Can Exercise Help Cure Erectile Dysfunction? (Kegels & More)

Medically reviewed by: Katelyn Schwartz, NP, Family Nurse Practitioner with Advanced Training in TRT, BHRT, and Menopause Care

Last reviewed: October 2026

Many men notice two changes around the same time. The stairs start to feel steeper, and erections take longer to arrive and fade sooner than they used to. It is natural to wonder whether the two are linked. Does exercise help erectile dysfunction? For many men, research suggests it can, although the benefit depends on what is causing the problem.

Man sitting on the edge of his bed, wondering whether exercise could help his erections

Does Exercise Help Erectile Dysfunction? The Short Answer

Yes, for many men it can. Regular aerobic exercise improved erectile function scores in a 2023 review of 11 randomised trials, and men with more severe ED tended to gain the most. Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises may also help. Exercise tends to work best when ED has a blood-flow or metabolic cause, and it does not replace a medical check.

In practice, that means:

Aerobic exercise: about 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, four times a week, is the amount one systematic review recommended for men with ED.
Kegel exercises: a few strong pelvic floor squeezes lying down, sitting, and standing, done in the morning and evening.
Strength training: two sessions a week can support weight, blood sugar, and fitness, though their direct effect on erections is less studied.
Patience: programmes in the research ran for months, from about three months to two years.

For the wider picture beyond exercise, including diet, sleep, and alcohol, see our article on lifestyle changes that may improve erectile function. For food and circulation tips, read how to increase blood flow to the penis naturally.

Why Exercise Can Make a Difference to Erections

An erection depends heavily on healthy blood flow. That is why a workout, which changes how your blood vessels behave, may reach all the way to the bedroom.

Blood Vessels That Open on Demand

When you are aroused, nerves signal the lining of the penile arteries to release nitric oxide. That chemical relaxes the muscle in the vessel walls, so blood can flow in and stay there. Regular aerobic exercise may work on the same lining, because every session pushes more blood through your arteries. Over weeks, that repeated demand seems to keep the vessel lining more responsive.

This shared plumbing also helps explain why ED and heart disease often travel together. The Canadian Urological Association (CUA) notes that ED may act as an early warning sign of future heart and blood vessel problems in some men.

Weight, Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure

Exercise can also work on the conditions that slowly damage those vessels. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and extra weight around the middle can all make it harder for arteries to open. Moving more can help bring each of them down, which may take some strain off erections too.

If one of these is part of your story, our guides to high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction and diabetes and ED go deeper. And if belly fat is the main concern, how to lose belly fat for men over 40 lays out a plan built for that.

Man at a table with salmon, avocado and nuts, a heart-healthy meal that pairs well with exercise

The Stress Side of the Story

Not every erection problem starts in the arteries. Stress and worry about performance can keep your nervous system on alert, which works against arousal. A brisk walk may take the edge off that tension, but most exercise trials studied men with heart or metabolic risk factors rather than anxiety-driven ED. If worry seems to be the trigger, read how stress and anxiety affect erectile dysfunction.

Man practising a slow, calming movement outdoors to ease stress

What the Research Says About Exercise and ED

So, does exercise help erectile dysfunction in real trials? The evidence is encouraging, but it is more modest than fitness headlines suggest.

Five Studies at a Glance

Most scores below come from the erectile function part of a standard questionnaire, which tops out at 30 points. The Esposito trial used a shorter version of the same questionnaire.

Study	Who took part	What they did	Result
Khera and colleagues, 2023 (11 trials, 1,147 men)	Men with ED	Regular aerobic exercise, compared with no added exercise	Scores 2.8 points higher than controls on average: 2.3 for mild, 3.3 for moderate and 4.9 for severe ED
Gerbild and colleagues, 2018 (10 studies)	Men with ED plus inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome or heart disease	Aerobic exercise programmes; the review recommended supervised training	About 160 minutes a week for six months was linked with fewer erection problems
CUA guideline, 2021 (5 trials)	Men with ED and other health conditions	More aerobic or strength activity, compared with usual activity	Scores rose by 3.77 points on average, with low certainty of evidence
Esposito and colleagues, 2004 (110 men)	Men aged 35 to 55 with obesity and ED, but no diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol	Diet and more activity aiming for 10% weight loss, over two years	17 of 55 men reached a normal erection score, against 3 of 55 in the comparison group
Chen and colleagues, 2024 (7 trials)	Men with ED who were not taking ED tablets	Aerobic, pelvic floor or combined aerobic and strength training	Aerobic training alone helped; pelvic floor and combined training showed no clear effect

What the Numbers Mean for You

Gains of roughly two to five points are real, yet they are not dramatic. In fact, the CUA panel described its 3.77-point result as “borderline for clinical significance”. Even so, the panel suggested more physical activity for men with ED, citing its safety, low cost and wide accessibility.

