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The Best Exercise for Male Fertility

The Best Exercise For Male Fertility
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Is there a best exercise for male fertility? It’s a question a lot of men in our community want to know. When it comes to healthy living, exercise is a no-brainer. Regular physical activity is renowned for its benefits on the heart, brain, muscles and mental health, so it probably isn’t a surprise that exercise can also improve fertility! But the question is, which workout has the biggest impact?

Here we’ll take you through a few of the most popular forms of fitness, and discuss which ones have the most sperm boosting power!

 

Weightlifting

Weightlifting is one of the most popular forms of exercise for guys looking for gains. One great thing about weightlifting is you see physical results fairly quickly, but the benefits go beyond looking good. People who engage in strength training benefit from stronger bones and increased joint flexibility, but what impact does weightlifting have on your fertility?

Testosterone plays a big role in sperm production and fertility, but it also keeps the body functioning properly. Low testosterone can cause fatigue, memory issues, mood swings, and increased body fat. All of which can take a toll on your wellbeing and fertility. Read more about this in our article “The Causes And Symptoms Of Low Testosterone.”

Research shows that strength training can boost testosterone levels in men, so if you’re looking to bulk up physically and give your T levels a helping hand, weights may be the thing for you. It’s also a healthy and natural way to improve your T levels, as opposed to steroids which can actually put you at risk of infertility. 

However, while testosterone is important for sperm production, T levels in the testes are much higher than the rest of the body. So if you have low testosterone, don’t worry! You may have perfectly healthy swimmers. If you’re concerned you should always speak to your doctor or get to know your sperm quality with our at-home test. 

Running

Running is a simple and effective cardio exercise, good for working out your entire body as well as giving you a chance to clear your mind. When you’re stressed and have time to kill, a quick run does wonders for the body, mind, and reproductive health!

Research shows obese and overweight men are likely to have lower sperm counts than their peers. Running helps to maintain a healthy body fat composition by building muscle and burning calories. So if your weight is affecting your sperm count, running may be the thing you need.

Trying to conceive can be stressful and sometimes take its toll on your mental health. Too much stress can negatively impact your sperm production. Running increases serotonin and dopamine – neurotransmitters which are vital for mental well-being – so to help yourself and your sperm out, why not try running to de-stress?

If you feel unfit or have no experience with running, then the idea of starting can be a little daunting. The good news is there are lots of free programs and apps to get you running with no experience, like Couch to 5k which helps you gradually build up your running skills over 9 weeks.

Yoga

If we’re going to talk about mental health benefits, we can’t ignore yoga. Originating in ancient India, traditional yoga has been practised to improve physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. In western practice people generally use yoga as a posture-based fitness and stress-relief technique. But regardless of why you do yoga, you can reap the benefits!

Yoga can improve blood circulation, which is great for overall health but also a key factor in male fertility. It has been shown time and time again to improve mental health and relieve people of stress, regular yoga being shown to radically decrease rates of depression and anxiety in people who are struggling with their mental health.

It’s also good for self-control and habit-reversal. Bad habits like overeating, smoking, and drinking alcohol can lead to infertility. Research shows that yoga can help people manage their bad habits and compulsions, so not only does it improve your physical health through activity, it can also help you treat your body more conscientiously and improve your fertility.

Cycling

This may be a controversial one. Cycling gets a bad rap when it comes to reproductive health, and it’s true that keeping your balls in tight shorts squished against a bike seat can lead to overheating, but cycling may not be all that bad for your fertility. In fact, it may even be good.

In the largest-ever study of cyclists, there was no correlation found between cycling and infertility. The study actually found that men who cycled between 3.75 and 5.75 hours per week had decreased risk of infertility. 

The bad news? There’s still a risk of temperature trauma. It’s important to give your balls time to breathe in loose clothing and rest from cycling. A leisurely cycle probably won’t impact fertility, but if you’re spending hours on the bike, try to dial it down. You can also check out our blog “Heat, testicles and infertility, what you need to know.”

Can exercise be bad for your fertility?

While exercise is generally great for your health and fertility, you can have too much of a good thing. With each exercise comes a disclaimer that too much may increase the risks of infertility. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for one is a culprit for high oxidative stress and hormonal imbalance, which can result in decreased sperm density, mobility and morphology. So if weightlifting is your sport of choice, stick to resistance training and give yourself time to recover and relax.

Over-exercising can also have negative impacts on your mental health, including exercise addiction, which can cause body dysmorphia and depression. One study found that people who do 30-90 minutes exercise per day generally have improved mental health, but that exercising more than 23 times a month or doing 90+ minute sessions is associated with worsened mental health. It’s great to get into healthy habits, but make sure you’re not overdoing it. 

Conclusion – which is the best exercise for male fertility?

Well, the truth is that it doesn’t really matter what exercise you do – as long as you’re doing some! Any exercise is good for your physical and mental well-being. Finding the right activity for that balance largely depends on you. 

It may be weightlifting and running, or active sports like tennis and football. The important thing is staying physically active but also keeping aware of your limitations. Try finding something you love to do, and sticking to a healthy routine will be easier than you think!

