The most common ways to reach orgasm are with your partner or alone with your vibrator, but climax can arrive when you least expect it. In fact, you can accidentally orgasm in a setting that isn’t sexual at all, like at the gym or in the middle of a workout. This phenomenon is called a “coregasm”, which is also known as an exercise-induced orgasm (EIO). It happens while doing exercises like crunches or other movements that engage the lower belly or pelvic muscles. But is it actually a real thing or is it just another myth that sounds too ridiculous to be true?
If you’ve actually experienced a coregasm, you don’t need convincing. You know that a coregasm can feel quite pleasurable, despite the fact that there may be no fantasies or sexual thoughts surrounding its sensation. You may even describe the experience as embarrassing, awkward, and uncomfortable. As you can imagine, not everyone is excited about making their “O face” at the gym.
“Coregasms can range from mild, barely noticeable sensations to pretty powerful and explosive situations,” says Michelle Herzog, AASECT-certified sex therapist. “Each person will experience each coregasm in unique ways, as few people report having coregasms and few people have even ever heard the word.” Nevertheless, it seems more common for women to experience coregasms than men.
Could your exercise bike become better at making you come than your partner? Let’s found out.
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What causes a coregasm?
Image Credit: Getty Exercise and certain forms of intense core physical activity seem to set a coregasm in motion. “Most common exercises include sit-ups or crunches, lower abdominal contractions, weight lifting, cycling, climbing, or yoga,” says Sarah E. Wright, PsyD., a certified sex therapist. “It is unclear whether these are the result of muscle tension alone or due to some movement of the clitoris during exercise which results in orgasm.”
While using an ab roller or ab wheel during her workout, Sarah usually experiences orgasms. To use an ab roller, you get on your knees, hold it in both hands, and roll out while engaging your core and keeping a flat back (means you’re down looking at the floor as you roll out which targets your deep core). The farther you roll out, the more you’ll feel it in your lower abdomen.
However, according to Isabelle Uren sex expert at Bedbible, “I’ve only experienced a full coregasm once, but during intense core exercises at CrossFit, I can feel the sensation building again. I believe it could happen again, but only if I push through the point of exhaustion.” After that, she just stopped and let the feeling subside because it distracted her in a high-intensity group workout.
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How does it feel and how common is coregasm?
Image Credit: Getty “Most people will say it feels good. After all, orgasms release a host of pleasurable neurochemicals regardless of how they’re summoned,” says Wright. A recent study estimates that about 10% of people have experienced coregasms.
“The first time it happened I was working with a female trainer in NYC and she told me to do 30 rollouts,” Sarah says. “Somewhere between 20-25 rollouts, I started feeling a tingling sensation in between my legs. As she encouraged me to complete the 30 roll-outs, I felt a full orgasm take over my body.” She incorporates 100 ab rollouts into her routine 3-4 days a week. Out of those sessions, she typically experiences a coregasm 1-2 times.
When it comes to the intensity, Isabelle says that it wasn’t super intense and definitely felt different to a clitoral or vaginal orgasm. It felt like a warm wave of pleasant sensation that spread through the front of my lower body. “It also didn’t feel particularly sexual, as I wasn’t turned on, but it did feel quite nice! It also happened pretty quickly, and the feeling didn’t really linger after,” she says.
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Who can have a coregasm?
Image Credit: Getty There’s no rule about who can or can’t orgasm this way. “Many people find improved orgasms with exercise or yoga, so this may be another step in that direction,” says Herzog. “However, many people who have coregasm report experiencing them in childhood during physical education or other physical activities.” Anyone who remembers the classic ‘Wayne’s World’ line about the feeling from climbing the rope in gym class may be able to relate.
Sarah describes coregasms as a seven out of 10 intensity. She notices her pelvic floor muscles contracting and her body might shake a little, after that she definitely feels pleasure, and she likely looks flushed afterward. She can sense it building up as she is rolling out and engaging her core. When she keeps going, it eventually takes over her body.
Sometimes I’ll workout even longer if I feel it coming on, just to experience the pleasure that coregasm brings.
Sarah E. Wright PsyD., certified sex therapist
“Now that I do 100 rollouts about three to four days a week, I don’t feel the coregasm until closer to the end of my workout,” Sarah says. “Sometimes I’ll workout even longer if I feel it coming on, just to experience the pleasure that coregasm brings.”
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How to have a coregasm (and how to avoid it)
Image Credit: Getty Exercises focused on the pelvic floor seem to be most likely to result in coregasm. “Crunches, sit-ups, or Roman leg lifts (arms braced with legs hanging free and then raised either to a 90 degree angle or tucking the knees up towards the chest) have been the most commonly reported,” says Wright. While it’s unlikely to happen during the first crunch, it might occur around the 50th.
Sarah works out five to six days a week, consisting of lifting and reformer pilates. This means she has a pretty strong core, which is necessary in order to achieve coregasms.
Conversely, Isabelle says that she usually takes two to three CrossFit classes a week and tries to practice a little yoga (asana and pranayama). When she experienced a coregasm, she had just started CrossFit and was also writing a review of the Elvie pelvic floor trainer for work.
“Many people who report having these types of orgasms also report some ability to control them by knowing their limits,” says Herzog. Therefore, If you do not desire a coregasm, simply stop the exercise once any degree of sensation is experienced in the genitals. “Coregasms commonly occur when someone is feeling exhausted and stumble upon the experience accidentally,” she adds.
