Men's Fitness Guide – Fitness Tips For Men

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Likelihood of Occurrence
A male factor is involved in 60% infertility cases. Forty percent are primarily male and 20% are combined male and female. Thus, when a couple is having trouble conceiving, it makes sense to evaluate the man as well as the woman. It is recommended that a comprehensive and accurate semen analysis be scheduled at the outset to evaluate the male partner before scheduling expensive and invasive tests for the female.

Causes
Varicoceles
Varicoceles are dilated veins in the scrotum, causing a negative effect on sperm production. Varicoceles are extremely common. Approximately 40% of men with infertility will have varicoceles. Interestingly, 80% of men with secondary infertility (they are not able to initiate an additional pregnancy) will have varicoceles. Varicoceles may be easily corrected through outpatient surgery performed by a male infertility specialist. This is done with a local and sedation, through a small incision where the pubic hair is (so no muscle is involved), and with the use of an operating microscope. Multiple studies have shown that this technique causes more improvement, and leads to significantly fewer complications and much less post operative pain.

Seminal Fluid Abnormalities
If the seminal fluid is very thick, it may be difficult for the sperm to move into the woman’s reproductive tract. Often, in cases of seminal fluid abnormalities, the sperm can be placed directly inside the uterus with intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Ductal System Problems
Ducts that carry sperm may be missing or blocked. In some situations, the ducts may be repaired or unblocked. If this is not possible, the sperm may be harvested and then injected directly into a woman’s eggs.

Immunological Infertility
Men can develop an immunological response (antibodies) to their own sperm. The causes for this may include testicular trauma, testicular infection, large varicoceles, or testicular surgery. The treatment for anti-sperm antibodies is somewhat controversial. Men may be treated with corticosteroids. However, this can lead to significant morbidity in the man. The most significant is aseptic necrosis of the hip (noninfectious destruction of the joint), requiring hip replacement.

Most of the time, the first level of intervention includes intrauterine insemination. If the couple is planning in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the presence of anti-sperm antibodies is usually an indication to inject the sperm directly into the egg (ICSI) instead of conventional IVF.

Impotence: Difficulties with Erections and Ejaculations
This includes the inability to obtain or maintain an erection, premature ejaculation, lack of ejaculation, retrograde (backwards) ejaculation, lack of appropriate timing of intercourse, and excessive masturbation.

Testicular Failure
This generally refers to the inability of the sperm-producing part of the testicles to make adequate numbers of mature sperm. The testicle may completely lack the cells that divide to become sperm, sperm may be made in low numbers or there may be an inability of the sperm to complete their development. This situation may be caused by genetic abnormalities, hormonal factors or varicoceles. Even in the case where the testes are only producing low numbers of sperm, the sperm may be harvested and used with advanced reproductive techniques.

Cryptorchidism
When a baby boy is born without the testes having fully descended into the scrotum, the condition is known as cryptorchidism. The current recommendation is that at approximately one year of age, if the testes have not descended by themselves, they be brought down surgically. Cryptorchidism may be a cause of testicular failure. Fifty per cent of men who have both testes undescended at birth, will have no sperm in the ejaculate even if they were surgically brought down.

Drugs
There are a number of fairly common drugs that may have a negative effect on sperm production and/or function. They include:

• Ketoconazole (an anti-fungal)
• Sulfasalazine (for inflammatory bowel disease)
• Spironolactone (an anti-hypertensive)
• Calcium Channel Blockers (anti-hypertensives)
• Allopurinol, Colchicine (for gout)
• Antibiotics: Nitrofurantoin, Erythromycin, Gentamicin
• Methotrexate (cancer, psoriasis, arthritis)
• Cimetidine (for ulcer or reflux)
• The following drugs can cause ejaculatory dysfunction:
• Antipsychotics: Chlorpromazine, Haloperidol, Thioridazine
• Antidepressants: Amitripltyline, Imipramine, Fluoxetine (Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil), Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Anti-hypertensives: Guanethidine, Prazosin, Phenoxibenzamine, Phentolamine, Reserpine, Thazides

Hormonal Abnormalities
The testicles are stimulated to make sperm by pituitary hormones. If these are absent or severely decreased, the testes will not maximally produce sperm. Importantly, men who take androgens (steroids) for body building shut down the production of hormones for sperm production.

A hormonal profile must be performed on all men with male factor infertility. This will help rule out serious medical conditions, give more information on the sperm-producing ability of the testes and may reveal situations where hormonal treatment is indicated.

Infections
Men may have infections of their reproductive tract. These may include infections of the prostate (prostatitis), of the epididymis (epididymitis), or of the testes (orchitis).

