How Can Exercise Help ED? Research on Aerobic Exercise, Walking, and Erectile Function

Search for “exercise for erections” and you will often see squats or pelvic-floor training first. When clinical research from different countries is reviewed together, aerobic exercise is one of the options with comparatively substantial evidence (Khera et al., 2023; Chen et al., 2024).

That does not mean Walking or jogging produces a dramatic change immediately after one session. Several studies have examined structured exercise interventions over weeks or months and compared erectile function before and after the program (Khera et al., 2023; Chen et al., 2024).

Walking

Jogging / brisk walking

Swing your arms naturally and lengthen your stride slightly.

Other cardio

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Left: walk easily to warm up and cool down. Right: light jogging is one option for the main phase; brisk walking also works.

Eleven aerobic-exercise trials found improvement

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2023 combined 11 randomized controlled trials (Khera et al., 2023).

The groups performing aerobic exercise scored an average of 2.8 points higher on IIEF-EF than control groups (Khera et al., 2023).

Participants, exercise programs, and durations differed between trials. The 2.8-point result cannot be used as a prediction that every person will change by exactly that amount (Khera et al., 2023).

It is still useful that several randomized trials of aerobic exercise pointed in the same direction (Khera et al., 2023).

Aerobic exercise also stood out in a 2024 analysis

Another 2024 meta-analysis examined seven randomized controlled trials of physical activity and ED in adult men who were not using PDE5 inhibitors (Chen et al., 2024).

Physical activity overall was associated with improved erectile function. When exercise type was separated, the aerobic-only group showed a statistically clear improvement (Chen et al., 2024).

The pelvic-floor and aerobic-plus-strength subgroups did not show a clear difference in that analysis.

This does not mean strength training has no value. Some subgroups had few trials and participants, and the comparison was not sufficient to rank every exercise type.

Guidelines also discuss exercise

The third edition of the Japanese ED clinical practice guideline recommends lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise for obesity and smoking cessation guidance (JSSM/JAU, 2018).

The EAU guideline also includes regular exercise and weight loss among approaches to modifiable risk factors before or alongside ED treatment (EAU, 2026).

Exercise is not a replacement for an ED medicine that a clinician has recommended. If erection problems continue, consider lifestyle changes and medical evaluation together (NIDDK, 2024).

Is it okay to start with Walking?

Research programs use defined intensity and duration, but someone who rarely exercises does not need to start by running for a long time.

Start by recording a day with 15 minutes of Walking. Next, try 20 minutes at a somewhat faster pace. Keeping the minutes completed and whether you could continue is easier to compare than setting a huge goal immediately.

The existing column “Compare Walking and Male Condition in Your Records” explains how to put a 20-minute walk into the Daily Log.

How to do Men's Cardio 30

This Routine is an example for recording aerobic activity. It does not treat ED or guarantee improved erectile function.

Minutes 0–5: Warm-up

Begin with a slow walk and gradually pick up the pace over five minutes. Do not jump straight into brisk Walking or jogging; check your breathing and fatigue before moving on.

Minutes 5–25: Main session

Choose one activity you can keep up that day: brisk Walking, light jogging, incline Walking, or an elliptical. Aim for breathing that is a little faster while you can still manage a short conversation. If talking becomes difficult, slow down or switch to brisk Walking (CDC, n.d.). Avoid starting too fast; on a tiring day, brisk Walking alone is a reasonable option.

You do not have to force yourself to finish all 30 minutes. Cut the session short or rest when it feels too hard, and record the time you actually completed.

Minutes 25–30: Cool-down

Slow to a walk and take about five minutes to settle your breathing. Stop if you develop chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or dizziness.

Look at several weeks, not one result

Feeling better on the evening after exercise does not show that exercise caused the change.

BananaUp separates days with and without Cardio and places EQ, ease of maintenance, sleep, alcohol, and stress alongside them. When there are only a few records, it avoids definitive conclusions and waits for enough entries to review the overall pattern.

Stop for chest pain, fainting, or unusual severe shortness of breath during exercise. If a healthcare professional has given you cardiovascular or exercise instructions, follow those instructions.

If difficulty getting or maintaining an erection continues for several weeks, do not decide that “more exercise” is the only answer. Speak with a healthcare professional, since ED can be related to vascular or metabolic conditions.

Use the Routine Finder to review options based on exercise experience and lifestyle. With 14-day tracking, compare Cardio days and rest days under the same dates.