Faut-il faire du sexe avant une compétition sportive ?

Should you have sex before a sports competition?

In the collective unconscious, good sex before a sports competition can alter physical and mental performance. For others, it would be a booster! Where does the truth lie? At Goliate, we asked ourselves the question.

In Ancient Greece, sexual relations were forbidden before sport; it was thought that it was detrimental to performance. It was bad for the body and the mind! But today? It's still the same story. We've all heard that the coach of the British football team forbade his players from having sex during the 1998 World Cup... So abstinence would be a key to victory, the best way to win medals? Not so sure: remember that England was eliminated in the round of 16! The fact remains that the belief persists: even Muhammad Ali, the famous boxer, would abstain before an important match to increase his competitiveness. Really? Why? What are we afraid of?

Keeping your vital energy (and testosterone)…

In the imagination, sex is exhausting. It eats away at our resources and our vital energy, which is none other than our libido, this burst of life that we can put into the activity of our choice! And then, sex is so good that it is likely to make us leave the real world to the point of altering our concentration. But, without concentration, what do we become on a ring, a racetrack, a stage? Let's imagine intense sexual intercourse the day before a major sporting event: by abandoning ourselves under the sheets, offering all our breath and our vigor with pleasure, we empty ourselves! The next day, it's a disaster: tired muscles, dreamy or foggy head... That's where the belief is born! In other words, we have to choose where to give our passion, passion cannot be everywhere, on the field and in bed.

Another "problem": the testosterone level. By consuming too much of it during lovemaking, the level would drop and would no longer be strong enough to accompany athletes in their sporting events. Because, thanks to the testosterone hormone, men would be more aggressive, stronger, and their performance capacity would smash all the scores. For an athlete, testosterone would therefore be a major asset, a sort of natural fuel that fuels their performance. If sexual intercourse causes a drop in this level, we can easily imagine the consequences: reduced power, sluggish determination... Hence the fear of some athletes of seeing their energy evaporate after a night of sex.

Studies that leave us free!

So, myth or not? Are there any studies to confirm or deny this? In an article posted online last year on this subject, the magazine l'Equipe shares the results of a first study conducted in the 90s in the United States thanks to the curiosity of a student at the University of Southern Mississippi. The conclusion: out of the 11 men observed, aged 26 on average, no difference could be observed between those who made love and those who did not make love before running on a treadmill.

Another study, this time more recent (2016) and published in Science Daily , looked at all the studies on this subject… seeking to uncover the truth. It emerges from this analysis that abstinence and performance have little to do with each other… According to the researchers, unless you have sex two hours before a decisive competition, there is no reason to fail. More precisely, we can read that “no particular importance was given to the psychological or physical effects of sexual activity on sports performance, or on the different types of sports.” Enough to debunk the idea that sex harms sports results (but don’t forget to have fun 120 minutes before putting on your shorts…).

And for women?

Indeed, sexual performance VS sporting performance is much less considered in women... The Science Daily survey also takes the time to highlight this: men are studied much more often than women.

However, sex that tires is sex that tires! In the same way, sex that boosts is sex that boosts... But what about hormones? They can influence the impact of sexual intercourse on effort! To answer the question, we should rather look at menstrual health. At the beginning of the cycle, with menstruation, women may be more tired. In the middle of the cycle, during ovulation, it's different: generally, women have more energy, the ideal time to do sports.

What if sex before competition was a good idea?

Among all the existing studies on this subject, some would send us a different story... Listen carefully, finally open your eyes: sex could promote relaxation and improve sleep (a big nap after intercourse), so that athletes would be in shape! Also, the hormones that we produce during lovemaking would have their role to play in physical activity: anti-stress, joy... We would feel good, in the body and in the head! Isn't this proof, ultimately, that it is impossible to decide and that it is above all a question of personal decisions, of impulses or intimate brakes?

If we go further, we can also note that a fulfilling sex life (and not just a one-shot relationship the day before a competition) would help improve self-confidence. If we feel good about ourselves, happy in our relationships and comfortable with our bodies, we can more easily win curtains and medals!

So what do we do?

We do what we want! From there, each athlete will see noon at his door: desire for sex or not? Can this sexual intercourse do me good, bring me strength? On the contrary, will it exhaust me? Am I more to nourish my sexual or sporting performances, today? Where do I need to place my libido, this vital energy which vibrates in me? We ask ourselves the right questions! We also question our beliefs: indeed, if we firmly believe that sexual intercourse before a sporting effort has a negative impact on our performances, then we abstain, regardless of whether it is true or not. Because it is also what we have in our heads that can change the situation…

The only thing to do is to listen to yourself, knowing that everything also depends on the sporting practice that awaits us. A little race on Sunday is not the Olympic Games... It's up to you!

Our recommendations for gentle sex (that takes care of you before sport)

Before sport, why not treat yourself to a gentle moment for your head and body, which doesn't exhaust you but relaxes you? At Goliate, we have created an organic edible 2in1 massage cream: the gourmet couple for a sensual moment and more if you like.

You can also leave with our organic aphrodisiac massage oil to relax and awaken your senses.

So many products for super enjoyable slow sex sessions!