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Kine 326 Sex Study - Published Version
Kine 326 Sex Study - Published Version
Leah Valenti, Claudia Suchil, Gabriel Beltran, Roman Rogers, Emily Massey, and Todd A. Astorino
Ph. D
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Abstract:
Background: Sex has been deemed taboo for athletic performance going back to Rome and ancient
Greece, as the act of sex was thought to promote ease and a sense of relaxation (Anshel, 1981; Stefani
et al., 2016). Aim: This study examined the effect of sexual intercourse on muscle force production in
men. Method: 12 healthy physically active men (age = 25.6 ± 3.8 years) who were sexually active
participated in this study. After men completed a familiarization session on day 1, muscle force was
measured during maximal unilateral knee extension (KE) and knee flexion (KF) at 30 deg/s after men
engaged in, or abstained from sexual intercourse within the previous 12 hours. The order of this
treatment was randomized across participants and time of day was maintained across all sections.
Results: Data showed no significant effect (p=0.34 and p=0.39) of sexual intercourse on peak KE or
KF torque. After sexual intercourse, KE torque was similar in set 1 (198.9 ± 39.1 ft/lb vs 190.2 ± 28.7
ft/lb) and set 5 (163.2 ± 30.8 ft/lb vs 159.4 ± 35.2 ft/lb) compared to abstention from sexual
intercourse. Conclusion: Results suggest that sexual intercourse does not negatively impact lower
extremity muscle force, which suggests that restricting sexual activity before short-term, high-force
Keywords: Sexual intercourse, Isokinetic, Knee Extension/Flexion, Force, Male, strength trained
Introduction:
Engagement in sexual intercourse before competition has been a subject of controversy in athletics
for many years. It is not uncommon for coaches to recommend that athletes refrain from sexual
intercourse preceding an event in fear that it could harm their performance. Athletes such as
Muhammad Ali and Brian Bosworth proclaimed that engaging in sexual intercourse prior to
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competition was detrimental to their athletic ability (Fischer, 1997; Thornton, 1990). It is suggested
that this commonly held belief stems from the idea that abstaining from sexual intercourse elicits an
increase in rage and aggressive behavior resulting in improved athletic performance (Krieger, 1997).
Consequently, partaking in sexual intercourse resulting in orgasm is thought to reduce the positive
effects associated with abstinence and may reduce testosterone levels, which in turn may be
detrimental to sports performance (Krieger, 1997). It is evident that sexual intercourse leading to
orgasm elicits various physiological changes including reduced testosterone, slower recovery
response, and increased happiness, which may decrease physical function (Krieger, 1997). In
addition, there are reports that abstinence may promote a drive to excel in sports, as a world
renowned 5K runner famously said, “Sex makes you happy, and happy people don't run a 3:47 mile”
Despite these mostly anecdotal reports, literature pertaining to this topic is relatively limited. Boone
& Gilmore (1995) showed that sexual intercourse, which was defined as sexual intercourse finishing
in orgasm, led to no change in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), heart rate (HR), or blood pressure
in inactive men compared to abstinence from sexual intercourse. Almost 30 years earlier, Johnson
(1968) reported no changes in grip strength in response to sexual intercourse in former male athletes.
However, sexual intercourse between a man and a woman has been found to be correlated with
intercourse demonstrated an improved response to stress and increased emotional awareness (Brody,
2006), which would potentially enhance exercise performance. Additionally, there is evidence for a
relationship between frequency of orgasm via sexual intercourse and risk for mortality. Smith et al.
(1997) reported that individuals who experienced more frequent orgasms had 50% lower all-cause
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mortality versus individuals with less frequent orgasms. From this, it was concluded that sexual
intercourse may improve health status in men. While much of the current literature focuses on the
changes in hormone levels or aerobic performance in response to sexual intercourse, no studies have
examined changes in dynamic muscle function after sexual intercourse (Phoenix, 1977; Escasa et al.,
2011; Fox et al., 1972). This omission is unfortunate considering that many sports rely heavily on
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sexual intercourse resulting in orgasm on lower
extremity muscle force in strength trained men. It was hypothesized that sexual intercourse would
diminish lower extremity force production compared to abstention. This line of inquiry applies to
Methods:
Participants
Twelve healthy active men (age, height, and mass = 25.6 ± 3.8 yrs, 84.9 ± 11.5 kg, and 178.3 ± 8.4
cm) who currently partake in strength training for a minimum of 2 hours per week in the last 12
months participated in the study. They were recruited from the surrounding areas through word of
mouth. They had no current or previous knee injuries and were not taking any medications or
supplements which may alter the study outcomes. Prior to providing written informed consent, all
participants filled out a health-history questionnaire to ensure that they met all inclusion criteria. All
Design
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Participants completed three sessions held at the same time of day within subjects (8:30-11:30 am).