Post-pubertal viral infections of the testes may cause significant damage (atrophy) of the testes and may cause absolute and irreversible infertility. Bacterial infections or sexually transmitted diseases may cause blockages of the sperm ducts.

Active bacterial or viral infections may have a negative effect on sperm production or sperm function. White blood cells, which are the body’s response to infection, may also have a negative effect on sperm membranes, making them less hearty.

If excessive white blood cells or bacteria are seen in a semen specimen, a general genital culture should be done as well as cultures for commonly asymptomatic, sexually-transmitted diseases including mycoplasma, ureaplasma, and chlamydia.

Genetic Abnormalities
Men whose total number of moving sperm in the ejaculate (calculated by multiplying the volume of the ejaculate, by the concentration of sperm, by the percent that are moving) of less than 5 million must have genetic testing done. Sometimes, this production of low numbers of sperm is the result of genetic abnormalities that could have significant implications for children.

Lifestyle Factors:

Cigarette Smoking
Cigarette smoking has been shown to significantly affect semen quality. If a man smokes, he decreases the chances of achieving a pregnancy, and increases the chances that his partner will have a miscarriage or an abnormal baby even if she is able to conceive.

Recreational Drugs
Marijuana
Marijuana often causes a decreased average sperm count, motility, and normal morphology.

Cocaine
Even infrequent cocaine use causes decreased sperm count, motility, and normal morphology.

Anabolic Steroids (male hormones)
Anabolic androgenic steroids may cause severely diminished spermatogenesis or complete absence of sperm. When taken, these steroids cause a persistent depression of the hypothalamus and pituitary, which may be irreversible even when the steroids are stopped.

Alcohol
Moderate alcohol use does not affect male fertility. Excessive alcohol use affects the hormonal axis and is a direct gonadotoxin.

Lubricants
Most vaginal lubricants, including K-Y Jelly, Surgilube, and Lubifax, are toxic to sperm. The one most often recommended is Pro-Seed.

Exercise
Moderate amounts of exercise can only be helpful. However, long-distance runners and distance cyclers have decreased spermatogenesis. These activities should be moderated when a sub-fertile man is attempting conception.

Testing
The general purpose of a man’s evaluation (semen analysis and, if appropriate, a consultation) is to identify any problems in order to maximize the quality of the man’s semen. This may reduce the need for more complicated interventions for the female partner. It is also important to rule out significant medical problems that may contribute to a poor semen analysis. The most important first step in any man’s evaluation is the semen analysis.

Semen Analysis
Semen is the fluid that a man ejaculates. The sperm within the semen are the cells that actually fertilize the egg and are therefore the most important to assess. However, the sperm account for only 1% to 2% of the semen volume. Problems with the surrounding fluid may also interfere with the movement and function of the sperm. Therefore, both the sperm and the fluid must be tested.

The semen analysis will help determine whether there is a male factor involved in the couple’s sub-fertility. A thorough evaluation helps determine the cause of an abnormal semen analysis and rules out medical problems.

Standard Semen Analysis Tests
Almost all laboratories will conduct tests and report on the following information, using values established by the World Health Organization:

• Concentration (count): This is a measurement of how many million sperm there are in each milliliter of fluid. Average sperm concentration is more than 60 million per milliliter. Counts of less than 20 million per milliliter are considered sub-fertile.

• Motility (mobility): This is the percentage of sperm that are moving. Fifty percent or more of the sperm should be moving.

• Morphology: This is the count of the number of normally shaped sperm. The sperm are examined under a microscope and must meet specific sets of criteria in order to be considered normal. Most commercial laboratories will use WHO morphology. Thirty percent of the sperm should be normal by these criteria.

• Volume: This is the volume of the ejaculate. Normal is two milliliters or greater.

• Total Motile Count: This is the number of moving sperm in the entire ejaculate. There should be more than 40 million motile sperm in the ejaculate.

• Standard Semen Fluid Tests: Color, viscosity, and the time until the specimen liquefies should also be measured. Abnormalities in the seminal fluid may adversely affect the sperm, or the way they get out of the fluid and move through a woman’s reproductive tract.

Additional Semen Analysis Tests

• Forward Progression: This describes how well the moving sperm are making progress. Only when the motility (percent moving) is combined with the forward progression is an accurate picture of sperm movement obtained. A man’s motility may be normal and the fact that the sperm are moving sluggishly or almost not at all will be overlooked if the forward progression is not recorded separately.

• Kruger Morphology: This is a more detailed evaluation of the morphology. A Kruger test helps determine which of the available advanced reproductive techniques may be most appropriate and successful.

