Yes, masturbating can reduce your workout sessions. Though many more theories and studies are underway, possibilities that the workout sessions could be hindered because of masturbating are showing positive results. On average, about 60 to 65% of men ranging from the age of 15 and 50 years, masturbate.

Here’s how masturbating can impact your workout sessions:

  • Lower testosterone levels

Research reveals that you tend to lose testosterone during ejaculation, which is, an androgenic hormone. This hormone is critical in the process of muscle building. When you masturbate, you tend to get rid of those hormones, even if in a smaller amount, which reduces the gains that you get with muscle budding workouts.

A study in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour showed the many who withdrew themselves sexual performances had higher levels of testosterone levels temporarily. It also showed that the testosterone levels dropped back — even lower than the usual amount after seven days.

The same study also showed that men who stayed away from masturbating for about three weeks didn’t have higher levels of testosterone. Though this issue dissipated when they went back to their regular routine, it didn’t result in the improvement of the sporting sessions.

  • Masturbation is Catabolic

It is said that masturbating is very much similar to HIIT or high-intensity interval training that can be catabolic or muscle destroying. Hence, it does reduce your muscle gain performance

  • Muscle Glycogen loss

Masturbating is known to drain the muscles of glycogen, which in turn reduces all the pumping methods you may have implemented. The depletion of this energy again has a direct impact on your workout.

  • Disproportion

Another issue that happens with masturbating is that you tend to get one arm that is bigger than the other. Most men are not ambidextrous, which means that they use only one arm during the act. This results in the threat of being asymmetrical. It’s natural that one arm or hand is stronger than the other. Usually, the tugging side gets more of action.

  • Procrasturbation

Everyone likes to procrastinate, and there is a natural tendency for men to actually put off or avoid going to the gym or doing a workout and instead opt for masturbating. So yeah, that’s another downside!

All in all, if you do put everything together, you will notice that masturbating does impact your muscle and workout in a negative way. These factors tend to have an adverse impact on your workout.

As per the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the testosterone levels in the body are much higher in the morning. It also showed that people who are working out earlier in the day, don’t have falling levels of testosterone as compared to the men who worked out later in the day. Men who do not workout out at all tend to lose about 30% of this hormone over the day. But if you continue to masturbate, you are just ending up with one Hulk arm, a second somewhat shrunk one — and eventually, you are not building muscles at all. So, it’s best not to put off your workouts — and do whatever sexual activity you want — because something is better than nothing

Medically reviewed by Rishabh Verma, RP

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