Will Sex the Night Before a Fight Help or Hurt Performance?
VIDEO: WATCH THE VIDEO THAT ANSWERS AN AGE-OLD QUESTION ABOUT SEX
Let’s take a more serious, deep, hard look into whether the century old idea of sex before competition is detrimental to our game.
Muhammad Ali, the greatest Boxer (and promoter) all time, mentioned how he abstains from sex before competition. There have been a number of fighters and athletes also abstain from sex the night before, mainly based on the idea that they want peak performance in the competition.
Supposedly sex before a fight would drop our testosterone to an all time low, causing us to lose our aggressiveness and have the inability to perform optimally. Most of these ideas are passed down person to person because of their status, not because there is any evidence behind the statement. So here is the scientific evidence:
According to a study done by the Journal of Physiology and Behavior (1), couples actually increased their testosterone on the evenings they had sex. On the other hand, the couples who abstained from sexual activity had a decrease in testosterone. Good News…huh?!
The problem is that many coaches and “players” often have a closed mind.
For example, the coaching staff of the Buffalo Bills insisted that the team should be separated from their intimate partners before their Super Bowl appearance. After the Bills lost all four of their appearances, it seems the coach really was misinformed about what affects performance.
According to the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (2), sexual activity 12 hours prior to testing the athlete’s performance did not affect the grip strength, balance, lateral movement, reaction time, and aerobic power of the participant.
When it comes to aggressiveness the same study states that having the same routine is key before competition. So if you have been on a win streak, you are probably in the routine of getting some action. Keep it up! Now if you haven’t been so lucky, your wild sexual encounter the night before a fight may not be the best idea.
The bottom line is, if you want to have sex….go for it. It doesn’t seem like it will hamper your performance in any way. Reap the benefits of your Muay Thai Body! That way if you lose… you’re still a winner.
- Dabbs, James M., Jr. “Male and Female Salivary Testosterone Concentrations before and after Sexual Activity.” Physiology & Behavior 52.1 (1992): 195-97. Print.
- McGlone, Samantha, and Ian Shrier. “Does Sex the Night Before Competition Decrease Performance?” Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 10.4 (2000): 233-34. Print.
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About The Author
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This physical and mental discipline which includes combat on shins is known as "the art of eight limbs" because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the twentieth century, when practitioners defeated notable practitioners of other martial arts.
