How Sex Really Affects Training &

Competition
To Abstain or Not to Abstain, That is the Question
by Joel Seedman, PhD | 05/19/16

Tags:
Testosterone Optimization

Here's what you need to know...

1.

There's significant variance from sport to sport as well as from

individual to individual when it comes to pre-competition sex. Sex might
help certain "finesse" athletes relax, while powerlifters and fighters might
do well by abstaining.
2.
Endurance athletes should probably abstain. Having precompetition sex might lower testosterone levels, and they need all they
can get during long competitions.
3.
Technically, anything that increases testosterone could improve
sports performance, training, and physical strength. Abstaining for
several weeks could cause such an increase in testosterone.

4.

Often times, it's not the actual sex that hurts an athlete. It's
spending all night looking for it.
5.
Having sex before a big workout probably isn't going to make or
break the session. However, abstinence would be ideal.
Should you avoid sex before athletic competitions and intense training?
It depends. In the past it's been assumed that there's a temporary drop
in testosterone levels following sexual activity in males. However, the
topic of pre-competition and pre-training sex isn't as simple as once
thought.

Individual Differences
Research and anecdotal evidence suggests there's significant variance
from sport to sport as well as from individual to individual. There appears
to be responders and non-responders when it comes to pre-competition
sex.
Sports psychology suggests there's an optimal balance of anxiety and
calmness before a competitive event. Some sports, as well as positions
within a sport, depend more so on an athlete's ability to stay calm,
focused, and relaxed. In these scenarios, having sex the day or night
before may help assist the athlete by calming the nerves and relaxing
the nervous system. This may be the case more so for finesse athletes
such as quarterbacks, golfers, tennis players, and long-range shooters in
basketball.

Power Athletes
In contrast, football lineman, powerlifters, Olympic lifters, wrestlers,
hockey players, boxers, and MMA fighters will often benefit from having
more aggression, adrenaline, built-up energy, and increased neural

drive. Abstaining from sexual activities several days before competition

may be ideal as this may promote increased testosterone and
aggressive behavior.
A classic example of this is Muhammad Ali, who would abstain from
sexual activity for months before fights whereas legendary quarterback
Joe Namath was a strong proponent of having lots of sex before a big
game. Again, it's highly individual with much being predicated on the
type of sport involved as well as the mental and physical state that's
required.
Similarly, variance from athlete to athlete also has to be considered.
Certain athletes thrive off of having specific amounts of tension and
anxiety, regardless of the sport or competition.

Endurance Athletes
Ironically, endurance athletes such as marathon runners and triathletes
are better off treating pre-competition sex in a similar fashion as athletes
involved in aggressive sports. The reason for this is that long endurance
activities have been shown to decrease testosterone as well as increase
cortisol and estrogen.
Higher levels of testosterone would be one avenue of offsetting these
negative affects. Having sex soon before these events could potentially
decrease testosterone, thereby compounding the negative hormonal
shifts and catabolic effects associated with the long distance events.

The Athlete's Opinion

This is a topic that's often discussed amongst many of the pro level
athletes I work with, especially collegiate and NFL football players. The
common consensus during our discussions is that abstaining at least 48
hours before competition is optimal. Anything sooner, while helping them
relax, also seems to decrease aggression and testosterone.
These same athletes often point to the fact that while they were in their
late teens and early twenties they could participate in higher frequency
of sexual activities (daily or even multiple times throughout the day).
However, after their early to mid 20's, they're quick to point out how this
frequency of sexual behavior can have a serious impairment on their
performance and lead to mild sexual exhaustion and decreased
testosterone.

In-Season Precautions
Athletes need to be careful during in-season. One of the factors that
typically enhances testosterone is strength training. During the season,
athletes are less likely to participate in as strenuous or consistent of a
strength training program, meaning testosterone levels may not bounce
back as easily after sexual activities.
Performing intense and heavy resistance training on a semi-consistent
basis is a great way to ensure that testosterone levels quickly rise back
to their normal levels after sex. I've seen this consistently with my own
athletes. The more they strength train (without overtraining of course),
the less they have to worry about sexual activities affecting their
strength, performance, or testosterone. Strength training keeps the
body's testosterone levels more stable, making them less likely to be
affected from outside factors such as sex.

Abstinence
Technically, anything that increases testosterone could improve sports
performance, training, and physical strength. There's research
suggesting that abstinence from one to several weeks causes an
increase in serum testosterone, which could definitely aid certain types
of athletic performance and training. The jury is split on any durations
longer than this as there's less research regarding extended (several
months or longer) abstinence.
Some athletes swear that after 1-2 months of abstinence they feel strong
increases in testosterone, performance, aggression, confidence, and
recovery. However, there's a "use it or lose it" claim made by some
experts as well, suggesting that prolonged periods of abstinence can

cause a temporary shutdown of testosterone production as the body has

more than it already needs for non-existent sexual purposes, therefore
the need to produce more is unnecessary.
In essence, after a prolonged period of semen retention, the body may
decrease production of testosterone to make up for what it already has.
However, neither of these theories has been fully substantiated by
science.

The Real Culprit

Oftentimes it's not so much having sex the night before that may affect
performance but it's everything else that typically goes along with it,
including less sleep. In addition, athletes who frequently have one-night
stands are more likely to visit clubs while simultaneously participating in
drinking, smoking, and recreational drugs as these often go hand in
hand.
This will obviously be more detrimental to their performance than the
sexual activity. To paraphrase legendary New York Yankees coach,
Casey Stengel, it's not so much the sex that destroys the athlete, the
real culprit is staying up all night looking for it.