• Anti-Sperm Antibodies: Some men may produce antibodies to their own sperm, which may decrease fertility rates. Semen should be routinely tested for these antibodies, as more than 10% of men whose other sperm parameters are normal will have abnormal amounts of antibodies.

• White Blood Cells: The semen may contain a high number of white blood cells (wbc’s), which may be an indication of either infection or inflammation. WBC’s cannot be differentiated from other round cells normally found in the semen (debris and immature sperm) without special staining. If more than one-million round cells are found in the ejaculate, a portion of the ejaculate should be specially stained to look for an increased number of wbc’s. If the wbc count is elevated, semen cultures (for bacterial and sexually transmitted diseases) should be performed on a subsequent specimen. The wbc’s can represent infection or inflammation. They have a negative effect on the sperm themselves. Often a course of anti-inflammatories is used. Antibiotics should only rarely be used and then should be appropriately selected based on culture results. Most men will have some bacteria in the ejaculate, which does not mean it has to be treated!

Other Tests

• In certain situations, specialized tests are needed. These depend on the findings at the time of the analysis and can often be performed on the same specimen.

• Spun Specimen: Even if no sperm are seen on the test slide, the sperm count may still not be zero (there may be very low numbers of sperm in the ejaculate). This has important implications as it may determine if the couple can conceive using advanced reproductive techniques. This must be assessed by spinning down the specimen so all of the sperm are concentrated in a pellet which is then examined under a microscope.

• Viability: Sperm may be alive, but not moving. A specialized staining technique is used to determine what percentage of the sperm is alive. This test is indicated when the motility (percent moving) is less that thirty percent.

• Fructose: In men with no sperm or very low numbers of sperm in the ejaculate, it is important to determine whether the sperm are not being produced at all, or whether they are being produced but are blocked from “getting into” the semen. A fructose test can help differentiate between these two problems.

• Post-Ejaculatory Urinalysis (PEU): Some men ejaculate all or part of the sperm backward into the bladder. This can be detected by having a man ejaculate and immediately afterward urinate into a separate cup. The post-ejaculatory urine is then centrifuged to see if any sperm are present.

Laboratory Needs

• Expertise: Semen testing is a sophisticated and technical field. An improperly or incompletely performed semen analysis may miss significant problems. Unrecognized problems may unnecessarily delay a man’s treatment. Unlike many other lab tests, a semen analysis relies completely on the expertise of those performing it. Make sure the lab has sophisticated protocols and well-trained, specialized technicians.

• Timing: In order to get accurate results, the specimen must be processed within one hour of collection. If not, the measurement of the movement of the sperm may be extremely inaccurate. With any lab you use, make sure that the analysis is performed on site and not shipped elsewhere for evaluation.

• Thoroughness: You should use a laboratory that has the capability to do complete initial testing as well as the flexibility to do the appropriate follow-up testing on the same specimen.

• Comfort and Convenience: In order to maximize your results, it is important that you are as relaxed as possible. Ideally, the specimen should be collected at the laboratory itself in a comfortable room that is meant specifically for that purpose.

Treatment
More that 50% of men will have a treatable cause of male factor infertility. When these conditions are treated, either through medication or surgery, a man will often see a significant improvement in his semen analysis. This will increase his chances of achieving a conception with a partner, either through natural intercourse or through less invasive means.

Those men whose conditions are not treatable may still have the option of using advanced reproductive techniques to achieve a pregnancy. Even those men with no sperm in the ejaculate may be able to have some living sperm procured from them through other methods and achieve a pregnancy using advanced reproductive techniques. Those few men who produce absolutely no sperm at all will have this information so that they can explore other options.

“How to have great sex!” This is a subject of interest to men who want to supercharge their staying power in bed. Being unable to last long in bed leaves both you and your partner frustrated. This situation may ruin your relationship and unless you take action immediately to remedy the situation, you may continue experiencing it. You’ll be pleased to learn that there are specific ways to help you have great sex and enjoy stunning orgasms.

Now, let’s talk about 2 proven and effective tips to last longer in bed.

Tip #1 – Boost Your Sexual Stamina

Generally, it takes an average woman 10 -15 minutes to reaches an orgasm. Most men are usually unable to last this long during lovemaking. However, if you can control your arousal until she reaches a climax, you will be able to give her a smoldering hot sex. Here is how to achieve this.

