“Exercise” is not usually a word that is part of my vocabulary.

The big “E” – not the drug – seems almost to be an obsession in our tiny community of beautiful people. There isn’t a time of day that you walk around campus and don’t run into someone jogging. The RecCen is packed for most of the day, and dedicated surfers go out almost daily to catch a wave.

We’re so obsessed with how tightly our skin fits on the outside that we’ve come to forget the important, inner things. No, I’m not talking about personality. I’m talking about your pubococcygeus (PC for short) muscle.

What, one may ask, is a pubococcygeus muscle? The PC muscle is the one between your legs, from your genitals to your anus. You tighten it when you’re trying to hold back your pee or interrupt the flow from your urethra (which is actually a good way to find the muscle). This is also the muscle that contracts rapidly (at about once every .8 seconds) when you orgasm.

But, really, this anatomy lesson has a point – a point that relates, of course, to sex. And exercise. Controlled tensing of this muscle has been known to heighten the sexual experience, increasing sensitivity and even prolonging orgasm, both for yourself and your partner. The more control over this muscle that you have, and the stronger it is, the better the experience.

The official term for PC-strengthening exercises is the “Kegel exercises,” so named for the guy who came up with them. Basically, they involve a series of tightening and releasing movements that build up the muscles that both guys and girls can do.

For girls, just tighten the PC muscle; once you’ve located it, work it 20 to 400 times a day (depending on how strong the muscle is). Guys, put on a little music and make your third leg dance – when you move it up and down, you’re using your PC muscle.

If you actually need an exercise regime to follow, try this workout: Starting with quick squeezes, contract the PC muscle, hold for two to three seconds, tense up more, then relax. At the beginning, do this 20 times in a row, twice a day, and work yourself up to 300 or even 400 a day over the next few months.

Practicers generally report increased sensitivity and control after only a few weeks, and once you’ve worked yourself as tight as you think you can, generally only 150 repetitions a day is all you need to keep in shape. You can do this anytime – in the shower, in class, at lunch, in the elevator – and no one can tell that you’re doing it, if you keep a straight face.

Guys, in the privacy of their own bedrooms, can use towels as a form of “weight training” to further increase the strength of their penises. Start with one towel and add more until your member is at its limit. It’s also a great way to impress the ladies.

Now that you’ve built up your new toy, how to play with it? Squeezing the PC muscle during sex increases friction. For guys, it’s a great way to make sure that your penis rubs up against her g-spot when you’re going missionary. For women, it’s the best way to hug his shaft deep inside you. Trust me, he’ll love it. If you get strong enough, try the “Mare’s Trick” – when your man is about to orgasm, clench down hard around him, holding tight enough so he can’t escape. It’ll drive him nuts.

Daily Nexus opinion editor Sarah Kent still hates the gym, but thinks the word “exercise” isn’t that bad anymore. E-mail her your sex comments, questions and ideas at <opinion@dailynexus.com>.