A model was left red-faced after almost nearly climaxing in her Pilates class while engaging her core.

Fitness model Sarah Lloyd is no stranger to intense training, having competed in ultramarathons and being an avid gymgoer.

The 25-year-old, who hits the gym every day without fail, normally loves working out — but during a recent group session, she “panicked” after a specific ab exercise saw her oxytocin levels rise as she fought back an orgasm.

Lloyd was so “freaked out” by the experience that she is now too afraid to try the same exercise again.

“I found out about my magic orgasm technique by accident,” said the influencer, who has 131,000 Instagram followers.

“I work out every day; normally, I’ll just hit the gym, but occasionally I’ll take a group class.”

It was at a group class that things started to go a bit different.

“We were doing leg raises and after doing about 10 of them, I started to feel a tingle in my body,” she said. “I thought, ‘Surely that’s not how it’s meant to feel?’

“I was sweating and could feel a similar sensation to what I’d normally experience in bed. As I noticed the climax building, I panicked and had to stop. I don’t know if my heavy breathing gave me away.

“Obviously it felt good — but not right for ab exercises in a gym!”

Coregasms

Nicknamed “coregasms,” exercise-induced orgasms are fairly rare — but certainly not unheard of. Debby Herbenick, a sex researcher and author of “The Coregasm Workout,” estimates that roughly 10% of people have them.

“They generally feel similar to orgasms from vaginal intercourse, but they tend to be more dull, less intense and more tingly,” she told Self.

“They seem to last about the same length of time as orgasms during sex. They occur from exercises that heavily engage the core abdominal muscles.”

People don’t usually have one on the “third or fourth crunch,” she said, but rather when they fatigue their core muscles.

According to Healthline, the most common exercises to cause them are crunches, leg lifts, knee lifts, hip thrusts, squats and hanging straight leg raises. Situps, weightlifting, climbing, pullups and chinups may also work for men.

Passing on Pilates

Lloyd, from the Gold Coast, Australia, now has to avoid certain classes to ensure she doesn’t accidentally enjoy herself a little too much during a workout.

“The worst is if I’m in a Pilates class,” she said. “They’ll say to do leg raises but I just have to refuse. I can’t do them or I will literally orgasm.

“None of the instructors have questioned me on it yet and I really hope they don’t.”

Lloyd confided about what happened to a friend who was “baffled” by the confession.

“I’ve never seen her look so shocked,” she said. “My friend had never heard of anything like it and neither had I before I discovered the skill myself.

“We don’t know anyone else that can do it — or maybe they’re just too afraid to tell us.”

As for her new challenge — avoiding orgasm — Lloyd can “laugh” about what happened in the class but now carefully structures her workouts to avoid triggering the reaction.

“I’m very structured with my training now, so I know exactly what I’m doing each session. I stick to a routine that works for me and avoids any awkward situations,” she said.

“I always do cardio, followed by two leg days and one arm day. Plus, I’m really in tune with my body after years of intense training. It’s just one of those strange things that you discover about your body.

“You don’t expect surprises like that from ab exercises, but here we are. I can laugh about it now.”

Lloyd has taken part in six ultramarathons, but she was forced to stop doing them due to a stress fracture in her back.

“I’ve always been into fitness and it is a huge passion of mine,” she said. “Ultramarathons are super hard, hilly and you have to be quite fit to handle them. A lot of them are also on trails, so that makes it harder.”

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Dr Alok Chopra, founder-director and consultant cardiologist at Aashlok Hospital with over 40 years of experience, has offered a refreshingly grounded perspective on what fitness should truly prioritise in 2026. Urging a shift away from superficial goals, he says, “Don’t aim to be thinner. Aim to be fitter!” – a message that reframes fitness as strength, resilience, and long-term well-being rather than mere weight loss.

In an Instagram post shared on January 6, the cardiologist highlights, “2026 isn’t about becoming smaller. It’s about becoming stronger, steadier, and more capable. This year, shift the focus from appearance to vitality, from quick fixes to sustainable strength. Because feeling strong will always matter more than looking thin.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

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