A six-month study among previously sedentary men in Iran found that those who were randomly assigned to start exercising on a treadmill improved the quality of their sperm in terms of volume, sperm count, motility and morphology shape and size. All the men in the study were assigned to do either moderate intensity continuous training running at moderate speed for 30 to 45 minutes, three to six days a week , high-intensity continuous exercise running vigorously for one hour on the treadmill, three days a week , high intensity interval training alternating minutes of sprints and walks for 20 to 30 minutes or no exercise at all. All exercising groups significantly decreased their weight, body fat percentage and waist circumference. The moderate intensity group improved their semen volume by more than eight percent. Their sperm motility was 12 percent higher, morphology improved 17 percent and they had 22 percent more sperm cells on average compared to the control group, which did no exercise.
Moderate exercise 'better for sperm' than high intensity exercise - NHS
As we all know, an overall healthy lifestyle including regular exercise is greatly beneficial to your health and wellbeing, but a study that was published in the Journal of Endocrinology found that too much exercise caused significant defects in sperm motility, output and quality. Testosterone is necessary for healthy sperm production. Everyone is different, so what would be considered too much exercise for one person may be consider nothing to another. The best way to determine if you are over exercising is to be aware of the classic symptoms of overtraining. If you are engaging in vigorous exercise but are not experiencing any of the symptoms, you should be okay. Exercise helps you get to and stay at a healthy weight, lowers stress levels, and lowers the risk of heart disease. Being over or under weight increases your risk of infertility.
With expanding knowledge on the health benefits of exercise, there is an increasing demand for information on the andrological consequences of participating in sports. These consequences are especially important in the context of infertility problems worldwide. A number of studies have suggested that significant changes in semen parameters may occur due to sports training of certain types, intensities, and durations.
Sedentary men who start exercising between three and five times per week improve their sperm counts and other measures of sperm quality in just a few months, according to a new study published today in Reproduction. The researchers also found that men exercising moderately and continuously improved their sperm quality more than those following popular intensive exercise programs like HIIT. The only treatment available for couples unable to conceive naturally is IVF, but using poor quality sperm may increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects and the development of childhood cancer. Current advice for men seeking to improve their chances of conceiving include combining healthy eating with regular exercise while giving up smoking and reducing the intake of alcohol. However, the link between exercise and sperm quality is not definitely proven.