By Sam Blanchard Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 11:07 GMT, 19 March 2019 | Updated: 11:08 GMT, 19 March 2019
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Avoiding sex does not improve athletic performance, scientists have claimed.
Muhammad Ali used to abstain from sex before his fights and players on England's 2010 World Cup side were banned from sleeping with their wives.
But these rituals may have no scientific basis, according to a small study comparing men's fitness after sex or no sex.
While orgasms were found to reduce blood pressure – and the better the person rated them, the more their pressure dropped – this did not affect athleticism.
Muhammad Ali was said to avoid having sex for at least six weeks before a big fight. Other boxers including Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao are believed to have followed similar rituals
Researchers led by Georgia State University tested the physical performance of eight people, one of them a woman, to work out whether sex affected them.
During the tests they had to work out to get their heart rate up to 170 beats per minute, do as many push-ups as they could, do a vertical jump and a grip strength test, and test their reaction times.
They were examined after they had an orgasm during sex the night before, had no sex the night before, or did yoga the night before.
'Our findings show no significant changes in various measures of physical exercise performance following sexual intercourse 7.6 hours before physical exercise,' the scientists said.
Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers in history, was said to avoid sex for six weeks before a big fight.
Other fighters including Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao are also believed to have endured dry spells before stepping into the ring.
And in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, England manager Fabio Capello famously told his team they must resist their wives and girlfriends and save their energy for the pitch.
But England were still knocked out in the first round after the group stage.
Former England manager Fabio Capello (right) reportedly banned the 2010 World Cup team (pictured left, John Terry) from having sex with their wives