaction.”

While the concept may have been circulating for more than half a century, one of the most in-depth studies into the coregasm only took place a mere seven years ago.

Debby Herbenick and J. Dennis Fortenberry from Indiana University examined 530 female participants to determine the prevalence of the coregasm among women.

Exercises such as roman chairs, weighted squats and bridges could lead to coregasms (Getty Images/iStockphoto) (Getty/iStock)

They discovered that 246 of the women had experienced a coregasm before, with the average age for their first EIO being 18.9 years old.

So, how exactly does a coregasm occur during a workout?

“Coregasm is the technical term for an exercise-induced orgasm - where the blood flow within the lower abdomen, pelvic floor and inner thighs become ‘explosive’ enough to create a rush and release,” Jenni Russell, founder of Pelvic Floor Secrets, told The Independent.

“It may also be when the muscles of the lower abdominal and pelvic floor become exhausted as their threshold is easily reached.”

Russell explained how exercises that place a lot of pressure on the lower abdomen, hip flexors and inner thighs - such as roman chairs, weighted squats and bridges - could induce coregasms.

“They can be very common in athletes in competition,” she continued. “They used to be common in UltraFit competitions for both women and men, due to the adrenaline rush and the apparatus used.

“In general, they are common with women and men who are ‘in tune’ with their body.”

As exciting as they may sound, not everyone is able to achieve a coregasm.

However, don’t be perturbed, as you can still utilise pelvic floor exercises to improve your experience in the bedroom.

Kay Crotty PhD MCSP, practice lead at Physiolink, has advised women on how they can make the most of their gym regime.

“The smaller superficial pelvic floor muscles are connected to the clitoris,” she told The Independent.

“When these are contracted/exercised it squeezes/compresses the clitoris and it is this action that is believed to improved sexual sensation."