Man takes distinctive strategy to ‘spermaxxing’ after fertility check wake-up name
After receiving a humbling fertility test result during his IVF journey, a man completely transformed his sperm health from the lower percentile to the high-optimal range
Will Fishenden(Image: Will Fishenden)
While “spermmaxxing” may be the latest buzzword circulating on social media, a man’s experience on his IVF journey brings a far more sobering reality into focus: global sperm counts have more than halved in the last 50 years.
Despite running a healthy meal prep business, eating well, regularly exercising, and living what Prep Kitchen co-founder Will Fishenden ’s considered a fit, balanced lifestyle, he says he never gave his own sperm health a second thought, assuming everything was in a good place.
That assumption came crashing down when he received the results of his first fertility test. He said: “Like a lot of men, I was far more invested in my wife’s fertility health, but when I had my first tests to assess my sperm health, the results weren’t where they should have been for a man of my age.
‘Sermmaxxing’ may be the latest buzzword circulating on social media(Image: Will Fishenden)
“It was a real knock. I’ve always strived to do well in everything I do and usually have, so part of me assumed I’d be fine down there too.
“Finding out my sample was in the lower percentile dented my male pride, I won’t lie.” Will dedicated the next three months to turning his results around.
He said: “I decided to do a lot of research and really look at my own lifestyle. I realised there were things I could change, even though I already thought I was living pretty healthily.
Will, 39, and his wife, Mahulenka, 34
“Several months later, when I tested again, everything had moved into the high-optimal range and continues to improve.” One of the biggest changes was to his approach to heat, after realising his much-loved sauna habit could be working against him.
He said: “I used to love a regular sauna. It was something I did to switch off and de-stress, so I’d never really thought about whether it could be affecting my fertility.
“Once I looked into it, I realised heat was something I needed to take more seriously. I didn’t fully give up the sauna, but I did sit there with ice packs down my shorts.
“I looked ridiculous, but you’d be amazed how many men started copying me once I explained what I was doing. Quite the conversation starter!
“I also started having an ice bath most mornings. For me, it became another way of dealing with stress, and I started pairing it with a bit of Wim Hof breathing. It became a really good way to start the day.”
Will added more cardio alongside his usual weight training. He recalled: “I’ve always lifted heavy, with compound exercises like squats and deadlifts, so I didn’t want to completely change the way I trained.
His experience on his IVF journey brings a far more sobering reality into focus(Image: Will Fishenden)
“Instead, I added one to two Zone 2 sessions and a shorter VO2 max session each week, using the StairMaster and assault bike. I dropped from 125kg to 115kg, and my resting heart rate fell from 66 to 50.
“It was interesting seeing those changes alongside what was happening with my fertility.” Although Will was already eating well through his work at Prep Kitchen, he focused on getting the nutrients associated with sperm health.
“I already ate pretty well, but I started looking at my diet through a completely different lens,” he said. “I made sure I was getting enough of the nutrients I’d been reading about, particularly zinc and selenium, and I also started taking a male fertility supplement.”
“I was already very conscious of nutrition through Prep Kitchen, but this was the first time I’d really thought about what I was eating specifically in relation to my own fertility,” Will added. Some of the casual habits he had considered relatively harmless were cut completely, including alcohol and vaping.
He shared: “I’m a very sociable person, and while I wouldn’t call myself a heavy drinker, a couple of nights a week I’d have a few beers, the odd cocktail, maybe a tequila or two. I’d also find myself sociably vaping. I decided to go completely teetotal on booze and vaping for three months.
“It was a much bigger change for me than I expected, but once I’d committed to improving my results, it felt like an easy decision.” Will continued: “Sleep became a bigger focus than I expected.
“Disappointing early results”
“I started tracking it with a WHOOP band and realised how much it affected my recovery and how I felt day to day. I started making more of an effort to get natural sunlight first thing, wind down properly in the evening, switch screens off and keep my sleep and wake times consistent, even at weekends. Having the data there actually helped me stick to it.”
Will revealed: “I didn’t realise sperm takes around three months to develop, so I treated that period as a full reset. I completely changed the way I approached my diet, sleep, training and alcohol intake and just committed to it.
“Several months later, my results had moved into the high-optimal range, including volume, motility and shape.” Will and his wife are now excited to move forward with their IVF journey, as he said: “There’s no baby yet, but the changes have made a real difference.
“We went from disappointing early results to my sample continuously improving, and that’s given us a lot more hope as we move forward with IVF.”
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