Do Squats Improve Erectile Function? Research on Strength Training and ED

You may hear that squats improve erections or that training the lower body helps male function.

Squats are practical for building lower-body strength and increasing activity.

There is not strong clinical evidence confirming that squats themselves treat ED. The most consistent exercise evidence for ED currently concerns aerobic activity.

Bodyweight Squat

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Wide Squat

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Split Squat

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Reverse Lunge

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Glute Bridge

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Wall Sit

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Plank

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No established ED trial has tested squats alone

ED exercise research has used aerobic activities such as walking and running, pelvic-floor training, and programs combining several exercises.

There is no established randomized controlled trial showing how many bodyweight squats produce how many IIEF points.

Online explanations say that the legs contain large muscles that improve circulation or that squats raise testosterone and therefore erections. These mechanisms may suggest a possibility, but they do not prove a treatment effect for squats.

A 2024 meta-analysis found the clearest result for aerobic exercise

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed seven randomized controlled trials involving 470 men with ED who were not using PDE5 inhibitors.

Physical activity overall improved erectile-function scores.

When exercise type was separated, aerobic exercise alone showed a statistically clear improvement. The group combining aerobic and strength training did not show a clear difference.

Only two studies examined that combined group.

This does not mean strength training has no value. It means there are fewer direct data and a less definite answer than for aerobic exercise.

Eleven RCTs provide aerobic-exercise data

A 2023 meta-analysis combined 11 randomized controlled trials of aerobic exercise.

The aerobic-exercise group improved IIEF-EF scores by an average of 2.8 points compared with non-exercising controls.

The EAU also states that lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and lower BMI may improve erectile function.

When considering exercise for ED, the research fits better with overall activity that includes aerobic exercise than with “only do squats.”

Does that mean squats are pointless?

No.

Strength training can maintain strength, increase activity, and be part of weight and metabolic management.

The NIDDK also lists physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight among lifestyle considerations for ED.

Separate these whole-body benefits from the claim that squats directly increase penile blood flow and make erections firm.

BananaUp treats squats as daily Strength Routines, not as ED treatment.

“Exercise raises testosterone” is not the whole explanation

Studies can find a temporary hormone change after strength exercise.

That is not the same as treating low testosterone or improving ED after one workout.

Low testosterone is evaluated with symptoms and blood tests.

BananaUp does not frame squats as a way to cure ED by raising testosterone.

How should BananaUp’s lower-body Routines be used?

BananaUp includes bodyweight_squat, wide_squat, split_squat, reverse_lunge, glute_bridge, and wall_sit.

You do not need to do all of them in one day.

Choose one Strength Routine you can perform comfortably and record it separately from Cardio and sleep.

For example, keep squat days, 20-minute walking days, and days with both as distinct records so you can later see your activity pattern.

If your knees, back, or hips hurt, do not add repetitions; review form or choose another exercise. Follow medical exercise restrictions if you have them.

The Routine Finder lets you choose Cardio and Strength according to your ability. With 14-day tracking, keep strength exercise and daily Condition under the same dates.