Thread: sex effect testosterone?

For years it was believed that athletes perform better when they abstain from sexual activity for a certain length of time. Coaches around the world strictly forbade their players from any type of sexual gratification the night before a game. In fact, many coaches did not allow their players to be intimate with women for several weeks prior to a game. The belief that intercourse robs one of their vitality is observed outside the world of sports as well. Actor Woody Harrelson, for instance, became a "born-again" virgin to keep himself pure and fresh. He also went on a peculiar diet that had him fasting every 6 weeks.

So what is the truth? Not sure, will have to find more literature on this subject.
This article never did answer the question

ATLANTA (CNN/SI) -- The joy of sports is abundantly clear. From the pure home run to the celebratory toasts that cap off every championship effort. But in every athlete's quest for perfection, is there room for the joy of other things, such as sex?

"Sex before games?," smiles Houston Rockets star Charles Barkley. " Well, I don't know."

Rebecca Lobo of the New York Liberty has a different take.

"I really have no idea how the whole men's side of things work. But every athlete knows their own body, knows what they can do, what they can't do, what they need to eat, what they need to drink, when they need to rest, when they need to do other things."

The relationship between sexual activity and athletic performance is a mysterious realm, laced with superstitions, legends and few scientific answers.

"Speaking from experience, you can have sex," says Barkley. "When you are young, you can have sex before a game. But when you get older, you can't have sex before a game. That's the truth."

Others are less comfortable with the subject.

"Well, not often do I actually, uh" stammers Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson, "you know, every now and then you do have a close call right before a game. And I do remember a game where it worked to my advantage, let’s say."

Says Giants wide receiver Chris Calloway: "If you have it every day, two times a day, or what have you, it can be mentally and somewhat physically impairing on your abilities on a Sunday game."

The Brazil soccer team was not allowed contact with wives or girlfriends for two weeks before the World Cup (CNN/SI)

"We play 162 games," points out Mets manager Bobby Valentine. "There would be a lot of thinks weak -- probably weak minds -- if we started trying to keep guys from doing what is natural."

WNBA star Theresa Weatherspoon says there is a psychological element.

"It’s all what you believe. If you think if you’re having sexual activities the day before the game, or whatever, and it weakens you, I don’t believe you should do that. If it’s two or three days beforehand, and you’re okay, fine. But for me, I prefer to be by myself, focused on what I have to do."

Still, many athletes tend to believe in some form of the boxing adage that says women weaken legs.

"I think women may weaken minds," says boxer Lennox Lewis. "I might get in trouble for this, but they weaken minds. You know you have to stay totally focused on what you have to do."

"You want that pressure [from unreleased sexual tension]," says boxing trainer Richie Giachetti. "I want that, I want him to get mad. I want him to be angry. I want him to be, you know arrogant. I want him to be all those things that it does …. "

Sex therapist Miriam Baker says sex has a mystical side that appeals to athletes' superstitions.

"A lot of mystical things get built around sexuality and we carry them through our lives. Athletes tend to do that because they don’t always feel that winning a game or being good at something is completely in their power. They believe in some magical other thing."

Did abstinence help NBA ironman AC Green set the league’s all-time record for consecutive games? On the other hand, what impact did Wilt Chamberlain's self-publicized promiscuity have on the seven-foot scoring machine? Not much, unless sexual activity specifically impairs free-throw shooting.

Rebecca Lobo thinks most athletes know what is best for them (CNN/SI)

"Its a myth to think that we sap other energy, that sex really saps other energy, and in fact leads to a weakened condition," says Dr. Alan Elkin, a sexologist and clinical psychologist.

Nevertheless, the coach of Brazil's national team banned his players in May from contact with their wives and girlfriends during training camp for the World Cup, lest their primal urges distract then from their defense of the '94 championship.

"Every country handles it differently," says Scottish World Cup manager Craig Brown. "Some countries take their wives with them."

There's little definitive data to help coaches formulate their social policies. The most recent research in this limited field of inquiry is a study published in 1995 by a pair of researchers from the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota.

Their findings suggest that sexual intercourse neither hampers the ability to perform athletically nor costs players their edge.

"I think we have to look at the particular sport," says Elkin. "If you are playing a game where there’s a lot of aggression and a lot of energy and determination needed to win, probably some sexual tension might help. And you don't want to take the edge off that.

"On the other hand, if you’re going to play golf, and you want to be relaxed and as calm and elicit the perfect swing, I would think that sex the night before and a very comfortable breakfast, not overly so, might be appropriate for that."

Weatherspoon says it's up to the individual. "For some people it works, and for some people it doesn't. So it's all up to you and for you to take on responsibility for what you do."

Actions have consequences in all facets of life. But when the subject is sex and sports, whether to abstain or partake is a decision that may have everything or nothing to do with what happens when the games begin.

Actually testosterone gets a spike after having sex. Also after a victory of some kind (sports, hunting, fighting, etc.).

sex isnt a victory?