Instead of being carried away by the pleasurable sensation you feel around your genitals during sex, turn your attention to how the sensation goes through your body. The moment you sense you are about to get to the “point of no return,” stop all stimulation for a while, or simply reduce the rate of your thrusting. Better still, you could take this opportunity to carry out oral sex on her. This is going to allow your arousal drop down a few notch till you feel comfortable to begin thrusting again. Repeat this process over and over again till you are ready to get-off.

Tip #2 – Hold Your Orgasm In

Normally, your pelvic muscles are bound to contract involuntarily when you are almost reaching an orgasm. However, before you get to this point, squeeze and hold your pubococcygeus muscles for as long as you can. Just in case you don’t know where the pubococcygeus muscle is located, it’s the same muscles you use to hold back urine from flowing. The moment you eventually reach an orgasm, since you have deliberately delayed it, it’s going to burst forth with so much force, thus allowing you get a pleasurable sensation when you eventually let go.

Now let’s face it. In order for you to avoid premature ejaculation, your pubococcygeus muscle (PC) needs to be strong. The PC muscle of most men is quite weak for the reason that it has never been exercised.

Well, strengthening the PC muscle is extremely easy. All you need to do is to begin practicing Kegel exercises just by contracting and holding your PC muscle for no less than 5 minutes on a daily basis. When you practice this for a week, your PC muscle will be very much strengthened to the extent that you’ll be able to use it to delay an orgasm till you’re prepared.

A Sensational Orgasm Is As Well A Great Turn On For Her!

Your woman will be sexually satisfied when you experience a great climax. She is going to feel extremely turned on and will always want to have sex with you. Therefore, ensure you give her an awesome orgasm first, and make use of the 2 tips above to attain a great climax yourself. You are guaranteed to have great sex always!

Most of us have one sexual issue or the other even though we fail to admit it. It can be as little as slow orgasm to premature ejaculation or even a small sized penis. The truth is no sexual issue is a minor; one is just as important as the other. The only difference is that the effects vary. The issue of low sperm count may have little effect on sexual desire but that of having a small penis puts the self confidence of the man at stake. Imagine your partner telling her friends of how ‘shallow’ your penetration is during sex. How would you feel, good? I don’t think so. Instead of giving your partner a reason to tease you, why not read on and do what needs to be done.

Among all the penis enlargement pills out there in the market today, only a few stand out to be effective and sure. VigRX plus is a perfect example.

VigRX Plus is a penis enlargement pill which is free from side effects and its formula is made up of natural herbal ingredients which are clinically tested and are safe. If you have ever been a victim of other unsafe products in the market, you must have experienced side effects such as blurred vision, headache, dizziness, indigestion and congestion. Well, this is not true of VigRX Plus because it is a pure herbal formulation.

One advisable thing to do before commencing with any medication is to first consult a doctor or a physician who is completely knowledgeable about such supplements. Why? Well, we all have different reactions to different things. If you realize that you have allergies towards herbs, then I guess you better sort it out before things get any worse. Also, being in good shape and a right state of mind determines the results you get. Getting all these checked out before taking the pills would do you a lot of good.

How does VigRX Plus really work?

When the volume of blood flowing to the penis increases, this in turn enlarges the size of the penis. This is the way VigRx Plus functions. You get to see results a whole lot faster and the whole penis enlargement process quicker owing to the new ingredients which VigRX plus contains.

During the first few months of your medication, you’ll notice that your penis erections stay for longer periods of time. As time goes on, the width of your penis increases and it increases in length. As an added advantage, you also get a rock hard, firmer and harder penis which you’ve never had before. This gives your partner something to look forward to when you are both in the mood. It will also boost your sexual stamina and self confidence.

You know the saying, ‘behind every successful man is a woman’. Well, the same goes for VigRX plus too. Behind every effective pill are its ingredients.

The reasons why VigRX plus work is because of the type of sexual enhancement ingredients used for making. Let’s see a few of the ingredients and how they contribute to VigRX plus.

• Bioperine – this is an ingredient that helps the body absorb herbal supplements.
• Horny Goat Weed or Epimedium, boosts sexual libido and sensation.
• Cuscuta Seed Extract- this ingredient increases sperm volume and motility.
• Muira Pauma- this ingredient increases sexual desire and reduces impotency.
• Saw Palmetto berries- this ingredient aids sexual stimulation and serves as an aphrodisiac. Damiana also serves as an aphrodisiac.
• Tribulus Terrestris- this ingredient helps to treat sexual dysfunction.
• Epimedium and Catuaba bark- these ingredients help to enhance sexual libido.
• Hawthorn Berry- this is a powerful antioxidant that helps to increase the flow of blood into the heart.
• Panax Ginseng- this ingredient boosts energy and is very effective during sexual intercourse.

