The Sporting Life

Speaking to the physiological, “Lovemaking is not a very demanding exercise,” writes Dr. Gabe Mirkin in this archived article http://drmirkin.com/archive/6750.html.

“The most aggressive lovemakers 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 warm-ups. They're much more demanding than lovemaking.”

I’m quite gob-smacked by these calorie statistics (really? Only 250? Good lord, after a spirited half an hour I feel like I’ve been training for the Green Beret) but I really like the point that Mirkin about pre game warm-up and other more mundane activity pertaining to physical output.

As for the psychological aspect, according to the article by Dr. Ian Shrier, Does Sex the Night Before Competition Decrease, “A poor performance will result from either being too anxious or not alert enough. If athletes are too anxious and restless the night before an event, then sex may be a relaxing distraction. If they are already relaxed or, like some athletes, have little interest in sex the night before a big competition then a good night's sleep is all they need. This theory predicts that the results will be dependent on individual preferences and routines. The night before an important race is not a good time for drastic changes in routine. Consistency is the key.”

Basically, Blue, it seems that with so many myths around sexuality, it is the myth itself that is most damaging, rather than the reality. When it comes to Muhammad Ali’s theory, there is a whole lot of sexist folklore (in this case, woman as succubus along with ejaculation draining testosterone) at play. Ali may have been a spectacular boxer but I wouldn’t turn to him for any reliable and evenhanded advice about women and intimacy. And consider Dr. Shrier’s words, “A poor performance will result from either being too anxious or not alert enough.” Doesn’t that sound suspiciously like the reason that sex is sometimes unsatisfying? Isn’t it interesting that relaxation and self-confidence are important in activities that are physically and emotionally intense? Isn’t it also interesting how prevailing and inaccurate myths often compromise both these qualities?

Dr. Shrier writes, “Clearly there is a need for more research on the topic of sexual activity and athletic performance. However, any research will have difficulty controlling factors related to such sexual behavior such as the time of day, frequency and duration of sexual activity, behavior of subjects between data collection, diet, fatigue, stress, and individual response to sexual activity. In addition, results may be dependent on the sexual partner. For instance, heart rate and blood pressure responses are different if sex is with a spouse of 10 years, compared to a new partner or in strange surroundings. Therefore, any future research will have to control for interindividual variation of the above-mentioned variables with a randomized design, or at least control for differences at the analysis stage.”

You can find more information here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0222_060222_sex.html, which also includes some data on female athletes as well.