Participants refrained from physical activity for 24 hours before all sessions and maintained their
dietary intake, which were confirmed with a written log. They underwent testing of muscle force after
partaking in, or abstaining from, sexual intercourse, whose order was randomized across subjects.
Experimental Procedures
The 3 testing sessions were separated by 3 to 7 days and were held within a 3 week period.
Participants were asked to complete muscle force testing after abstaining from sexual intercourse, or
performing sexual intercourse within the past 12 hours, which were verified through surveys as well
as verbal confirmation on each day. On day 1, participants reported to the lab dressed in exercise
attire, and completed a 5 minute warm-up of light cycling (Monark 894e, Vansbro, Sweden).
Subsequently, they completed a familiarization session of muscle force testing on the isokinetic
dynamometer (BioDex System 3, Shirley, NY). Straps were placed over the exercising limb, trunk,
and hips to restrict work to the exercising limb, and settings for the chair height and seat angle were
set and recorded. Then, knee extension (KE) and flexion (KF) range of motion was determined for
each participant. Participants were instructed to exert maximal effort during five sets of four
repetitions of unilateral KE and KF exercise at 30 deg/s, which was used to measure muscle force
production. There was a 30 second recovery between each set. From this bout, peak and average KE
and KF torque was measured. Verbal encouragement was not provided during the sessions. In
strength trained men, our lab’s coefficient of variation for KE and KF torque is between 5 and 6 %.
Participants returned a minimum of 72 hours later to a maximum of 7 days later at the same time of
day within subjects, following the aforementioned pre-test guidelines, which were confirmed with a
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written survey. In addition, participants filled out a Fatigue Inventory Scale (R Kreider, personal
communication) consisting of various questions (0-10 Likert scale) pertaining to general feelings of
fatigue and a brief survey to confirm that each subject satisfied sexual activity criterion for that
session (i.e. they had abstained or participated in sexual activity leading to orgasm in the preceding
12 hours). They were also asked if the duration of sexual intercourse lasted less than or greater than
30 minutes.
Statistical Analysis
Data were analyzed using SPSS software Version 22.0 (IBM, Chicago, IL) and are reported as mean
± SD. The Shapiro-Wilks test was used to assess normality. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA
was used to examine changes in peak and average KE and KF torque between the conditions. If a
significant F ratio was obtained, Tukey’s post hoc test was used to identify differences between
means. If the sphericity assumption was not met, the Greenhouse Geisser was used. Significance was
Results:
All participants complied with the requirement to perform sexual intercourse or abstain from it in the
12 hours preceding each session. Data show that 4 of 12 participants reported intercourse lasting
longer than 30 minutes; whereas, the remaining eight reported sexual intercourse lasting less than 30
minutes. The amount of sleep completed by each participant on the night before each session was not
different across sexual intercourse or abstinence conditions (6.4 ± 1.0 h and 6.6 ± 0.8h respectively).
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Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed no main effect (p=0.34) or conditionXset interaction
(p=0.89) for peak KE torque, although it did decline across sets (p < 0.001). Across participants, 6
showed little difference (< 10ft/lb change) in KE torque across conditions; whereas; 3 showed a
higher KE torque after partaking in sexual intercourse, and 3 displayed a higher KE torque after
abstention. Similar results were demonstrated for peak KF torque as there was no main effect
(p=0.39) or interaction (p=0.24), although it declined across sets (p=0.001) (Figures 1 and 2).
