The TikTok-Minted Gymgasm May Be The Incentive You Need To Work Out
When it comes to orgasms we tend to only hear about the clitoral orgasm and the G-spot orgasm (despite the latter being quite elusive), but there's actually a whole world of orgasms out there that can be experienced. Depending on the source of information, there's anywhere from 11 to 24 orgasms that those with vulvas — and some penis owners too — can achieve.
"Instead of thinking about kinds of orgasm, there are different ways that an orgasm can be reached," board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist Sheila Loanzon tells Women's Health. "There can be clitoral, vaginal, breast, inner thigh, toe sucking, oral, sensual massage, mental orgasms and so many more." Where there's an erogenous zone, there's potential for an orgasm. There's also the potential for an orgasm if the right bundle of nerves is stimulated — and we're not talking about just the little nub of the clitoris. Behind the surface, there's so much more.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the entire internal clitoris is about 3.5 to 4.5 inches long and roughly 2.5 inches wide. The glans, which is the external part of the clitoris, and is often mistaken for being the whole clitoris when it's just a fraction of it, is anywhere from three-quarters of an inch to a full inch in diameter. The clitoris is chockful of erectile tissue and a complex network of nerves that are far-reaching and orgasm-inducing. And thanks to this network, you can find yourself experiencing a little something something when you least expect it, like a gymgasm for starters.
What's a gymgasm?
In the last decade, the word coregasm started making the rounds as women reported experiencing orgasms while working out, most notably while lifting weights or doing abdominal crunches, per ABC News. So, although these orgasms aren't new, thanks to TikTok, they're being introduced to a new generation as gymgasms. But is it legitimately an orgasm?
"Some may interpret it as an orgasm, or maybe it is an orgasm. There's no way to really tell," pelvic floor therapist Dr. Heather Jeffcoat tells Cosmopolitan. "An orgasm is such a unique experience for everybody. That's kind of hard to define. ... We have a nerve called the pudendal nerve that branches from within the pelvis. One of those nerves goes towards the clitoris and helps control clitoral function. Then we have our pelvic floor muscles and the [pudendal] nerve runs within the muscle. That's how the muscle contraction can stimulate the nerve."
Takeaway? Even if you're not technically having an orgasm, if it feels like you're having an orgasm, then you're definitely having an orgasm. Or at least what you consider an orgasm, and that's all that really matters. You might as well take those orgasms any way you can get them and no matter how they come at you.
Can anyone have one?
Considering not everyone can orgasm, saying that anyone can have a gymgasm isn't very accurate. That said, there do appear to be specific exercises that can increase someone's chances at having one.
"They tend to happen from intense or demanding exercise," associate professor at Indiana University and author of "The Coregasm Workout" Debby Herbenick tells Self. "For example, for women who experience them while doing crunches, they pretty much never happen on the fifth crunch and are more likely to occur after 50 or 100 crunches. ... Common coregasm exercises include leg lifts on the Captain's chair, pull-ups, chin-ups, and climbing exercises, probably due in part to how demanding they are of the core abdominal muscles."
Basically, it really comes down to engaging your core — hence the name coregasm — as much as possible during your workouts. Keeping up with your Kegel exercises, too, will also help in making your next gym session a gymgasm session.