The European Association of Urology (EAU) goes further. Its current guideline strongly recommends starting lifestyle changes before, or at the same time as, any ED treatment.

Can Exercise Cure ED?

Not reliably, and not on its own. In the Esposito trial, published in JAMA, 17 of 55 men with obesity and ED who followed a diet, activity and weight-loss programme reached a normal erection score after two years. Diet and weight loss were part of that result, not exercise alone. For most men, exercise may ease ED rather than remove it.

These studies mostly enrolled men whose ED was linked to blood vessels, weight or metabolism. So the results may not apply when ED follows nerve damage or pelvic surgery.

Kegel Exercises for ED: A Step-by-Step Routine

Your pelvic floor is a sling of muscle between your tailbone and your pubic bone. Two of its muscles wrap around the base of the penis. When they tighten, they raise the pressure inside the penis, and one of them presses on a vein that would otherwise let blood drain away. Kegel exercises aim to make those muscles stronger and quicker to respond, which may help an erection stay firm.

How to Find the Right Muscles

Stand with your feet apart and tighten as if you were holding in both urine and wind. If you look in a mirror, the base of your penis should pull up toward your belly and your testicles should lift slightly. Meanwhile, keep breathing normally and avoid pulling in your stomach or tensing your buttocks, so the pelvic floor does the work.

Man lying on a mat with knees bent, a floor position used for pelvic floor exercises

The Daily Kegel Routine

This routine follows the home programme used in a UK randomised trial of men with ED, published by Dorey and colleagues in the British Journal of General Practice.

Lying down: lie on your back with your knees bent and apart. Squeeze as strongly as you can, hold, then relax fully. Do three squeezes in the morning and three in the evening.
Sitting: sit on a chair with your knees apart. Squeeze as if lifting your pelvic floor up off the seat, without lifting your buttocks, three times morning and evening.
Standing: stand with your feet apart and repeat three strong squeezes, morning and evening.
Holding time: in the trial, a therapist set each man’s hold time. On your own, hold each squeeze only as long as it stays strong, then relax fully before the next one.
While walking: now and then, lift your pelvic floor at about half strength as you walk.
After urinating: finish with one firm squeeze to clear the last drops.
During sex: tightening the same muscles in a steady rhythm may help keep an erection firm.

Men in the trial were asked to do the routine every day for six months.

Man sitting on the floor of his living room during a home workout

Do Kegels Really Help Erections?

One randomised trial is encouraging. Dorey’s study enrolled 55 men with ED. After three months, men doing pelvic floor exercises with biofeedback scored 6.74 points higher on erectile function than men given lifestyle advice alone. By the end, once the comparison group had switched to the exercises too, 40% of all the men had normal erectile function, another 34.5% had improved and 25.5% had not improved.

However, a 2024 review in Andrology pooled the small number of trials available and found no clear effect from pelvic floor training. So Kegels look promising, but the evidence is not settled. Notably, men in the trial had guided sessions with a physiotherapist and biofeedback, which home practice alone may not match.

Kegels may suit you best if erections fade soon after they start. The same muscles may also help with ejaculatory control, which is why they appear in our guide on how to make sex last longer. If you cannot feel the muscles working, a pelvic health physiotherapist can check your technique.

How to Build a Weekly Exercise Plan for ED

Aerobic Exercise: The Core of the Plan

Of all exercise types, aerobic exercise has the strongest evidence for erectile function. The Gerbild review, published in Sexual Medicine, pointed to 40-minute sessions at moderate to vigorous effort, four times a week. That is 160 minutes, slightly above the 150-minute weekly minimum in the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for adults.

Brisk walking, cycling, swimming, rowing and stair climbing all count.

