What about sex and sports? How can sex affect your athletic performance? Quick take a roll in the hay before the competition!? 😀 Or would you rather do sport without it!? Not only the media, but also the trainers regularly deal with this question at major sporting events. Some coaches take it for granted that sex is forbidden the day before a competition because they are convinced that leather impairs physical performance (Stefani et al., 2016; Wooten et al., 2015) and loses focus (Wooten et al ., 2015). On the other hand, smoking the beaver reduces stress, promotes relaxation and increases self-confidence (Wooten et al., 2015). For this reason, other trainers assume that planing can possibly improve performance in sports or at least not negatively influence it. So they leave it to the athletes. But which approach is better now? I did some research and found out some interesting things… 😉
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The connection between sexual intercourse and sport
Sex withdrawal means aggression, right!?
The connection between sexual intercourse and sport
Apparently, the connection between sex and sport has been occupying mankind for a little longer 😀 People have been thinking about it since ancient times. At that time it was assumed that not having sex before tournaments would increase athletic performance and promote the unity of body and mind. Greek and Roman educators at the time assumed that great sacrifice was necessary to ensure success (Stefani et al., 2016). Perhaps this is why many coaches today advocate a ban on sex before competition, assuming that sexual dissatisfaction and frustration leads to increased aggression (Stefani et al., 2016; Wooten et al., 2015). That ejaculation draws testosterone out of the body, thereby reducing aggression and strength (Stefani et al., 2016).
Energy consumption during sex
Many coaches think that having sex the day before a competition can negatively impact performance due to high energy expenditure. On average, about 3-4 kcal are consumed every minute during sex (Frappier et al., 2013; SayfollahPour et al., 2013). Of course it depends on how long it takes. However, if you only consume 9 – 12 kcal per sex unit, then the energy expenditure is already within limits 😀 …ok ok…probably there are also some people who last longer. But even with 20 minutes of fun, the consumption of 60 – 80 kcal is still manageable (Stefani et al., 2016). If the sex gets harder, then of course the energy consumption also increases. However, we are talking about 250 kcal per hour (Wooten et al., 2015). If you compare that with climbing stairs, then you can probably make a better connection to energy consumption. Taking the stairs and going up and down 11 floors (180 steps) consumes an average of around 29 kcal (Teh & Aziz, 2002). So if you can climb 11 floors without feeling fatigued and without a drop in performance, it doesn’t seem like the energy expenditure of the crunch is really going to be a factor in the next day’s competition. 😉 As early as 1995, it was tested how a round of noodles 12 hours before a maximum treadmill test affects performance. Performance was not negatively affected by sex (Boone & Gilmore et al., 1995).
Sex = Relaxation?
Sex can help you relax and thus help you get a good night’s sleep (Wooten et al., 2015). Sex deprivation may even lead to disturbed sleep and reduced sleep quality (SayfollahPour et al., 2013)…Aaaabeer…When plugging, it can sometimes take longer. So not the mere knick-knack, but all the trappings. Some women want to be courted… well sometimes some men do too. 😉 Then a kiss here and a smack there. Well you know. 😀 I want to point out that knotting can also shorten the night under certain circumstances. Less sleep can then mean a significant drop in physical performance (Fullagar et al., 2015; Thun et al., 2015) and thus sometimes significantly weaken performance on the day of the competition.
Some athletes pretty much beat themselves up before a competition. They think about the tournament or game all the time and stress themselves out a lot days beforehand. A round of snacking (or more 😀 ) can help! As discussed above, sex can help you relax (Wooten et al., 2015). Also, having sex the day before does not affect concentration at competition (Sztajzel et al., 2000).
Sex withdrawal means aggression, right!?
Sexual satisfaction reduces aggression in competition. This is the assumption of some trainers (Stefani et al., 2016; Wooten et al., 2015). If you use the frustration-aggression hypothesis, it makes sense. According to this theory, aggressive behavior is typically anchored to experiencing frustration. In short: one becomes frustrated and becomes aggressive as a result (Battigalli et al., 2015, p. 3). It is believed that this anger on the day of the competition leads to improved performance in the competition (Wooten et al., 2015) because one goes into it with more bite. The thought doesn’t sound so bad. However, one has to ask oneself whether sex withdrawal really frustrates you so much that you still suffer from it the next day. Personally, I suffer for days 😀 …But it is questionable whether everyone feels the same way. 😉 Well, there’s definitely still a need for clarification here.
Conclusion
So there seems to be a lot to suggest that having sex the day before a competition will not adversely affect performance (Stefani et al., 2016; Sztajzel et al., 2000). The studies that have been carried out support sexing at least 10 hours before the competition. However, if it gets down to business 2 hours before the competition, a negative effect seems likely (Stefani et al., 2016; Sztajzel et al., 2000). Possibly having sex the day before can help maintain competitive performance ( 😉 ) by reducing stress and promoting relaxation (Sztajzel et al., 2000).
However, much research is still needed in this area. Scientific studies examining the hormonal effects of sex in relation to athletic performance are currently lacking. Most studies on the subject have been conducted on men. Therefore, the question of how sex affects performance in both sexes should also be answered. In addition, it is interesting to know what effects sex has on different sports. The role of the climax is also not sufficiently clarified. In addition, the question of how masturbation affects athletic performance remains unanswered (Stefani et al., 2016).
References
Battigalli, P, Dufwenberg, M. & Smith, A. (2015). Frustration and Anger in Games. CESifo Working Paper Series No. 5258. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2591839
Boone, T. & Gilmore, S. (1995). Effects of sexual intercourse on maximal aerobic power, oxygen pulse, and double product in male sedentary subjects. The journal of sports and medicine and physical fitness. Volume 35 (3). pp. 214 – 217.
Frappier, J., Toupin, I., Levy, J. J., Aubertin-Leheudre, M. & Karelis, A. D. (2013). Energy expenditure during sexual activity in young healthy couples. Plos one. Volume 8 (10).
Fullagar, H. H. K., Skorski, S., Duffield, R., Hammes, D. Coutts, A. J. & Meyer, T. (2015). Sleep and atheltic performance: The effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Sports medicine. Volume 45. pp. 161 – 186.
SayfollahPour, P., Heidary, M. & Mousavi, M. (2013). A psychological consideration of sexual activity impact upon sporting performance: An overview. International journal of academic research in business and social sciences. Volume 3. Number 5.
Stefani, L., Galanti, G., Padulo, J., Bragazzi, N. L. & Maffulli, N. (2016). Sexual activity before sports competition: A systematic review. Frontiers in physiology. 7:246.
Sztajzel, J., Periat, M., Marti, V., Krall, P. & Rutishauser, W. (2000). Effect of sexual activity on cycle ergometer stress test parameters, on plasmatic testosterone levels and on concentration capacity. A study in high-level male athletes performed in the laboratory. The journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. Volume 40 (3). pp. 233 – 239.
Teh, K. C. & Aziz, A. R. (2002). Heart rate, oxygen uptake, and energy cost of ascending and descending the stairs. Medicine & science in sports & exercise. Volume 34. Number 4. pp. 695 – 699.
Thun, E., Bjorvatn, B., Flo, E., Harris, A. & Pallesen, S. (2015). Sleep, circadian rhythms, and athletic performance. Sleep Medicine Reviews. Volume 23. pp. 1 – 9.
Wooten, M. H., Bennett, B. & Holland Fiorentino, L. (2015). Perceived role of sexual activity on a collegiate athlete’s performance. The international journal of kinesiology in higher education. Volume 26. Number 2. pp. 18 – 22.
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