Sexual Activity the Night Before Exercise Does Not Affect Various Measures of Physical Exercise Performance

Symbolism of the US battlefield cross: how boots, rifles, and helmets reinforce masculinity

This paper explores the unconscious symbolism of the battlefield cross memorial, which is comprised of combat boots and a rifle, often with dog tags attached, topped by a helmet. While the memorial's manifest function is to provide solace, build solidarity, and convey respect for patriotic sacrifice in response to grief, the battlefield cross also exalts masculinity at a subliminal level. Because of the latent ways in which the components of the battlefield cross reinforce fallen soldiers' masculinity, the memorial provides an outlet for bereavement according to a masculine script that treats virility as sacrosanct. The resonance of the battlefield cross and its synergism with unrecognized gender coding in broader society illustrate how a powerful symbol intended to honor members of the military also valorizes machismo. This qualitative interpretation could help explain impediments to women achieving parity with men in the military.

The influence of sexual activity on athletic performance: a systematic review and meta-analyses

Several anecdotal reports suggest that sex before competition can affect performance. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether athletic performance or some physical fitness measure is affected by prior sexual activity. Web of Science (all databases) and Google Scholar were used to identify studies from which adult healthy subjects were included. As all studies were crossover trials, an inverse variance statistical method with random effects was used to minimize the uncertainty of the pooled effect estimate. Bias was assessed via the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2) with a "per protocol" analysis. Nine crossover studies (133 subjects, 99% male) were used in this meta-analysis. All those studies did not examine athletic performance per se, but all studies assessed one or more physical fitness parameters. The RoB 2 suggested that overall, there were some concerns with bias. As there was moderate heterogeneity amongst the different outcomes (Tau2 = 0.02, Chi-square = 17.2, df = 8, p = 0.03, I2 = 54%), a random-effects model was used. The results neither favored abstinence nor sexual activity before a physical fitness test [standardized mean difference = 0.03 (- 0.10 to 0.16), Z = 0.47, p = 0.64, where a negative standardized mean difference favors abstinence, and a positive standardized mean difference favors sexual activity]. The results demonstrate that sexual activity within 30 min to 24 h before exercise does not appear to affect aerobic fitness, musculoskeletal endurance, or strength/power.

What Are the Physical Demands of Sexual Intercourse? A Systematic Review of the Literature

The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature investigating the physical demands of sexual intercourse and to synthesize the evidence related to this research topic. Original studies published on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up until April 2020 were examined. The Effective Public Health Practice Project scale was used to assess the methodological quality of each study. Eighteen studies analyzed physical demands during sexual intercourse through the physiological demands (n = 14) and kinematics (n = 4) of sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse can elicit an energy expenditure of ~ 100 kcal (or ~ 6 metabolic equivalent units, METs) during the activity, mean heart rates between ~ 90 and ~ 130 beats per minute (bpm), and peak heart rates up to ~ 170 bpm. However, these physical demands may vary depending on health status, intercourse position, activity duration, intercourse phase, and sex differences. The movement pattern was cyclic in all positions and the greatest demands in lumbar spine flexion were found in the missionary positions for women. Missionary and side-lying positions elicited the greatest lumbar flexion movement in men. Regarding the movement of the hip joint during sexual intercourse, flexion, abduction, and external rotation mainly characterized the woman's movement while external rotation did so in the man. In conclusion, sexual intercourse may elicit moderate intensity physical demands, but these demands vary depending on contextual variables. In addition, not only studies combining physiological and kinematic analyses are necessary but also more high-quality studies need to be published in order to have a better understanding of the physical demands of sexual intercourse.

Sexual intercourse before exercise has a detrimental effect on lower extremity muscle strength in men

INTRODUCTION

The question of whether sexual intercourse can harm athletic performance is a long-debated topic since first sport competitions were invented. Therefore, due to the lack of solid evidence, we aimed to evaluate the effects of sexual intercourse on muscle training performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Physically and sexually active, 50 men (age=29.3±1.14 years) were enrolled in the study. Participants completed three weight training sessions and all sessions were at the same time of the day. The maximum weight was adjusted in the first session. In the second and third sessions, they performed five repetitions of the squat with their maximum weight for each set with a total of five sets after participating in and abstaining from sexual intercourse the night before, respectively. The duration of sexual intercourse was measured with a stopwatch.

RESULTS

The mean duration of sex was measured to be 13.8±3.61 min. Furthermore, the mean lifted weight before sex was calculated to be 109.4±11.41 kg and the mean lifted weight after sex was calculated to be 107±11.05 kg. According to obtained data, sexual intercourse has a significant detrimental effect on maximum weight in squat training (p=0001).

CONCLUSION

Results demonstrate that sexual intercourse within 24 hours before exercise have detrimental effect on lower extremity muscle force, which suggests that restricting sexual activity before a short-term activity may be necessary.