Athletes may not have to observe pre-game abstinence before a big event after all. According to new research, sexual activity before intense exercise doesn’t slow down an athlete’s performance—in some cases, it may even help.
In a recent study published in Physiology & Behavior, researchers followed 21 well-trained male athletes aged 18 to 25, all of whom compete at a high level in sports ranging from basketball and long-distance running to judo. The athletes’ strength, endurance, muscle damage, and other performance indicators were measured under two conditions: 30 minutes after a masturbation-induced orgasm and after seven days of sexual abstinence. Overall, they found that masturbation shortly before exercise did not hurt performance.
Longstanding myths about pre-game sex
Physical exercise and sexual activity are often viewed as two sides of the same coin when it comes to human health. Research shows that they tend to reinforce one another: an active sex life is associated with better physical fitness and quality of life, while regular exercise is known to improve sexual health.
For most people, this relationship is widely accepted, but the conflict arises when athletes are involved. A question that has long been debated in sports science circles and locker rooms alike is: Does having sex right before exercise actually affect athletic performance?
Although many athletes are urged to avoid sex before competition, the scientific evidence backing this advice is surprisingly weak. Very little research has examined how sexual activity affects highly trained athletes in the hours leading up to exercise. A similar lack of data exists when examining performance alongside muscle damage, inflammation, and hormonal responses in this context.
Inside the lab experiment design
For this study, the recruited well-trained male athletes came to the lab on two separate occasions, exactly one week apart. The first was on the Sexual Activity Day (SACT). The athletes engaged in masturbation for 30 minutes before beginning the exercise tests. On the Abstinence Day (ABST), participants refrained from all sexual activity for seven days prior to testing.
In both instances, the athletes were asked to grip a specialized dynamometer as hard as they could to measure their maximum handgrip strength. Following this, they pedaled a stationary bike starting at a moderate pace, with the intensity increasing every minute until they reached exhaustion.
Immediately after exercise, the researchers measured testosterone and cortisol to assess the body’s stress and energy response, while also tracking markers of muscle damage and inflammation.
Comparing results from both days, the researchers found that following sexual activity, athletes exercised 3.2% longer and displayed slightly higher handgrip strength. Sexual activity appeared to act like a natural warm-up for the nervous system, with small, short-lived increases in heart rate, testosterone, and cortisol. It did not elevate inflammatory markers but led to a slight reduction in muscle stress.
These results dismantle the long-held assumption that sexual activity before a competition is a liability for athletic performance. To know if these results hold true for everyone, future studies will need to include women, athletes of different ages, and participants from a wider range of locations.