Want a Pleasure Boost? Exercise Your Love Muscle
Want to boost the intensity of your partner's pleasure -- and your own? No, this is not a trick question. Yes, one little exercise can deliver the goods.
Related: Here's how to make good sex happen at any age.
If you do this exercise 30 times a day, "You will notice a difference in your lovemaking within a week," says Margo Anand in The Art of Sexual Ecstasy.
Related: Check out seven other ways to have better sex.
All it takes is strengthening your love muscle. Okay, love muscle isn't exactly the technical term. It's your pubococcygeal (PC) muscle, or pelvic floor muscle. But what it's called isn't half as important as what it does. Everyone's got one, women and men alike. Once you locate yours (pointers on that in a minute), you'll find it easy to get it into shape and share the payoff in pleasure. Here's what you need to know:
For women: Toning this muscle, which naturally contracts during orgasm, deepens pleasure sensations. It can also make the vagina feel tighter while making love. Nice for him. And nice for you, because flexing the muscle can create a rippling movement that helps draw your partner in and up to your G-spot.
For men: Exercising your love muscle enhances pleasure and performance by stimulating blood flow to the penis and enabling you to get erect and stay that way. Another bonus: Squeezing the muscle enables you to "dance" inside your partner -- a sweet sensation for both of you.
Related: Here's how good lovin' can boost your mood and more.
Ready? Here's the Love-Muscle Workout
Step 1: Locate it. You're looking for the same muscle you call into action when you've downed four Venti cappuccinos, there's no toilet for miles, and you have to hold it. Go pee, and repeatedly try to stop and start the flow. That's the muscle!
Step 2: Now that you've found it, work it! Women, you luck out. The motion is totally invisible, so you can do it while waiting in line or reading a book. Men, you may want to practice in private. The effect when you flex may be wildly adorable to your partner, but not so cute to people on the bus.
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Sexperts say to do anywhere from 30 to 100 repetitions of the following patterns, spaced throughout the day. But start slowly. Like any muscle, you can overdo it at first. And don't expect overnight results; it takes a little time.
Pump it. Tighten and relax 10 times in quick succession; pause. Work up to repeating 10 times.
Hold it. Tighten and hold for 3 to 5 seconds; release. Repeat 10 times and build up.
Hold it longer. Tighten slowly, building intensity as you count 1-2-3-4; release gradually to the count of 4. Repeat 10 times; build up to more.
Step 3: Here comes the twist. Up to this point, the exercises are basically Kegels, exercises used to enhance bladder control (often by women after childbirth, men after prostate treatment). But with the love-muscle workout, the point isn't doing pelvic push-ups to control pee. This is a muscle that can influence the intensity of your orgasms. So use your brain -- the other important sexual organ in your body -- to switch your image from peeing to pleasure. Visualize something sexy as you do it . . . naughty or nice, it's up to you. Just make the mental connection between sensual delight and this muscle squeeze.
Related: This 20-minute workout will get the rest of your body ready for lovemaking, too.
Fair warning! Some people find that, with practice, just doing these exercises alone turns them on. So, if your partner's not around, you may want to do them privately.
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