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Hello all,

My name is Mark and i recently had robotic prostate surgery. Been on here a few times. Learned alot so far and i am really glad this place exists. I started pumping and viagra and looking forward to an erection or two in the near future. It has been about a month and I can now go back inot the gym and resume working out. My incontinence is gone but we will see when i start to lift some heavy weights.

Does working out whether weights or a combo or both help or hinder erections? I have read how long distance running get ED from jogging too much. I dont jog but would like to resume working out 4-5 times a week. Anyone have any thoughts or advice on the subject.

Take Care,

Mark

Mark,

Everyone on my medical team says exercise is good for whatever ails you, including ED. You already know the benefits of fitness: weight control, fat loss (esp around the midsection), muscle gain, increases in T levels, reductions in blood sugar levels, improved blood chemistry all around, increased cardiovascular function, enhanced respiratory function, better muscle tone, increased metabolism, etc. It's not a big step to see that many of these outcomes can be therapeutic for ED issues. So yes, get back in the gym as soon as the surgeon says it's okay to do so.

Note: I'm assuming you know that eating healthy is an integral part of any fitness regimen.

Keep us posted as you continue to recover. Look forward to seeing you in the Chat Room.

Greg

Mark:

Welcome. I am also a PCa victim with surgery and am here as a result of that side effect. If you are a mere month post-surgery, you are doing very well. I'm not a gym rat or spent a lot of time around a gym before surgery. However, over a year after surgery and fighting the darkness of ED and the things it does to you- I needed to do something. SO, I got a Personal Trainer and began to turn myself around. You did not mention your age, but I'm to the place where I am doing my "work" to remain loose and be able to garden easily and to increase my stamina and tighten things up a bit. Not interested in any contests or things like that.

My feeling is that my work has really helped me a lot- mostly between the ears. I feel better about myself and am moving better and looser and better able to deal with my body. In my mind, there is no doubt this has helped me between the legs as well. While things are not where they were before surgery I continue to make progress. I think my "training" has helped. Now, I am not into real heavy weights but I, and my Personal trainer continue to slowly push things up. As long as one doesn't fall into the trap of the questionable "stuff" to up your lifting ability, etc.; I would think you should be fine. Remember, moderation in all things except dark chocolate. . .

But with the surgery and the healing that needs to go on down there, I would go slow with a lot of weight for a number of months. There is no need to create any more issues for the troops as they relearn to get up and go. I would probably try to work up to the 4-5 times a week as well. Sounds like you are very experienced with the gym so use that experience to slowly restart the regimen. I agree with not running, but with spring you might try walking. It is a great way to unwind and enjoy the day and build stamina with a good view of the neighborhood and things.

But. welcome. Join in the chat as you wish. This is a good place. And again, congrats on the extent of your recovery- the rest takes time.

Regards,

Dick

Matt,

I'll echo the other guys--regular exercise helps EQ (erection quality); being out of shape hinders it. When you mention long-distance runners, I wonder where you heard that. Were these over-the-top marathon runners that were somehow abusing their health, somehow?

Glad to have met you in chat; see you there again soon, hopefully.

Thanks for opening this discussion, and to those who commented on it -- seems an appropriate place to post a recent personal experience. I haven’t seen much on FrankTalk about exercise except for Kegals, so I thought I would throw out something that affected me. I have like many others become more of a couch potato following retirement. I am 70 years old, and it’s tempting for someone of my disposition to spend a lot of time in the recliner with a good book. However, I think I am about to get motivated. I have noticed my infrequent partial erections, which I have been unable to improve much with herbs and meds, seem to be a little harder and more frequent if I get moving. So I have started pushups and walking with some success.

This Tuesday, family circumstances put me at a Dads and Kids gathering at the elementary school with my grandchild. The theme was physical fitness, and when we finished the stations I was tired—pushups, jumping jacks, stretching, jumping rope, exercises with balls etc. Later, I took my regular vitamin supplements that I sometimes skip – multivitamin, D, Cal/mag, CoQ10, three grams of pharmaceutical grade fish oil. I took my recently prescribed Uroxatrol for BPH with my evening meal. At bedtime, I took one gram of Arginine, 120mg of Pycnogenol, and 20mg of Cialis – a combination I have tried before with limited success. I experienced some turgidity before I fell asleep which was more pronounced a couple of hours later when I rose to relieve myself. However, I awoke with a semi some 5 hours later, probably 8 hours since the vitamins and Uroxatrol. I coaxed it into what I would describe as semi-rigid – maybe 80% -- definitely enough for penetration – closest thing to a real woody I have seen in months. I attribute this outcome to the exercise and I am going to try to get moving. Has anyone had a similar experience?

In this same vein, the post by jn1421 entitled "New Guy" has some info that might prove helpful.