Sex the night before a big race

Guest

What do you think about sex the night before a big race. (Argus / 94.7 etc.) I though of posting it under the "Health & Nutrition" department, but ...I'm not sure that its healthy.
Your views would be interesting, as I'm pretty sure it’s beneficial. My view is based on this: (And I'm not a Pro on this). It will relax you the night before and that means a good night sleep. If you follow the Olympic games, you'll find out that there was 100 000 condoms distributed in that 2 weeks. Do athletes knows more than us ?

Vo2

I've moved this topic here anyway, seeing that it's a performance issue

I read somewhere that it's beneficial to the ladies, but not  the guys. I'll see if I can find an article somewhere.
Personally I think you burn up much needed musle glycogen during the process.

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

not to brag or anything, but I tried it before last years Argus. Certainly relaxed me and took my mind off the race wich ment I was not that nervous. Also a great warm up before the race.

Guest

For the best performance you're supposed to concentrate on one or the other! So it could make for bad sex! : But then even bad sex is still pretty good!

Vo2

Muhammad Ali wouldn't make love for six weeks before a fight and many football players won't make love on the night before a game. An article in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness shows that sexual relations on the night before competition have no effect on endurance to exhaustion on a treadmill, strength, the ability of the body to transport oxygen to muscles and the amount of blood pumped by the heart.

Lovemaking is not a very demanding exercise. The most aggressive love makers burn about 250 calories an hour, or 4 calories per minute. The average person makes love for only five minutes and burns fewer than 25 calories. It takes as much energy to make love as it does to walk up two flights of stairs. If you think that you shouldn't make love on the night before a game, you shouldn't participate in pregame warmups. They're much more demanding than lovemaking.

While younger men notice no loss of athletic prowess after making love, it may be different for older men and women. Lovemaking does use up energy and older men and women may not be able to compete at their maximum on the day after they make love. I have discussed this with many older men and women and the vast majority feel that sexual relations keep them from competing at their best on the next day in tennis, bicycle racing and long distance running.

For younger athletes, not making love can interfere with athletic performance. On the day before competition, most athletes usually reduce their workouts and have extra energy. If they don't make love, they spend the night tossing and turning and wake up, exhausted. Casey Stengel, the former manager of the New York Yankees, said that its' not sex that wrecks these guys, it's staying up all night looking for it. The Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills were separated from their wives before four Super Bowl Games. You know their record, zero and four.

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
T Boone, S Gilmore. Effects of sexual intercourse on maximal aerobic power, oxygen pulse, and double product in male sedentary subjects. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 35: 3: (SEP 1995) :214-217

__________________
Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional

Guest

I read somewhere that it's beneficial to the ladies, but not *the guys.

In biological terms the male has completed his share of reproduction imediately after sex. :P (That's why we turn over and go to sleep !!) The female however has just started. This means she should have hightened energy and drive, whereas the male has less energy. If this effect lasts till the next day and how significant it is, I don't know.  Must try it next race !!

Guest

What about sex taking you off of your game?  I have wondered how a decreased sex drive affects your racing drive and if there is any connection at all.  

Guest

During my undergraduate degree I had to present a critique of a research paper on this exact topic.  The results of the study which focused on men were that there were no changes in any of the physiological variables that govern aerobic performance (e.g. VO2 max, lactate threshold, etc.).  In addition to that performance in a max test with and without sex was not significantly different.  The conclusions from the study were that sex has no effect on performance.

The study was slightly flawed as there was no contol for quality and quantity of sex.  Also psychological components were not measured and sex may also impact on fatigue/recovery.

However, as the results of the study showed no significant difference, these factors are unlikly to be different or are unlikly to affect performance in similar types of events significantly.

Guest

bummer, maybe we could organise another study?  ;D

Guest

I wonder if Mampara and his lady friend would be keen  ;D ;D

Guest

I'm sure that there will be many volunteers!

Guest

WTF?  only 5 mins, eh?

I think that statement is SERIOUSLY flawed.

I don't know about you guys.  But, a romp in the hay usually makes my outer thighs sore the next morning.  So, no sex for me pre-race.  I need those outer thighs to pedal and run.

And, sex should be more ritual than that (at least it is for me).  I like to sleep late the next morning, fix a big breakfast (or go to breakfast), sit on the couch, watch cartoons, and not be bugged about leaving the house until at least 1pm.

Okay, you can start laughing now.

Guest

Where do we apply?  ;D ;D ;D

Guest

Hi Persistance. I read the "5 min" peak performance by someone (was it VO2 ?)  ;D ;D and then calculate that it took you +-12 Hours to recover after your stunt.  ;D ;D. Big difference, but as VO2 said, even bad sex is good sex :P :P