Man running up outdoor stairs as part of an aerobic workout

Strength Training Twice a Week

The Canadian guidelines also call for muscle-strengthening work using the major muscle groups at least twice a week. ED trials have mostly tested strength training together with aerobic exercise, so its direct effect on erections is less clear.

Still, muscle can help your body handle blood sugar and supports weight control, and both may help protect the vessels that erections rely on. Squats, lunges, push-ups, rows and resistance-band work are good starting points.

Man training with a resistance band during a strength workout

A Sample Week

This example reaches 160 minutes of aerobic exercise, two strength sessions and daily Kegels.

Day	Aerobic	Strength	Kegels
Monday	40 minutes brisk walking	None	Morning and evening
Tuesday	None	30 minutes, full body	Morning and evening
Wednesday	40 minutes cycling	None	Morning and evening
Thursday	Rest or an easy stroll	None	Morning and evening
Friday	40 minutes swimming or rowing	None	Morning and evening
Saturday	None	30 minutes, full body	Morning and evening
Sunday	40 minutes hilly walk	None	Morning and evening

Start Safely

If you have been inactive, start with 10- to 15-minute sessions and add a few minutes weekly. Check with a licensed provider before you start if you have heart disease, chest pain or breathlessness during effort, or blood pressure that is not under control.

Man stretching his hamstrings on a mat before exercise

How Long Does Exercise Take to Improve ED?

In the Dorey trial, erectile function scores had improved clearly by three months and kept improving at six. The Gerbild review based its advice on six-month programmes, while the Esposito trial ran for two years.

To track progress, note how often erections are firm enough for sex. If nothing has changed after three months of steady effort, that is useful information for a licensed provider.

When Exercise Is Not Enough

Does exercise help erectile dysfunction in every case? No. It works on blood vessels, weight and mood, but some causes need checking whatever your fitness level. It is worth booking an assessment if:

your ED came on suddenly, or you still get firm erections in the morning, which can point toward a psychological cause
you also have low sex drive, low energy or loss of muscle, which can be symptoms of low testosterone
you live with diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease
you have had pelvic surgery or radiation
three months of regular exercise has not made a difference

Exercise and treatment are not either-or choices, since the EAU recommends starting lifestyle changes before or alongside ED treatment. Hormones can be one piece too, although the CUA suggests against using testosterone on its own to treat ED, even when levels are low. To see where it fits, read can TRT help with erectile dysfunction.

Exercise and ED: Common Questions

Q: Can exercise cure erectile dysfunction completely?

Not reliably on its own. In one two-year trial of men with obesity and ED, 17 of 55 given a diet, activity and weight-loss programme reached a normal erection score, against 3 of 55 in the comparison group. For most men, exercise may ease ED rather than remove it, and it tends to help most when the cause involves blood vessels or metabolism.

Q: How many Kegels a day should I do for ED?

The UK trial routine used three strong squeezes lying down, three sitting and three standing, done morning and evening. That makes 18 a day, plus a gentle lift while walking and a firm squeeze after urinating. Focus on strong, well-placed squeezes rather than a high count.

Q: Is walking enough to help ED?

Brisk walking counts as moderate aerobic exercise, so it can help, especially if you are starting from very little. One systematic review recommended around 40 minutes, four times a week, for men with ED.

Q: Can lifting weights help erectile dysfunction?

It may help indirectly, because strength training supports weight control and blood sugar. However, trials have mostly tested it alongside aerobic exercise, and results for combined programmes have been mixed. Keep lifting twice a week, but do not skip the cardio.

Q: Will exercise help if my ED is caused by anxiety?

It may ease the stress around sex, yet exercise trials have mostly studied men with heart or metabolic risk factors. Anxiety-related ED may improve when the worry itself is addressed, for example through counselling, and exercise can sit alongside that.

Q: Do I still need a check-up if exercise is helping?

Yes, at least once. ED may be an early sign of heart or blood vessel disease, so checking your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and testosterone is worthwhile. A licensed provider can also tell you whether other treatments might add to your progress.

Getting Support From Beyoung Health

If you want a clearer picture of what is behind your erections, Beyoung Health can help. Care starts with lab work, so our licensed Nurse Practitioners can look at your hormones and your heart and metabolic risk factors together. Where tests confirm low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy in Vancouver may be one part of your plan. When you are ready, you can book a consultation in Vancouver to talk it through.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any treatment or a new exercise programme.