Sexual Activity the Night Before Exercise Does Not Affect Various Measures of Physical Exercise Performance

Gerald S Zavorsky; Eleftherios Vouyoukas; James G Pfaus

doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2018.12.002

Sexual Activity the Night Before Exercise Does Not Affect Various Measures of Physical Exercise Performance

Sex Med. 2019 Jun;7(2):235-240. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2018.12.002. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Authors

Gerald S Zavorsky¹, Eleftherios Vouyoukas², James G Pfaus³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Respiratory Therapy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: gerryzavorsky@gmail.com.
² Department of Pathology, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA.
³ Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales (Brain Research Center), Universidad Veracruzana Av. Luis Castelazo Ayala, sin número, Colonia Industrial Las Animas, Xalapa, VER, México.

Abstract

Introduction: The idea that sexual activity can affect athletic performance has been a matter of conjecture for the past several decades.

Aim: To provide preliminary data on whether sexual activity the evening before several physical exercise performance tests affects performance the next day.

Methods: Eight participants (mean age, 28 ± 5 years) underwent several physical exercise performance tests on 3 different mornings, under 3 conditions: (i) no sexual intercourse the night before the tests (control), (ii) sexual intercourse the night before the tests, and (iii) yoga the night before the tests (randomized, single-blinded).

Main outcome measures: Physical work capacity, lower body muscular power (standing vertical jump), upper body strength (handgrip strength), reaction time, and upper body musculoskeletal endurance (number of push-ups completed).

Results: All participants experienced orgasm through intercourse. The more pleasurable the orgasm, the lower the systolic blood pressure (SBP) on the day after intercourse (Spearman's rho = -0.86; P = .007). For every 2% increase in the total orgasm score, SBP decreased by 1 mmHg. Intercourse lasted 13 minutes; mean heart rate (HR) and caloric expenditure ranged from 88 to 145 beats/minute and from 53 to 190 kcal, respectively. There were no significant differences in the physical working capacity that elicited an HR of 170 beats/minute, number of push-ups completed, vertical jump height, grip strength, or reaction time across the 3 conditions.

Conclusion: Orgasm through sexual activity on the night before physical exercise may reduce SBP; however, we were unable to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in physical exercise performance in any of the 3 conditions. Zavorsky GS, Vouyoukas E, Pfaus JG. Sexual Activity the Night Before Exercise Does Not Affect Various Measures of Physical Exercise Performance. Sex Med 2019;7:235-240.

Keywords: Aerobic capacity; Athletic performance; Blood pressure; Coitus; Exercise testing; Sexual intercourse.