What is a coregasm and how can I have one?

“There are a lot of similarities between exercise and sex, so experiencing the same kind of pleasure doing both shouldn’t be a surprise.”

When I think of exercising, I don’t tend to associate it with notions of pleasure. Of course, all the talk about endorphins and the ‘feel-good’ rush you get from working your body isn’t pseudoscience – it’s definitely true – but pleasure in the sexual sense isn’t exactly what you think we’d be referring to.

But as it turns out, it’s not an impossible thing for them to be paired. It’s called a coregasm and given I was pretty clueless about it, I decided to speak to certified sex coach Georgia Grace to find out what it is, why it happens, and how you can go about having one.

Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.

So first things first – what even is it? According to Georgia, a coregasm refers to an orgasm that’s experienced during exercise. This could be an exercise-induced orgasm or workout orgasm, and it’s often linked to exercises that involve engaging your pelvic floor, doing something high-intensity with a machine that moves or vibrates (that one’s pretty self-explanatory!) or something like yoga or pilates.

And how common is it? “It’s a small percentage of people who seem to report experiencing these, potentially one in 10,” Georgia tells me. “But it can definitely happen to almost anyone. A lot of people might actually feel the arousal building, but then they move away from the exercise before they climax.”

You’ll find the more you think about coregasms, the more they make sense. When you’re exercising, you’re physically replicating a lot of the things you do when you’re self-pleasuring or having sex. “You’re engaging certain muscles, your breathing is similar, and you might have some form of stimulation on your genitals, be it an exercise ball or exercise pants,” Georgia comments.

Ultimately, there are a lot of similarities between exercise and sex, so experiencing the same kind of pleasure doing both shouldn’t be a surprise. But Georgia makes it clear that it doesn’t necessarily reflect anything about your sexual interests. “Having or wanting to have a coregasm doesn’t necessarily mean you want to have sex with exercising, or the gym, or the exercise equipment. It can just mean that your body is being stimulated in a sex-related way.”

So, how do you go about trying to have one? There are a few factors and ideas Georgia can point out. Firstly, it depends on your anatomy, but anecdotally, she’s found that more people with vulvas experience coregasms, as most standard exercises are more likely to excite or engage that area.

“A common exercise that seems to induce these feelings involves holding onto a bar and repeatedly lifting your legs up and down,” Georgia muses. “Others are the plank, as you’re engaging your core and pelvic floor. Pilates or high-intensity cardio can do it too! But it will very much depend on you, and how you usually build your way to arousal.”

“What I would be looking at is the different ways we become aroused, such as playing with breath and engaging your pelvic floor – typically called Kegel exercises, which involve tensing and releasing the internal muscles in your pelvis.”

Georgia also comments that pelvic and hip thrusts are a great masturbation tool in general, so pairing these with breath and Kegels could be an effective combination. Lifting weights can help too, or basically anything that requires you to push and pull repeatedly. (The word on the street is that this was a bit of a thing for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding days.)

Depending on whether you’re in public or not, sound might be something you incorporate into your activity too. The sounds of exercising and the noises that are made can often be, inadvertently, quite a sensual and erotic thing. Whether this is something you do alone or partnered is totally up to you.

And if the foot is your thing, even having your feet in certain positions, such as in a reformer pilates bed with straps or bars across your feet, can potentially build tension and arousal. When I ask Georgia what she thinks draws people to this experience, she’s inclined to think it’s less about the exercise component and more about trying something new.

“Typically, when people ask me how to have a coregasm, they’re not necessarily saying they want to experience orgasm at the gym,” she says. “They’re thinking about how they can experience an orgasm in a different way. For anyone curious about a coregasm, I would suggest pairing these types of exercise with your masturbation practice to start with.”

Because let’s face it, however comfortable in our bodies and sexuality we might be, it can be pretty overwhelming to orgasm in public, especially if you weren’t even intending to. “It catches people by surprise,” Georgia says, “and makes them feel embarrassed or confused about what happened, and shocked even.”

As to whether there’s anything negative or concerning about it, the answer is no. There’s nothing inherently wrong, unhealthy or dangerous about it. But in terms of it feeling personally appropriate or comfortable for an individual, people do report feeling annoyed or ashamed.

“Others may think it’s great and be envious of your experience, turning painful exercise into a pleasure response,” Georgia tells me. “However, it can feel very inappropriate for some and make them feel vulnerable, and can then make them back away from an exercise they love out of fear of orgasming in public.”

And that’s the last thing we want. So for anyone who finds sexual pleasure comes hand in hand with exercise, or anyone who would like to try and have this experience, finding a safe, shame-free space for you to explore all the new and wonderful things your body is capable of is paramount.

So is finding the movements and rhythms that work for you personally. Just like in sex, safely exploring your body and what feels good (or really, really good) for you during exercise takes time and patience. All bodies are invariably unique, and so are the things that do or don’t work for them.

Maybe coregasms are totally up your alley, or maybe the thought of exercise is still the least sexual thing you could think of. Either way, your body has the potential to experience some great things that you might not even be aware of. So maybe you roll out a yoga mat this weekend, and see what happens…

For more on getting the most out of your movement sessions, head here.