Andrew Siegel MD
Know the Fundamentals:
Erections are not on the basis of a bone in the penis as they are in many mammals. Erections occur when blood fills the erection chambers of the penis and is trapped in place. The blood pressure within the penis elevates so high that it is in hypertension range, giving rise to a bone-like rigidity and hence the slang term, boner.
The penis is a marvel of hydraulic engineering, uniquely capable of increasing its blood flow 50 times over baseline within nanoseconds of sexual stimulation, transforming its shape, size and constitution. This is accomplished by smooth muscle relaxation within the penile arteries and within the sinuses of the erection chambers.
Once the blood fills the erection chambers, closure of the penile veins and contractions of the pelvic floor muscles effectively trap the blood in the penis and maintain the high blood pressures necessary for a sustained erection.
Know the Statistics:
The Massachusetts Male Aging Study showed that after age 40 there is a decline in all aspects of sexuality. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is present in about 40% of men by age 40 with an increase in prevalence of about 10% for each decade thereafter. Although there are many causes of ED, the common denominator is insufficient blood flow to fill the erection chambers of the penis, or alternatively, sufficient inflow but poor venous trapping, both often caused by a decline in smooth muscle relaxation with aging. As one of my patients referred to his penis: “It’s like walking around with a dead fish.”
Know the Score:
Performance ability with any physical activity declines as we get older and this explains why most professional athletes are in their twenties or thirties. Although everything eventually goes to ground, hopefully it will do so slowly. Young men can achieve a rock-hard erection simply by seeing an attractive woman or thinking some vague sexual thought. As we get older, it is not uncommon for erotic thoughts or sights to no longer be enough to provoke an erection, with the need for direct touch. Some of the common male sexual changes that occur with aging are: diminished sex drive; decreased rigidity and durability of erections; decrease in volume, force, and trajectory of ejaculation; decreased orgasm intensity; and an increase in the time it will take for recovery before being able to get another erection.
Know the Opponents: Gluttony and Sloth:
Healthy eating habits, exercise, adequate quality and quantity of sleep, tobacco avoidance, use of alcohol in moderation, stress avoidance, and a balanced lifestyle will optimize sexual potential. Abide by the “Golden Rule of the Penis”: Treat your penis nicely and it will be nice to you in return; treat your penis poorly and it will rebel.
Fuel for Performance:
A healthy diet will reduce the risk of sexual dysfunction. Eat a variety of wholesome natural foods including fresh vegetables and fruit, plenty of fiber, lean protein sources, legumes and healthy fats including nuts, avocados and olive oil. Avoid eating processed foods and minimize sugar, refined carbohydrates and highly saturated animal fats.
Stay in Peak Form:
Try to achieve “fighting weight” to maximize your performance in the sexual arena.
Train for Performance:
Exercising—including cardio, core, and strength training—is vital for health in general and sexual health in particular. When it comes to sexual health, it is vital to focus on the all-important pelvic floor muscles (PFM). PFMT (pelvic floor muscle training) will help optimize erectile function and prevent/treat ED.
To understand why PFMT can help your performance in the bedroom, it is necessary to have some understanding of what the PFM do. When you have an erection, the bulbocavernosus muscle and ischiocavernosus muscles engage. Contractions of these muscles not only help prevent the exit of blood from the penis, enhancing rigidity, but also increase blood flow to the penis—with each contraction of these muscles, a surge of blood flows into the penis. Additionally, they act as powerful struts to support the roots of the penis (like the roots of a tree), the foundational support that, when robust, will allow a more “skyward” angling erection (like the trunk of a tree). The bulbocavernosus muscle also serves the role as “motor” of ejaculation, pushing semen out of the urethra when it contracts rhythmically at the time of sexual climax.
If you increase the strength, tone and condition of these muscles through PFMT, they will function in an enhanced manner—namely more powerful contractions with more penile rigidity and stamina as well as improving ejaculatory issues including premature ejaculation.
The Private Gym www.PrivateGym.com is a comprehensive, interactive, easy-to-use, medically sanctioned and FDA registered follow-along exercise program that helps men strengthen the PFM. The PFM—as with all skeletal muscles—adapt and increase in strength in direct proportion to the demands placed upon them, enhancing their strength, tone, durability and responsiveness.
The Basic Training exercise program strengthens the pelvic floor muscles with a series of progressive “Kegel” exercises and The Complete Training program provides the maximum opportunity for gains through its use of the Private Gym’s resistance equipment. Think of the Private Gym as “Penis 90X.”
For great content on exercises to improve your sex life, see slide show written by Lisa Jey Davis for LiveStrong: http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/1011170-14-exercises-man-should-improve-his-sex-life/
Talk to your Private Gym Coach:
Go to the Private Gym website: www.PrivateGym.com where you can have a private chat session with a trainer.
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Siegel, M.D.
A new blog is posted every week. To receive the blogs in the in box of your email go to the following link and click on “email subscription”: www.HealthDoc13.WordPress.com
Author of Male Pelvic Fitness: Optimizing Sexual and Urinary Health: http://www.MalePelvicFitness.com
Private Gym: http://www.PrivateGym.com
Tags: Andrew Siegel MD, Arnold Kegel MD, erection, erection chamber, erection sinus, exercise, gluttony, healthy diet, Male sexual functioning, pelvic floor muscle exercises, pelvic floor muscle training, pelvic floor muscles, penis, Private Gym, sloth
Our Greatest Wealth Is Health 
September 30, 2014 at 6:44 AM |
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