Effect of sexual activity on cycle ergometer stress test parameters, on plasmatic testosterone levels and on concentration capacity - A study in high-level male athletes performed in the laboratory
J. Sztajzel et al., Effect of sexual activity on cycle ergometer stress test parameters, on plasmatic testosterone levels and on concentration capacity - A study in high-level male athletes performed in the laboratory, J SPORT MED, 40(3), 2000, pp. 233-239
Background. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sexu
al activity on cycle ergometer stress test parameters, on plasmatic testost
erone levels and on concentration capacity in high-level mate athletes.
Methods. Experimental design. Analysis of two days of testing accomplished
in a laboratory setting, comparing a day with to a day without sexual activ
ity (control day). Participants. Fifteen high-level male athletes, consisti
ng of 8 team players, 5 endurance athletes and 2 weight-lifters, participat
ed in the study. Measures. Each subject completed the following on each tes
t day: two maximal graded stress tests on a cycle ergometer and a one-hour
exercise stress test coupled to an arithmetic mental concentration test. Bl
ood samples of testosterone were obtained and cardiac activity of each athl
ete was monitored with a 24-hour ECG tape recording over the two test days.
Results, Significantly higher differences were achieved for posteffort hear
t rate (HR) values at 5 minutes (p<0.01) and at 10 minutes (p<0.01) during
the recovery phase of the morning stress test 2 hours after sexual activity
. These differences disappeared during the recovery phase of the afternoon
stress test performed approximately 10 hours after sexual intercourse took
place.
Conclusions, Our findings show that sexual activity had no detrimental infl
uence on the maximal workload achieved and on the athletes' mental concentr
ation. However, the higher posteffort HR values after the maximal stress te
st on the morning of sexual intercourse suggest that the recovery capacity
of an athlete could be affected if he had sexual intercourse approximately
2 hours before a competition event.