Relationships

You Shouldn't Bother Flirting With Hot, Swole Bros At The Gym, Science Says

by Jamie LeeLo
Peter Meciar

You might think the RAGING, MANLY TESTOSTERONE you normally see at a gym would correlate to a RAGING, MANLY SEX DRIVE, but yet again, science has to come in and ruin everything.

According to a new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found the more intense and grueling a man's exercise is, the lower his libido is.

What a literal cock block.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a survey on about 1,100 physically active men — most of whom were experienced athletes — and asked about their sex lives, their desire to bone and their gym and fitness habits.

From there, the scientists categorized the men further, based on the intensity of their workouts and the apparent strength of their libidos.

In the end, surprisingly, those who reported completing light or moderate workouts also reported a significantly stronger desire to have sex than the men who ran themselves into the ground in the weights section or on the treadmill.

The researchers also took the participants' age and general medical history into consideration (since young men might be — I don't know — hornier?).

Guille Faingold

Professor of exercise physiology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina Anthony Hackney thinks these findings have something to do with the physical fatigue and the natural dip in testosterone levels men experience after exercise.

He also believes medical professionals, whose male patients report problems in their sex lives, should consider asking their patients about their exercise habits.

He explained to the New York Times, "Fertility specialists will often ask a woman about whether and how much she exercises. Based on our data, we think they should also be asking the man."

In the meantime, all we can do is hope the men in our lives don't take their muscles more seriously than our orgasms!

When in doubt, you can always suggest a different kind of workout. *wink wink* (Boning. Obviously.)

Citations: Men, Is Exercise Putting a Damper on Your Sex Life? (New York Times), Annoying Gym Bros May Be Way Less Horny Than You Thought (NYMAG)