Improve your summer thrustin’ and boost your sexual stamina with these exercises for tops

Pride month is well underway, and the gay-friendly gyms are looking a little more crowded as guys strive to look like Thor in their jockstraps. But exercise comes with plenty of non-aesthetic benefits, too, like lowering your blood pressure, improving your mental health, and increasing your sexual stamina for long, hard summer thrustin’.

Let’s be real — that last part is probably what’s going to get you off the couch this summer. So which exercises should tops and verses do to get better in bed? Personal trainer Kieron Lyons has the answers.

The UK-born Lyons currently lives in Barcelona, Spain, where he works as a certified online personal trainer and nutrition coach. Conveniently, Lyons’ services are specifically geared towards gay men.

“It’s really important to understand what other people are going through,” Lyons says. “I understand what it’s like to be gay and maybe not being as confident as you want to be.”

Are you ready to get buff so your partners can get stuffed? Here are three exercises that will improve your sexual stamina.

But first, warm up!

If you want to get confident in the bedroom, you should focus on training the muscle groups that will support your favorite sex moves. “Whether you do bodyweight exercises or some basic movements using resistance machines, strength training is going to be the best way to improve fitness,” Lyons says.

But before you put stress on those muscles, spend a few minutes on a simple warm up. Lyons recommends dynamic movements that take your body through full ranges of motion. Arm circles and leg swings will warm up your ligaments and prevent injury. 

Glute Bridges

Your glutes play an important role in thrusting. “This is the biggest muscle group in the body, and it’s the most powerful,” Lyons says. “But a lot of the time, when you’re sitting down, your glutes get underused and ‘switch off.’” If you want to pound your partners, you’ll have to get in touch with your butt.

Glute bridges are a beginner-friendly, bodyweight exercise that you can do at home (or at the gym, if you want to put on a show). Start by lying on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. From there, press into the floor with your feet and drive your hips up into the air — “squeezing your bum,” as Lyons says, until your hips are fully extended. Then bring your hips back down to the ground.

Lyons suggests starting with three sets of 10 reps. To make the exercise more challenging, increase your reps or add a dumbbell to your hip crease.

Renegade Rows

“You need a strong core to be able to thrust,” Lyons says. Your core muscles will also provide overall stability so you don’t throw your back out while you’re blowing your partner’s back out. Renegade rows help you build core strength and upper body strength at the same time, so this exercise is perfect for tops and verses who want to toss their bossy bottoms around.

Start by placing two dumbbells parallel on the ground that are easy for you to lift. Grasp the handles in a plank position. While tightening your core and keeping your back flat, squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift one of the dumbbells, driving the movement with your elbow. Then slowly lower the dumbbell back down. Repeat on the other side.

Lyons suggests starting with three sets of 10 to 20 alternating reps.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts strengthen the posterior chain, a muscle group that facilitates “explosive” movements — and, no, that’s not a euphemism. This is a difficult exercise, so if you’re a total beginner, you should practice with a plastic pipe or a barbell that doesn’t have additional weight on it while you’re getting used to the motion. A certified personal trainer can ensure that your form is correct. Here’s how to do it:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a barbell or two dumbbells on the ground in front of you. Grab the barbell or dumbbells and sit your hips back.

“You should be engaging your hamstrings and glutes,” Lyons says. “Retract and depress your shoulder blades, brace your core, and then you can stand up.”

When you set the barbell back down, do the same movement in reverse. “Push your hips back until the barbell is past your knees, and then bend your knees slightly to bring the barbell back down to the floor,” Lyons says.

If your primary focus is building muscle, Lyons says, beginners should aim for eight to 15 reps of this exercise.

Remember — building strength takes time, so you won’t turn yourself into a jackhammer overnight. But if you stay dedicated to your workout routine, you’ll take your sexual stamina to new heights

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