Additional data revealed no effect (p=0.28) of sexual intercourse or interaction (p=0.80) on average
KE torque although it declined across sets by 15 % (p < 0.001) in both conditions. Average KF torque
revealed similar findings as no main effect (p=0.40) or interaction (p=0.66) were shown. These
Figure 1. Changes in torque produced during unilateral knee extension with and without sexual
Figure 2. Change in KF torque produced during unilateral KF with and without sexual intercourse.
Figure 3. Change in average KF torque produced during unilateral KF with and without sexual
Figure 4. Change in average KE torque produced during unilateral KE with and without sexual
Changes in fatigue
Results demonstrate similar levels of mental and physical fatigue prior to both sessions. Participants
rated mental and physical fatigue on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 representing the highest fatigue.
Mental and physical fatigue were equal to 1.4 ± 1.7 and 2.1 ± 2.0 before the sexual intercourse trial
and 2.7 ± 2.2 and 2.9 ± 3.1 before the abstinence trial, and there did not differ (p=0.08 and 0.37
respectively) across conditions. Participants reported similar leg fatigue (p=0.50) before the trial
requiring sexual intercourse (1.7 ± 1.6) compared to abstention (2.5 ± 3.0). General tiredness was also
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similar (p=0.77) across conditions (2.1 ± 2.4 vs 2.0 ± 2.4 for sexual intercourse and abstinence,
respectively).
Discussion:
The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of a single bout of sexual intercourse resulting in
orgasm on quadriceps and hamstring torque in healthy, strength trained males. The findings showed
that sexual intercourse completed within 12 hours of muscle force testing had no detrimental effect on
the maximal or average torque achieved. Results of the present study corroborate prior findings
showing no effect of sexual intercourse on athletic performance, and suggest that abstention from
sexual intercourse prior to brief bouts of high force activity is not warranted.
To our knowledge, only a few studies have examined the effects of a single session of sexual activity
on exercise performance. Exercise studies (Boone & Gilmore, 1995; Sztajzel et al., 2000) consisted
of lab-based graded exercise tests during which cardiac parameters were measured. In both studies,
no changes in performance were shown between sessions following sexual intercourse versus
abstention from intercourse. In a sample of active and inactive men and women, Vouyoukas (2011)
reported no change in grip strength, vertical jump, or submaximal exercise between conditions.
Johnson (1968) tested potential changes in grip strength in former male athletes ages 24 – 49 years,
and there was no effect of sexual intercourse performed the previous evening on this parameter
compared to when sexual intercourse was completed at least 6 days prior. Lastly, cross sectional data
in marathon runners (Anderson et al., 2011) showed no relationship between running performance
and sexual activity in the 48 hours before the race. Overall, there are no data which support the long-
held belief that sexual intercourse is detrimental for athletic performance, although existing studies
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are characterized by small and heterogeneous samples, use of lab-based exercise tests rather than
protocols mirroring the demands of sport, and minimal use of elite athletes as participants, where
small changes in performance are potentially detrimental or beneficial. Further study is merited to
clarify this issue as it has great application to the preparation of competitive athletes as well as
Findings from Vouyoukas (2011) may help explain why our results showed no significant effect of
sexual intercourse on muscle force. Sexual intercourse activates both the sympathetic and
neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin provide a sense of relaxation and calmness
(Vouyoukas, 2011) yet shortly after, neurotransmitter levels begin to return to baseline values.
However, little is known regarding the duration of this state of relaxation, called the refractory period,
as existing studies have focused on animals (Bliss et al., 1972; Fox et al., 1972; Phoenix et al., 1977).
