Pre-game abstinence myth debunked: Athletes who received sexual stimulation 30 minutes before exercise lasted longer

The idea that athletes should abstain from sexual activity before competition has long been treated as an unwritten rule in sports. Boxers retreat to training camps for days before a fight, and coaches routinely tell players to save their energy. But a new study has found no scientific basis for that belief. In fact, athletes who experienced sexual stimulation 30 minutes before exercise showed greater endurance than those who abstained.

The findings were published in issue 307 of the international journal Physiology & Behavior by a research team led by Diego Fernández-Lázaro, a professor at the University of Valladolid in Spain, based on a study of 21 trained male athletes.

The 21 participants were active athletes with an average age of 22, drawn from basketball, volleyball, long-distance running, boxing and judo. They had trained for an average of eight years and competed at regional, national and international levels.

The experiment used a crossover design: each athlete completed two conditions, separated by one week. In one condition, they abstained from all sexual activity for seven days before testing. In the other, they experienced sexual stimulation in a private setting 30 minutes before the test. Immediately afterward, they watched a neutral documentary for 15 minutes before undergoing physical performance assessments.

Two tests were administered. The first was an incremental cycling test, in which participants pedaled at progressively increasing resistance — starting at a light intensity and ramping up every minute — until they could no longer continue. The second was a handgrip strength test using a dynamometer.

The results defied expectations. Athletes who exercised after sexual stimulation sustained the cycling test an average of 3.2 percent longer than those who had abstained. In absolute terms the difference amounted to tens of seconds — but at the limits of physical exertion, even a few seconds can be meaningful for a competitive athlete.

Handgrip strength also improved slightly. Average grip force was significantly higher under the stimulation condition than under abstinence. Heart rate was elevated as well, indicating that the cardiovascular system responded more rapidly as exercise intensity increased.

Nothing changed for the worse. Blood lactate levels, subjective ratings of perceived exertion and inflammation markers showed no difference between the two conditions. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), one indicator of muscle damage, was actually lower after stimulation — a signal that muscles were not worked harder but were in fact less damaged.

The research team focused on hormonal changes. Both testosterone and cortisol were significantly elevated under the post-stimulation condition.

Testosterone plays a role in muscle synthesis and aggression, while cortisol helps mobilize energy rapidly. The simultaneous rise in both hormones suggests the body entered a short-lived state of heightened arousal.

The researchers likened this state to warming up a car engine. Sexual stimulation raises heart rate and blood pressure and activates the nervous system — a cardiovascular response comparable in magnitude to light aerobic exercise.

As the intensely activated nervous system passes through a 30-minute recovery window, fatigue subsides while some degree of arousal remains. The effect is similar to beginning a main workout with the body already warmed up.

"The 30-minute interval is the key," the research team said. If the gap is less than 15 minutes, the residual arousal may be too strong and could tip into fatigue; if it extends to three to six hours or more, the effect dissipates entirely. Thirty minutes sits at the optimal midpoint.

In the paper, the research team said the findings "challenge the long-held belief that sexual activity before competition impairs athletic performance," adding that "when adequate recovery time is allowed, sexual activity does not negatively affect exercise capacity."

However, the team drew a line against reading the results as a recommendation for pre-competition sexual stimulation. Given the small effect size and wide individual variation, the evidence is insufficient to support its strategic use, they said.

DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115203

Diego Fernández-Lázaro, Manuel Garrosa, Gema Santamaría, Enrique Roche, José María Izquierdo, Jesús Seco-Calvo, Juan Mielgo-Ayuso, "Sexual activity before exercise influences physiological response and sports performance in high-level trained men athletes," Physiology & Behavior, April 2026, j.physbeh.2025.115203

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