Sexual Activity and Sports Performance?

Question

Is there any science to the rumor that sexual activitie makes your body and/or legs weaker?

Answer 1

For the longest time, coaches have advised their athletes to avoid lovemaking the night before a competition, under 2 assumptions:

1. Sex saps the physical (and perhaps even mental) energy that needs to be conserved for the sporting event.
2. Abstaining from sexual activity raises testosterone levels, which, in turn, increases aggression—a key ingredient for participation in professional sports. (In other words, being horny helps you be a better athlete).

It's no surprise, therefore, that some famous athletes abstain from sex for weeks before a big event. However, the only available research on the topic suggests that all this is a myth.

1. A 1995 study looked at athletic performance on two different days: one day after the men had sex the night before and one day after they had avoided sex the night before. Athletic performance was the same on both occasions. Effects of sexual intercourse on maximal aerobic power, oxygen pulse, and double product in male sedentary subjects.

2. A 1999 study found that testosterone levels increased as sexual activity increased. A reasonable conclusion here might be that sex the night before a sporting event might actually improve athletic performance the next day by increasing testosterone-mediated aggression.


Some of my own observations:

1. Abstaining from sexual activity might, for some athletes, impede performance by acting as a distraction. If an athlete is excessively horny, he may be more focused on getting laid as opposed to winning his game.
2. Abstaining from sex might, for other athletes, improve performance via sublimation. If pent-up sexual urges can't be expressed directly, they will find a way out in another, more situationally appropriate or useful manner: through work, art, music, or, yes, sports.
3. Sexual activity physically relaxes, rejuvenates, and replenishes the body. It may be almost as vital as sleep, and, in this sense, it may help prepare the athlete's body for a good athletic performance.

Over all, it seems sex before a big game has, at worst, no big effect on athletic performance and, at best, may actually provide some benefit. Athletes should be their own scientists and experiment to see whether their performance differs after sexual activity and after abstinence from sexual activity. Different people will probably find different results.

Answer 2

I have read and seen reports about this subject and one report will say there is truth to the rumor and another report will say there is no truth to the rumor. I heard that either the Brazilian soccer coach or the Italian coach banned his team from having sexual intercourse the night before games in the World Cup. It makes sense to not have sex the night before an important athletic event. You want to be well rested and prepared for the event. If you are having sex, that involves some physical activity and the body has to recover from such activity. Therefore, how rested can you be.

Answer 3

This is a rule that goes back as far as organized sports. I think the best answer was by Casey Stengal (mgr of the N.Y. Yankees) who said it wasn't the sex that hurt the players, but staying up all night looking for it.

Answer 4

Well I am an actress and they say you shouldn't **** before a show because it will drain your energy and you will feel tired and want to sleep. I think it's probably the same for someone who plays sports. It probably wouldn't do you any good to be all exhausted before playing.

Answer 5

I think the only effect sexual activity has in any *direct sense is that it is exercise and, as such, strengthens the muscles involved.

Answer 6

It never hurt me on the field.