Last year, the National Cancer Institute, estimated having 240,890 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States. There was also, 33,720 deaths reported from prostate cancer.

The prostate issue came to light recently when I read about the Canadian Movember Foundation. Last year, this charity raised a total of $22.3 million for prostate cancer. The clever name came from asking men to grow mustaches during the month of November, to bring about awareness to this men’s issue. The Movember title makes more sense once I tell you that mustache is spelled moustache in french. This appeared to be a great way to get the entire country involved. I even saw some women wearing fake handlebars for the cause.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could come up with something like that here in the U.S.?

Well, there is this organization called, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, who’s certainly done their part. Though it’s not as grassroots as the Canadian version, they have invested more than $16.5 million in Young Investigator grants, since 2007. These grants are given to up-and-coming researchers who are focusing their careers in prostate cancer research.

What is a prostate and what does it do?

The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut, which is located between the bladder and the penis. The main function of the prostate is to promote life by nourishing and protecting sperm. When the prostate enlarges, it can block the bladder from emptying.

Four Potential Prostate Problems

Acute Prostatitis: Bacteria infected prostate. Causes pain upon urination. The infection may be healed with antibiotic drugs and drinking more liquids.

Chronic Prostatitis: This infection keeps coming back but a bit more milder than the acute version. Antibiotic drugs will only work, if bacteria is the cause. Often time, the condition clears up by itself.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): A common condition in older men, it’s the term used for an enlarge prostate This is the reason for experiencing difficulty in urinating.

Prostate Cancer: We’ve all heard of this cancer. It’s one of the most common types of cancer among men. There are various ways to eradicate this; but treatment is more effective if found early. That leads me into the next category.

Four Ways to Check your Prostate

1) Digital Rectal Exam: This examination is done for men to check for growth or enlargement of their prostate gland. The doctor gently puts a gloved finger in the rectum to feel for tenderness or bumps. Some patients will have pain or discomfort when the doctor presses on the gland to feel for problems.

2) Prostate Specific Antigen: The PSA test is done to check the level of prostate specific antigen, which occurs naturally in the prostate gland. This is a blood sample to determine whether further testing needs to be done. Since malignant tumors grow at an extremely slow pace, it’s important to do this test annually. A rise of.75 percent or more can be an indicator that cancer is present.

3) Prostate Ultrasound: An image is taken with a thin ultrasound probe, inserted a short distance into the rectum. This probe detects and measures information by emitting high-frequency sound waves.

4) Prostate Biopsy: This procedure usually comes after a DRE or PSA test has been done. A biopsy on the prostate is performed to check if the lump found on the gland is cancerous. Tissue samples are taken with a thin needle, inserted into the rectum, and examined for cancer.

Since there is no definitive symptoms of early prostate cancer, you may want to get checked out by your doctor, if you exhibit some of these following symptoms: *A frequent need to urinate at night. * An inability to urinate standing up. *Blood in urine or semen. *Some difficulty to urinate. *A painful sensation during urination. These are just some of the more obvious symptoms.

It is true that men and women both require fitness programs in order to stay fit and healthy. However it must be noted here that men’s fitness programs are supposed to be different from those of women. This is because even though both of them might want to look good, they both want to do it in different ways. Women go through fitness programs so that they can lose extra fat while men mainly want to “bulk up.”

Generally men’s muscle and fitness programs are designed in two ways. One of the programs gives men a lean look while the other gives them a solid one. However whichever program men choose, the eventual result is very good for their health as they end up with lower levels of cholesterol, have a reduced chance of heart disease, prevent the occurrence of diabetes, hypertension, and so on.

There are two ways of doing fitness programs. Either you can join a gym or you can start the program from your own home. Starting a program at home can be cheaper and has other advantages too like having your privacy and working out at your own convenience. Many of us find it difficult to find the time to join a gym, hence starting a workout regimen at home seems like the most viable option.

However there are advantages of joining the gym as well. Even though you are giving up the privacy of your own home, you have a chance to workout with trainers as bringing trainers to your own home can be quite expensive. Also, you can have access to a wide variety of equipment, which you cannot possibly bring in your home. Another advantage is that you can work out with other men and this provides you with increased motivation.

If you are joining a gym, you need to take note of these factors: Take note of the machines available, whether they offer child care facilities, if they have good quality trainers, the hours they are open, etc. However the biggest factor when choosing a gym should be that it should be close to your home. If a gym is close, it will save you from all the hassles that are involved with commuting to and from the gym. Moreover, you can also save valuable time while trying to commute to the gym, something that can be highly important in our busy lives today.