BOXERS ARE A superstitious bunch, famed for abstaining from sex in the days, weeks and even months leading up to big fights. The assumption is that abstaining provides them with more focus and aggression prior to stepping into the ring. That belief has transferred into other facets of athletic performance, with some individuals subscribing to the idea that sexual activity will find them lacking motivation or ability to lift heavy weights. But traditions are sometimes flawed, and there’s no exception on this particular occasion.
The study
A research paper published in Physiology and Behavior studied 21 well-trained male athletes in their early 20s who were competing in regional, national or international level in sports such as basketball, judo, long-distance running, volleyball and boxing. Researchers wanted to determine whether or not sexual activity prior to exercise affected their athletic performance.
Each individual completed a cycling test and an isometric handgrip strength test on two occasions – one where they had masturbated 30 minutes before testing, and another a week later where they had sexually abstained. All other factors, such as diet, sleep, and routines, were matched as closely as possible between each test. Blood samples were collected for researchers to analyse muscle damage, inflammation, and hormonal markers.
The results
When exercising post-masturbation, the athletes had better cycling endurance and showed a small increase in mean grip strength when compared with abstinence. Testosterone and cortisol levels were also higher, while they had reduced muscle stress and no detrimental alteration in their perceived exertions.
Researchers attributed the improved performance to the athletes’ higher sympathetic nervous system activity – due to their more aroused state – which offered small, short-lived increases. Crucially, though, they conclude from the results that orgasms don’t compromise subsequent exercise performance, rather than actively enhancing it.
What this means for us
MH are not ones to tell you what you can and can’t do, but these results show there’s really no need to place strict measures on yourself in the name of ‘performance’. If abstaining from sexual activity prior to competition or an important session makes you feel better in your ability, then by all means continue to do so – but what this study shows is there’s no real scientific benefit. It successfully challenges the long-standing assumption that sexual activity impairs peak athletic capacity.
‘Overall, this controlled laboratory evidence refutes the traditional belief that pre-competition sexual activity compromises athletic performance, showing instead that, when adequate recovery [∼30 min] is allowed, it neither harms nor meaningfully enhances exercise capacity. The physiological response appears to reflect a transient, adaptive homeostatic activation rather than an ergogenic or fatiguing influence,’ the researchers conclude.
In other words: don’t stress about it.
