Looking for tips on how to increase your stamina in bed? If it doesn’t last long enough, your masturbation habits may be (at least partially) to blame. That’s because most men masturbate in a way that trains their bodies for a sprint, rather than a marathon.

You may have developed these “fast” masturbation habits for many reasons. You may run to the finish line because you are anxious that someone might interrupt you. Or you also finish quickly because there is no reason not to finish quickly. An orgasm feels good. Why delay?

Well, the problem is, if you’ve been jerking off like this for years, then what you’ve really been doing is training for a sprint, rather than a marathon. So it shouldn’t surprise you that you’re good at running. But you still can’t run a marathon.

Don’t worry. A very important percentage of men, between 20% and 40%, suffer from premature ejaculation. And an even higher percentage of men wish they could last longer in bed (70% of men, according to Men’s Health).

Few men are born with the ability to last as long as they please, so it’s something every man must learn to tackle. The good news is that if he follows the right advice, he can improve his stamina in a matter of days or weeks. And the important thing is to take action to solve the problem. Too many men wait years before taking any steps to beat premature ejaculation.

The first step is to break the “sprinting” habit completely. Instead of thinking of masturbation as a way to quickly pleasure yourself, approach it as an opportunity to get to know your body and be aware of how it responds to stimulation.

Now, you won’t want to stop masturbating altogether. Masturbation is a powerful tool to train yourself to last longer in bed. But really you should replace your “sprint” training with a “marathon” training.

The next time you feel like going to the bathroom and doing a quickie, resist the urge. Instead, only masturbate if you can really set aside at least 10-20 minutes, so that you use masturbation as a way to improve your stamina, rather than just giving yourself a quick pleasure.

But in addition to correcting your masturbation habits, it’s also important to break other bad habits that may be keeping you from lasting longer in bed. In addition to masturbation habits, premature ejaculation is also caused by anxieties and negative thoughts. So if you want to last longer in bed, you need to retrain your mind and body.