--- title: Men With Intense Workouts Have Less Active Sex Life: Study description: Men who strenuously exercise on a regular basis have a smaller libido than those who do lower intensity exercise, a new study has found canonical: https://time.com/4681843/workout-intensity-lower-libido/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-24T16:17:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:11.789Z article:section: Health og:title: Men Who Prefer High-Intensity Workouts Have a Less Active Sex Life, Study Finds og:description: 1,100 men were surveyed about their exercise habits and libido og:url: https://time.com/4681843/workout-intensity-lower-libido/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Men Who Prefer High-Intensity Workouts Have a Less Active Sex Life, Study Finds twitter:description: 1,100 men were surveyed about their exercise habits and libido twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Men Who Prefer High-Intensity Workouts Have a Less Active Sex Life, Study Finds ## Video: How to Start Working Out in the Morning [Watch (HLS stream): How to Start Working Out in the Morning](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BzjQrXSz.m3u8) (1:10)  _Published 2016-11-27. We picked the brains of trainers and nutritionists for lifestyle changes you can make to help you become the person who wants to rise and grind._ by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Feb 24, 2017 4:17 PM UTC by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Feb 24, 2017 4:17 PM UTC Men who strenuously [exercise](http://motto.time.com/4672635/venus-williams-diet-exercise-secrets/) on a regular basis have a significantly decreased [libido](http://time.com/23982/low-libido-11-drugs-that-affect-your-sex-drive/) than those who engage in lower-intensity exercise, a [new study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28195945) has found. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill surveyed 1,100 men aged 18 and older using a questionnaire to ascertain detailed information about their exercise training habits. They were also asked about their libido, answering questions on their sexual activity, arousal, desire, attraction, fantasy, appetite, fulfilment, need for intimacy and more. The study’s authors found that participants with the least-intense training regimes had greater odds of having a high or normal libido than those who trained at the highest intensity. The conclusion, therefore, was that regular exposure to high intensity and endurance exercise was “significantly” associated with a lower libido state in men. “Clinicians who treat male patients for sexual disorders and/or council couples on infertility issues should consider the degree of endurance exercise training a man is performing as a potential complicating factor,” the study’s conclusion added. The research paper, called “Endurance Exercise Training and Male Sexual Libido,” was published in the journal _Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise_. 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