A new study challenges the long-held belief that sexual activity before sport impairs athletic performance. Researchers from a study published in Physiology and Behavior found that masturbating 30 minutes before exercise may actually offer small performance benefits.
The study involved 21 well-trained male athletes in their early 20s, competing at regional, national or international levels in sports including basketball, judo, long-distance running, volleyball and boxing. Each participant completed a cycling test and an isometric handgrip strength test on two occasions: once after masturbating 30 minutes before testing, and once after a week of sexual abstinence. Diet, sleep and routines were matched as closely as possible between tests, and blood samples were analysed for muscle damage, inflammation and hormonal markers.
Results showed that after masturbation, athletes had better cycling endurance and a small increase in mean grip strength compared with abstinence. Testosterone and cortisol levels were higher, while muscle stress was reduced and perceived exertion was unaffected. Researchers attributed the improvement to heightened sympathetic nervous system activity due to an aroused state, offering small, short-lived increases.
However, the researchers concluded that orgasms do not compromise subsequent exercise performance, rather than actively enhancing it. 'Overall, this controlled laboratory evidence refutes the traditional belief that pre-competition sexual activity compromises athletic performance,' they wrote, adding that when adequate recovery of about 30 minutes is allowed, it 'neither harms nor meaningfully enhances exercise capacity'.
The findings suggest there is no scientific basis for abstaining from sex before sport, though individuals who feel better abstaining may continue to do so. The study successfully challenges the superstition long held by boxers and other athletes that sexual activity reduces focus or aggression.
