What do athletes think about sex in sports?

According to experts, after sexual intercourse, women do not "reset" their hormonal settings; rather, they tend to amplify them. As a result, testosterone levels and aggression increase.

So, what’s the reality?! Is sex a beneficial workout or is it harmful before engaging in sports?! Let’s try to find out.

After surveying several sports-oriented journalist colleagues at "MK," the consensus was: "Regular sex enhances the quality of an already vibrant and often challenging life, positively impacting health and psychological well-being. Sometimes, it even substitutes for a full workout. And even cardio. Just be prepared to make this exercise more dynamic."

There’s no denying that an active sex life not only brings pleasure and happiness but also helps to push seemingly insurmountable problems to the background. "This happens because the brain focuses on pleasure during sex, making one forget about stress," scientists reiterate year after year. Surprisingly, they often recommend indulging in love more for men. It seems discriminatory! It turns out that during a 24-minute sexual act, women burn around 70 calories, while men burn a full 100. And, as specialists note, that's even better than running. It’s the most enjoyable way for those who are always trying to lose weight.

However, not all professional athletes advocate for sex before and during competition preparation. A few years ago, the partner of former "Milan" and Ghana national team footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng expressed a rather ambiguous opinion on the subject. "My husband often got injured because of sex. I don't know why. His teammates, like Kevin and I, had sex at least six times a week. They seemed fine. But he 'broke down.' And it wasn't just Boateng's career that suffered due to numerous sexual injuries. At one time, a player from the Kenyan national team also had to blame love affairs. The promising young footballer became so confident in his seemingly unreal abilities that he began to spend too much time with fans between training sessions and matches. Ultimately, his career declined.

Since then, a peculiar superstition has emerged in Africa that sex before a game brings bad luck. It is strongly advised that fans who engaged in lovemaking the night before should not attend a football match.

Sports history recalls another equally shocking case. In September 2013, 21-year-old Belgian "Brugge" player Maxim Lestienne was caught in a hotel room with his girlfriend the night before a qualifying match for the 2015 European Championship against Italy. For this misstep, the Belgian youth national team footballer was conditionally suspended from professional sports for six months.

On the other hand, the Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios, known for his scandalous antics both on and off the court, does not hide and even takes pride in the fact that he always has sex before important matches: "Making love, on the contrary, inspires and energizes me. Many of my significant victories were achieved, in part, thanks to sex before matches." He is supported by Spanish athlete Daniel Plasa, who also practiced having sex before races—until a banned substance, nandrolone (a long-acting anabolic steroid), was found in his blood after one of his races. Plasa was clever enough to convince everyone that he was completely innocent. According to him, the substance entered his bloodstream from his pregnant wife, with whom he had a passionate night before the doping test.

But the legendary Mike Tyson took things a step further in the matter of sex. As he climbed higher and higher on the championship ladder, he abstained from sexual pleasures for an astonishing five years. Surprisingly, this worked to his advantage—boxing-wise. However, when a journalist asked him why he subjected himself to such torture, he replied with a single phrase: "It's simple. Because I'm a real idiot."

Russian athletes, following the example of their foreign counterparts, also tried not to anger the sports gods. For instance, four-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Alexey Nemov "let loose" only after all competitions. He lamented that no one had thought to defend a dissertation on the benefits of sex before stepping onto the mat.

Conversely, world synchronized swimming champion Alla Shishkina holds two polar opinions on this pressing topic. On one hand, she believes, based on scientific perspectives, that if an athlete needs explosive power, then love affairs are beneficial. But if prolonged cyclical work is expected, it’s better not to mix in sex.

Returning to science, groundbreaking Israeli medicine asserts that female athletes absolutely need sexual intimacy before competitions. "The more orgasms, the higher the chances of winning a medal," local scientists declare. Meanwhile, they categorically prohibit men from having sex. Their reasoning is simple: "Love affairs before competitions often deplete the male half of humanity. The peak of pleasure and endorphin release (hormones produced by the human body that promote good mood and reduce anxiety—Ed. note) do not enhance but rather diminish the physical capabilities of the male body."

Despite all the above, most modern experts believe that athletes, regardless of gender, have a significantly higher sex drive compared to average inhabitants of our vast planet. This is all thanks to the homegrown testosterone produced by professional athletes during competitions. Therefore, it’s not surprising that some of them have heightened libidos and require sex more frequently than usual.

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