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Wearing tight pants and underwear

Studies show that men who wear looser underwear have higher sperm concentration and total sperm count compared to men who wear tighter underwear. So, lose the tight clothes and wear something loose to give your testicles some air.

CONCLUSION: learn more about how heat can affect sperm quality here.

Stress

Besides higher mortality rate and various diseases, stress is associated with low sperm quality. Stress is known to be associated with lower testosterone levels and oxidative stress with both playing an essential role in producing and maintaining healthy sperm cells.

CONCLUSION: If you feel stressed, we recommend you get some help so you can have a balanced mental health. For a stress management guide, download the ExSeed app for free and start your personalized action plan today.

Physical activity

Scientific studies show that men who are physically active have better semen parameters than men who are inactive. Fertility specialists also state that regular physical activity has beneficial impact on sperm fertility parameters and such a lifestyle can enhance the fertility status of men.

Prioritizing exercise can help improve your overall health and result in healthy, fast swimming sperm cells that have good chances of fertilizing an egg.

CONCLUSION: Try incorporating exercise in your weekly schedule to you ensure exercising at least twice weekly. We recommend a combination of cardio training and strength exercise. Read more about exercise and male fertility on our blog.

Nutrition

Fast Food
Processed foods damage the health of sperm-producing cells and cause oxidative stress, which lead to poorer sperm quality. Heavy consumption of junk food (every week) can increase the likelihood of infertility since men who consume vast amounts of unhealthy food are at risk of having poor sperm quality. Besides harming your fertility, junk food enlarges your waistline, harms your cardiovascular system, kidneys, and more.

Vegetables
Eating more fruit and vegetables can increase your sperm concentration and motility. It’s important that you consume a healthy diet filled with antioxidants and that you eat vegetables every day. Foods such as apricots and red bell peppers are high in vitamin A, which improves male fertility by nurturing healthier sperm. Men who are deficient in this vitamin tend to have slow and sluggish sperm.

Sugary snacks/beverages: several times a week Excessive consumption of high sugar items can lead to oxidative stress, which negatively impacts testosterone levels and sperm motility. Sugary snacks and beverages are also highly associated with obesity and low fertility.
CONCLUSION: To boost sperm quality, stay away from fast food, processed food, and sugary snacks or beverages. You need to implement a healthy prudent diet filled with necessary superfoods needed for good sperm production. Check out our guide to Male Fertility Superfoods. For personalized guidance and support on how you can start improving your sperm health, check out the Bootcamp.

Heat

Direct heat can inhibit optimal sperm production and cause Sperm DNA damage. Sperm cells like environments that are a couple of degrees lower than body temperature. Avoid overheating from warm blankets, seat warmers, heat from your laptop, hot showers, and saunas.

Cigarette smoking

The exposure to tobacco smoke has significant negative effects on semen quality. The damage of cigarettes and nicotine of course depends on how many cigarettes you smoke per day and for how long, but even low usage (up to 10 cigarettes / day) can inhibit healthy sperm production.  

CONCLUSION: Stay as far away from cigarette smoking as possible if you care about your general health and your fertility. Read more here.

Cell phone

When you have your cell phone in your front pocket, your testicles are exposed to electromagnetic radiation, which studies have shown to damage the sperm cells. Put your phone in the back pocket of your pants or in your jacket pocket.

BMI

There is a clear association between obesity and reduced sperm quality. At least part of the reason for this is that obese men may have abnormal reproductive hormonal profiles, which can impair sperm production and lead to infertility. 

A BMI higher than 30 can lead to several processes in the body (overheating, increase in oxidative stress in the testes, sperm DNA damage, erectile dysfunction) that can have a negative impact on male fertility. This can result in problems when trying to conceive.  

CONCLUSION: BMI is one of the risk factors that influence semen quality and, for example, sperm motility.  

Alcohol

A beer or glass of wine now and then do not really harm sperm quality. But excess alcohol drinking (more than 20 units per week) can reduce the production of normally formed sperm needed for a successful pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: If you want to stay safe, stay under 14 units of alcohol per week. For more information on how alcohol can affect male fertility, take a look at our blog: “Alcohol and Sperm Quality”.

Age

Studies show that women younger than 35 and men younger than 40 have a better chance of getting pregnant. Men can produce sperm cells almost through their entire life, but the sperm cell DNA is more fragile and prone to damage after the age of 40.

As men age, their testes tend to get smaller and softer resulting in a decline in sperm quality and production. These changes are partly because of an age-related decrease in testosterone level, which plays a very important role in sperm

production. Higher male age (>40 years) is not only associated with a decline in sperm production but also with increased sperm DNA fragmentation and worsened morphology (shape) and motility (movement). These negative effects make the sperm cells less qualified for egg fertilization.

CONCLUSION: with an age under 40, you shouldn’t have to worry much about age as a factor in itself. However, studies have shown a slow decline after the age of 30-35 years

and if you are above 40 years of age, your sperm quality can be affected due to increased sperm DNA damage resulting in a decrease of sperm motility and concentration. Remember that you cannot evaluate the quality of a sperm sample by just looking at it – this requires a sperm analysis.