Research vs. Real World

In general, when comparing having sex the night before an event to not
having sex, most research shows no difference in performance markers
or testosterone levels. However, many coaches and athletes claim the
opposite, suggesting pre-competition sex (less than 24 hours before the
event) negatively impacts their performance.

Whether or not these claims are valid, it's important not to underestimate
the psychological component of these theories. If an athlete thinks
something will impact his performance in a certain manner, more than
likely it will. Unfortunately, there's a lack of empirical research regarding
the topic of pre-competition sex. Therefore, it's important to consider all
forms of experiential data, personal accounts, and anecdotal data, as
well as scientific investigation.

Problems With Research

One of the issues with the topic of pre-competition and pre-training sex
is the difficulty in performing practical research most men won't
volunteer if they know they have to abstain from sex. Even if they do
volunteer, there's a good chance that the data will be somewhat
imprecise as these methods often employ the honor system of selfreporting. If they had sex and weren't supposed to, there's a strong
likelihood that they'll lie.

Sex and Heart Rate Recovery

Although there's no conclusive research to support the claim that having
sex a few hours before competition affects testosterone levels, there is
evidence demonstrating heart rate, recovery, and perceived exertion are
negatively altered.
This could lead to increased cortisol levels that would place the athlete in
a more catabolic state, thus impairing performance, immune function,
and recovery. In addition, a higher relative heart rate while competing or
training could potentially lead to increased fatigue and quicker time-toexhaustion.

Increased heart rate during a given competitive condition or level of

exertion is also associated with elevated sympathetic neural drive. The
sympathetic nervous system sets the body into fight or flight mode,
which can oftentimes make it difficult to focus as the individual will tend
to be overly anxious and stressed.

What Scientists and Athletes Agree On

One thing that most researchers and athletes agree on is that having sex
on the same day as the competition (specifically several hours before) is
rarely a smart decision due to the potential dip in testosterone levels. If
there's a drop in testosterone, the athlete is likely to experience a host of
unwanted effects including less energy, impaired recovery, decreased
aggression, and even reduced force and power producing capabilities.
In regards to the week of or even the night before, you're likely to get a
mixed bag of opinions. Most modern research suggests there's no
detrimental effect. On the other hand, professional athletes who
participate in aggressive-type sports (football, wrestling, hockey, boxing)
are more likely to advocate the opposite.

Maintaining vs. Maximizing Testosterone

Although sex before competition and training won't necessarily cause a
significant decrease in testosterone, it certainly won't maximize it. On the
other hand, abstinence does seem to maximize it. In other words, it's
more important to compare the effects of abstinence to non-abstinence
conditions.
If we simply examine how testosterone levels are affected after a single
bout of sex, there appears to be no significant effect or change in

testosterone, at least according to most scientific investigations.

However, for many sports and athletic competitions, the goal isn't simply
to maintain normal or status quo levels of testosterone, but to maximize
and increase it. With this in mind, abstinence for a week or longer is
probably best.

Workouts and Training

In general, the same principles that pertain to competition and high-level
athletes apply to your typical workout enthusiasts and training. Having
sex the night before a big workout or before the workout itself probably
isn't going to make or break the session, although abstinence would be
ideal.
If the workout involves large compound movements such as squats,
deadlifts, presses, and Olympic lifting variations, abstaining from sexual
activity until post-workout is best as these movements are predicated on
aggression, neural ramping, and higher testosterone.
In contrast, if the training session involves smaller muscle groups and
isolation movements such as arm exercises, sexual activity is less likely
to have an impact on the workout.

Post-Sex Nutrition
Post-sex nutrition is very important particularly if the athlete will be
engaging in sexual activity a day or less before competition or intense
training. Sex can burn up to 300 calories, which means these calories
need to be replenished as quickly as possible if the competitive event is
soon thereafter.

Another factor to consider is getting the right type of nutrients. Fats and
proteins are key, post sex. Fats are critical for hormonal optimization and
protein can minimize any catabolic affect on the muscles. To play it safe,
if you have sex less than 24 hours before a competitive event, it would
be wise to ingest a quick recovery meal to ensure adequate
physiological and endocrine function.
A protein shake with a handful of almonds, walnuts, or seeds would be a
great way to re-charge the body after having sex. It's also important to
avoid rapidly digesting carbs that can spike blood sugar as they increase
insulin and can delay the rebound effect of testosterone.

Stimulation Without Ejaculation

Several studies suggest that being exposed to a sexual stimulus without
having an orgasm may assist performance. For example, any type of
activity with a spouse or partner that doesn't involve an orgasm but still
acts as a sexual stimulus would essentially increase testosterone levels
temporarily.
This could produce an acute improvement in energy, aggression,
performance, and strength. The key is waiting until post-workout or postcompetition before engaging in physical sex. If you find it difficult to
exercise self-restraint once a sexual stimulus is present, it's probably
best to refrain from this behavior altogether. Achieving orgasm before
training or competition would produce the exact opposite effect of what
this strategy was originally intended to elicit.

What About Women?

There's a fairly scarce amount of empirical research on the topic of preworkout/pre-competition sex and even less in regards to women.
However, based on anecdotal and experiential data it would appear that
the effect of pre-competition/pre-training sex isn't the same for women.
Professional female athletes such as Ronda Rousey insist that precompetition sex may improve performance. However, further
investigation is needed as there's currently very little empirical research
on the topic. (Additional info from Dr. Jade Teta HERE.)

The Best Time for Sex

Post-competition is typically the ideal time for sex. Engaging in sexual
activities after intense training or competition may help optimize the
hormonal response of training or competition by enhancing immunesystem function, as well as helping to promote both physical and mental
recovery.