One study suggests the refractory period lasts no longer than 30 minutes (Aversa et al., 2000), which
would explain why performance is not impaired when morning exercise is preceded by sexual
intercourse on the night before. Furthermore, a lack of effect could be due to the duration of sexual
intercourse, which was not standardized in our participants and may have led to different capacity for
exercise testing on the following morning. For example, 25 % of men showed meaningful increases
in muscle torque after abstaining from sexual intercourse; whereas, an additional 25 % demonstrated
higher torque when tested the morning after sexual intercourse. Individual responses to acute (Skelly
et al., 2017) and chronic exercise training (Astorino & Schubert, 2014) have been demonstrated, and
it is likely that a single session of sexual intercourse affects men differently. This is an area of future
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study considering the desire to personalize exercise training to maximize the benefits of regular
Past studies have associated plasma testosterone levels with changes in muscle mass, strength, and
skeletal muscle tissue modification (Kraemer & Ratamess, 2005), which have the potential to affect
long-term exercise performance (Cook & Beaven, 2013). Previously, sexual intercourse was thought
to be linked to a decrease in testosterone levels (Krieger, 1997). However, Phoenix et al. (1977)
found that Rhesus monkeys showed no significant change in blood testosterone before and 50, 80,
and 140 minutes after ejaculation. In contrast, Dabbs and Mohammed (1992) showed that
testosterone levels in both men and women increase both before and after sexual intercourse with a
partner, and decreased when they abstained from sexual intercourse. Nevertheless, these data may be
of limited impact since results from only four couples were examined. However, data from a recent
study (Morton et al., 2016) showed that in men who completed 12 weeks of resistance training,
resultant increases in strength and muscle mass were unrelated to changes in anabolic hormones
including testosterone. This suggests that any change in testosterone induced by sexual intercourse
may not have any effect upon the force generating ability of the muscle. This belief is further
supported as muscle strength attained for a single exercise session is determined by phosphocreatine
content, muscle fiber type, muscle mass, and neuromuscular attributes rather than changes in various
The study had several limitations that need to be addressed. First, participants were limited to young,
healthy men who participated in strength training, which limits the application of our findings to
different populations including women. We chose men, as males and females respond differently to
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sexual activity, in which frequency of orgasm and the duration of the refractory period between males
and females varies (Vouyoukas, 2011). Another limitation was an inability to standardize the exact
time and duration of sexual intercourse in each male, although each participant came to the lab well-
rested. However, energy expenditure of only 25 kcal has been reported (Stefani et al., 2016) to occur
in response to sexual intercourse, so it is unlikely that this has any detrimental effect upon subsequent
exercise capacity. Furthermore, our exercise protocol only involved the knee joint, and it is unknown
if whole-body exercise mirroring the demands of sport, such as a cycling time trial, running test,
volleyball, tennis, etc.) would also be unaffected by a single session of sexual intercourse performed
the previous evening. Moreover, participants were free to select various modalities of sexual
intercourse and were not questioned about the gender of their partner. Lastly, we required men to
engage in sexual intercourse within a 12 hour period of our testing, and it is possible that sexual
intercourse leading to orgasm completed directly before the testing could elicit different results.
Conclusion:
Our data found that partaking in sexual intercourse 12 hours prior did not affect KE or KF torque.
These findings support past studies which conclude that sexual intercourse the day before exercise
does not impact athletic performance (Boone & Gilmore, 1995; Johnson, 1968; Sztajzel et al., 2000;
Vouyoukas, 2011). Coaches often prefer for athletes to abstain from sexual intercourse prior to games
in fear that it may negatively impact their performance the following day. Due to a lack of empirical
evidence, high-quality, randomized studies are still needed to further test the impact of sexual
intercourse on athletic performance. In addition, data pertaining to the effect of sexual intercourse on
performance in athletes competing in individual and team sports are limited (Stefani et al., 2016).
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Further investigation into this topic may include comparing the effects of sexual intercourse on
athletic performance of male athletes versus female athletes of the same sport, as a majority of the
studies were conducted in men. Additionally, future analysis is needed comparing the effects of
masturbation versus sexual intercourse on performance (Stefani et al., 2016). Aside from these areas
of future investigation, additional study should consider the psychological factors associated with
sexual intercourse. As Casey Stengel, past New York Yankees manager, mentioned, it may not be the
act of performing sexual intercourse affecting the athletes, but rather a result of depriving themselves
of sleep looking for sex (McGlone & Shrier, 2000). Consequently, the impact of sexual intercourse
on sports performance is still unclear, and future studies are needed to clarify the misconceptions
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank Vanessa Vanegas, whose assistance in our research helped us to reach our
goal.
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Figure Legends
Figure 1. Change in peak muscle torque produced during unilateral knee extension with and without
Figure 2. Change in peak muscle torque produced during unilateral knee flexion with and without
Figure 3. Change in average muscle torque produced during unilateral knee extension with and
Figure 4. Change in average muscle torque produced during unilateral knee flexion with and without