One question that many guys who are interested in bodybuilding think about but are slightly too shy to ask is whether having sex before their workout is going to affect the amount of muscle they are able to gain.
Obviously sex is not something you likely want to give up, but does it have to mean you sacrificing your ability to build muscle?
Here are some factors to think about.
Testosterone Release
You already know that testosterone is one of the biggest muscle-building hormones out there. It is partially what's responsible for allowing muscles to gain so much more weight than females.
Testosterone is also one of the main sex hormones as well, thus, when you are physically turned on, your testosterone levels will be higher.
Therefore, having an active sex life can actually enhance the testosterone release in the body and work with your workouts to help you gain more muscle mass.
One thing to note though is immediately after sex, testosterone release does tend to drop, therefore having sex right before a workout isn't the best idea.
Motivational Factors
Now, while many people will state that they are trying to build muscle so they can increase their strength and stay healthy over the long term, there's no denying that for a vast many, another big reason is to increase their sex appeal.
And who can blame them? A nicely chiseled physique is definitely something that catches most people's eyes, so dedicating some time to improving the way you look is time well spent for most.
If having sex on a regular basis improves your desire to workout so you can have greater confidence levels, this is definitely going to create a positive impact on your ability to build muscle.
Stress Relief
Finally, the last thing to think about is how sex will affect your stress levels. For most people, sex is a very good release of pent up stress, therefore engaging in it often is a great way to get a control over this.
Also, if you don't already know it, stress has a very, VERY negative effect on your ability to build muscle because it releases a high amount of a hormone called cortisol into the body, which is catabolic in nature.
Catabolic hormones will work to break down muscle tissue rather than building it up, so trying to do whatever you can to minimize them is essential to your bodybuilding progress.
So, as you can see, regular sex is good for building muscle. The one thing to keep in mind is that you should try and have a couple hours between your bed session and your gym session, just so you can regain your energy back and normalize your testosterone levels.
Some men are energize by sex and if this is you, that may not be an issue. But for most other people, a short break in between is a smart idea.
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