Effect of Water-Based and Silicon-Based Lubricant on Sexual Pleasure of Women

The study, involving 2,453 women, is the largest systematic study of this kind, despite the widespread commercial availability of lubricant and the gaps in knowledge concerning its role in alleviating pain or contributing to other health issues.

"In spite of the widespread availability of lubricants in stores and on the Internet, it is striking how little research addresses basic questions of how personal lubricants contribute to the sexual experience," said Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. "These data clearly show that use of the lubricants in our study was associated with higher ratings of sexual pleasure and satisfaction and low rates of genital symptoms."

While these findings, reported in the November issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, involve the use of water-based and silicone-based lubricant, researchers also found that study participants reported fewer genital symptoms -- and, in particular, fewer reports of genital pain -- when they used a water-based lubricant.

Michael Reece, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion and co-author of the study, said public health professionals have long recommended the use of lubricants as an important safer sex tool, particularly when used with latex condoms.

"These findings help us to reinforce to sexually active individuals that not only are lubricants important to safer sex but that they also contribute to the overall quality of one's sexual experiences," he said.

Here are some of the findings:

• More than 70 percent of the time that lubricant was used for vaginal or anal intercourse, study participants indicated that they did so in order to make sex more pleasurable; more than 60 percent of women indicated this was the case during masturbation.
• More than one third of the time that lubricant was used for vaginal sex, anal sex or masturbation, women indicated that they used lubricant because it was fun to do so.
• Sizable proportions of women also indicated that they chose to use lubricant in order to reduce the risk of tearing, particularly for anal intercourse.

For the study, "Association of Lubricant Use with Women's Sexual Pleasure, Sexual Satisfaction, and Genital Symptoms: A Prospective Daily Diary Study," 2,453 women ages 18-68 participated in an Internet-based, double-blind assessment of the use of six lubricants during solo masturbation and partnered sexual activities. Women were randomly assigned to use one of six lubricants, four of which were water-based lubricants and two of which were silicone-based lubricants, during two weeks of a five-week study period.

Analyses of more than 10,000 acts of penile-vaginal intercourse, and more than 3,000 masturbation experiences, showed that participants' ratings of sexual pleasure and sexual satisfaction were significantly higher when a water-based lubricant or silicone-based lubricant was used compared to sex without a lubricant. Far fewer penile-anal intercourse events occurred; however, ratings of sexual pleasure and satisfaction were significantly higher when water-based lubricant was used during anal intercourse as compared to sex without a lubricant.

For all types of sex, genital symptoms were rarely reported and were generally less likely to occur when lubricant was used. More than half of the time that women used lubricant, they applied it to their own or their partner's genitals, or directly to their fingers and in about 10 percent of instances of vaginal intercourse, lubricant was applied directly to a sex toy.

"These findings demonstrate how lubricant can be used during foreplay or sex play with a partner, and incorporated into a couple's sexual experience," Herbenick said.

The water-based lubricants were, in alphabetical order, Astroglide® (Biolm, Inc.), Just Like Me® (Pure Romance), K-Y Liquid® (Johnson & Johnson) and Sweet Seduction® (Pure Romance). The silicone-based lubricants were Pure Pleasure® (Pure Romance) and Wet Platinum® (Trigg Laboratories).

In addition to Reece and Herbenick, co-authors include Devon Hensel, assistant professor, IU School of Medicine; Stephanie Sanders, The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction and the Department of Gender Studies at IU; Dennis Fortenberry, professor of pediatrics, IU School of Medicine; and Kristen Jozkowski, doctoral student at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion. Pure Romance, which also distributes three of the six lubricants used in the study, provided in-kind support for the study.

Calf Training For Real Growth

The calves can be one of the most frustrating muscle groups to train, and if you are one of those unfortunates that have always been cursed with skinny calves, this article may just hold the answers to your training success.

I have known more than a few bodybuilders in my time that have suffered the skinny leg and calve syndrome, many of them looking as though they should be in a comic strip, with their massive upper bodies that taper down to stick calves. It makes you wonder if they ever do any leg or calf work at all. I also know that these same bodybuilders do train their calves…like madmen in fact. It’s not lik

e they don’t know that they have an imbalance, they just can’t seem to spark the neces

sary growth.

Often the cry is, “I just don’t have the genetics”. Well here’s the thing…if you have any calf muscle at all you can build them. Granted, those with the genetics for calf growth don’t have to work as hard at it, but hey this isn’t restricted to just one body part, genetics plays a role in the body as a whole. I am sure there is a body part that you train that seems to grow without trying.

Calves and Symmetry
Having well shaped and appropriately sized calves is important to a bodybuilder’s physique and balance. The Greek ideal for symmetry is something close to having your calves, biceps and neck all the same size.

The Key to Growth
Your calves are stubborn, but you are just as stubborn and with this mindset you smash them with straight sets, super sets, descending sets, and you training them every day of the week. You feel at this point you have tried everything.
So what is the key to breaking down and building up those stubborn calves? It just may be something called the burnout rep.

Burn Out Reps
The basic principle behind a burn out rep (also known as a flushing rep) is to engorge the muscle with blood as well as stretch the underlying fascia, which allows the muscle more room to grow. Increased blood flow to the muscle helps deliver more oxygen and other factors that aid in recovery and muscle growth.

A burn out rep is done at the end of your regular set of an exercise, and is done with very light weight or body weight only. The reps are typically done to failure, but going to failure may not be necessary but ensuring that a high enough amount of reps are done to fully engorge the targeted area.
You should also train your calves 2 times per week with this method. You may notice a couple of changes early on, like increased vascularity. This is good, this means that your muscles are getting increased blood flow and able to absorb more important nutrients that help reducing recovery time which translates to more muscle growth.

Some Calf Training Tips

1. Ball Of The Foot & Toe Position
In order to place the resistance onto the calf muscle, make sure you focus the weight throughout the ball of your foot. To help isolate the different parts of the calf you can try pointing your toes outward for inner calves, and point the toes in for the outer calves.

2. Slow Controlled Reps
To avoid too much tendon involvement, make sure to perform all calf exercises with slow and controlled movements. The Achilles tendon is very strong and will take all the pressure from the muscle if this movement is performed too quickly in a protective response to avoid injury to the muscle.
A good guideline, is to do your reps with two seconds on the negative (downward portion) and one to two seconds on the positive (upward movement).

3. Burn Out
As an example, after doing some standing calf presses, do the burn out reps standing in the same position from the floor, this is done with just your body weight. For seated calf press, stand on the floor once again, only this time imitate the position of the seated press by bending the knees at a right angle holding onto something that supports you safely in this position.
For your calf training you should aim to do 2 exercises per calf workout. Combining exercises such as seated and standing for example.