Is It Bad To Jerk Off Before Working Out?

How is your workout performance? Do you feel like you can do more? You are probably thinking that masturbating might be affecting your performance.

When you jerk off before working out, you might feel tired or energized. Either way, if you feel like masturbating affects your physical activities, we can help you uncover some facts.

Some individuals believe masturbating could be beneficial before a workout session while others differ.

Most scientific resources don’t provide a clear link between masturbating and workout performance. However, these resources do link sex hormones to athletic performance. Keep reading to discover more.

How Masturbating Affects Your Workout

There is no concrete evidence that masturbating before working out affects your gym performance. However, several studies link jerking off to some hormones that can impact your ability to work out. Some of these hormones include:

• Testosterone
• Oxytocin
• Dopamine
• Norepinephrine
• Prolactin

When you jerk off before your gym session, your body releases hormones that affect your mood and energy.

Testosterone is one of the hormones that play a major role in sexual activity. This sex hormone is present in males and females. However, males have higher testosterone levels than females.

Testosterone also increases athletic performance in men and women. This hormone builds muscles through protein synthesis.

So, how does jerking off before engaging in physical activity affect testosterone levels?

When you masturbate before working out, your testosterone levels peak during sexual activity and drop after you climax.

Since your body needs testosterone to yield strength, you might worry that masturbating before working out is bad.

However, scientific studies say, lower testosterone levels after masturbation don’t impact your workout performance.

Your testosterone levels might actually resume normal levels within a short duration after sexual activity.

Other sex hormones might still affect your performance if you jerk off before working out. Some hormones might improve your performance, while others could negatively influence it.

Does Abstaining Improve Your Workout Performance?

During old times, sexual abstinence was linked to better athletic performance. However, there is no concrete evidence that shows abstinence improves physical performance.

While engaging in sexual activity before working out might affect your performance, abstaining from sexual activity might not guarantee better performance.

However, some scientific studies link abstinence to higher testosterone levels.

According to a scientific study, testosterone levels increased after 10 men refrained from engaging in sexual activity in 3 weeks.

Another study revealed higher testosterone levels in men on the 7th day of the study. The testosterone levels were at their peak during the 7th day of abstinence.

Higher testosterone levels might boost your strength and help you build muscle mass. However, the link between abstinence and improved workout performance is still not definite.

Sex Hormones That Can Affect Your Workout

There might be no substantial evidence linking masturbation to workout performance.

However, when you masturbate before working out, your hormones could affect your performance. Here are the most common sex hormone and the role they play in your body.

Oxytocin

Also known as the cuddle hormone, oxytocin is released during sexual activity. This hormone reduces stress and anxiety and induces feelings of relaxation.

When working with other sex hormones like prolactin, oxytocin can make you feel relaxed and sleepy when you masturbate before working out. This drowsy state might impact your gym performance.

Dopamine

This hormone is also called the pleasure chemical. When you jerk off, your brain releases dopamine. This hormone evokes pleasure, desire, and motivational feelings.

After jerking off, you will likely look forward to your workout routine. You might feel a surge of energy and end up improving your performance.

Prolactin

Prolactin is a sexual hormone that provides sexual satiety. This hormone also induces feelings of drowsiness after sex. Prolactin also promotes breast growth in women during lactation.

When you masturbate before working out, you will likely feel drowsy afterward. In this case, you might not work out to your full potential.

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is a hormone released during sex. This hormone increases arousal, attention, and alertness. Norepinephrine is an adrenaline hormone that stimulates the fight-or-flight response in your body.

You might feel more energetic and alert when you jerk off before working out. These feelings might help you perform better. You can channel your energy toward your workout routine.

Vasopressin

Vasopressin is one of the hormones released during sexual activity. This hormone enhances memory, concentration, and aggression.

You might boost your performance by channeling these feelings toward your workout routine. Not only does vasopressin impact your memory, but it also regulates blood pressure.

Serotonin

When you jerk off before working out, your brain releases serotonin, the feel-good hormone. This hormone controls your moods, sleep, emotions, digestion, and sexual desire. Serotonin also helps in healing wounds and promotes bone health.

Serotonin evokes feelings of happiness during sexual activity. This hormone can impact your workout performance. You might feel happy and rejuvenated and end up improving your performance.

Bottom Line

Jerking off before working out should not be a cause for concern. However, if you masturbate before working out, you might feel a little drained or tired.

In some cases, jerking off might be what you need to boost your concentration and motivation.

When masturbating, your body releases several hormones that might influence how you perform during your workout.

Some hormones induce relaxation and sleep, while others make you feel more alert and energetic. How you perform during your workout session might not have any link to your masturbation.

While sexual activity can reduce your testosterone levels, it is not enough to significantly affect your workout performance.

If you feel demotivated to work out after jerking off, it would be best to avoid doing it.