effect of masturbation on gym workout to gain muscle

Question

For years I'm listening from everyone that we have to stop masturbation and also limit sex as it let down process of gaining muscle. Also everyone in gym suggests me to completely stop masturbation. So is there any effect of masturbation and sex on gaining muscle through gym workout. If there is any effect, then is the effect and quantity of effect is same for masturbation and sex or they are different.(Because I'm more concerned about masturbation here, and not sex). I read a on link Effect of Sex/Male Orgasm on Athletic Performance on this site about it, but it discusses on effect on Athletic performance, and I'm concert about effect on muscle gain. Because I'm not athlete, I'm 29 years old weighting 69 kg who is not related with any sport and just want to gain muscle.

Answer 1

I have read that actually it is good to masturbate and doing sex because it release testosterone during one of 2 hours after you do it, and testosterone is good for gaining muscled.

So I don't really think it is good to stop for your own spirits and body you have to feel good in your body.

Answer 2

EDIT: Take this answer with a grain of salt. See masonk's comments below.

Short version: sex and masturbation are no problem for muscle gain.

Long version: several studies have looked at sex, including these:

link 1 -- found no relation between sex and maximal exercise performance

link 2 -- sex actually stimulates testosterone production

link 3 -- found no relation between sex and maximal exercise performance; furthermore, found no diminishing of mental concentration ability after sex

regarding masturbation specifically:

link 4 -- levels of testosterone (among other hormones) increased after masturbation, even though they do not increase if you merely think about masturbation

link 5 -- similar to previous one

I got this info from a post by Goldie at the AskScooby forum. I'm a member of that forum, and I have had a look at some of these links in the past.

I'd like to add a general advice: don't trust what you read on the Internet. While some sites usually post reputable information (like NYT, for example), the vast majority of websites post anecdotal evidence; this is especially true regarding fitness and nutrition. When you want to search for information, go to reputable places like PubMed (for anything) or Nutrition Data (for quick nutritional info) and search those sources directly.

Answer 3

Peer reviewed literature on testosterone appears to have inconsistent conclusions, however, the well designed studies all agree that abstinence raises T.

Some studies say that masturbation raises T, and some that abstinence does so. But the well-designed studies all conclude that abstinence raises the baseline amount of T in your body. Well designed studies measure blood T levels for at least ten days after a masturbation event. One frequently cited study only compared T levels a few hours before and after the masturbation event, which lead its authors into an incorrect conclusion.

It is true that there is a brief spike in T during and after sexual activity that lasts a few hours at most, before returning to a baseline level, b. But 5 days after an ejaculation event, blood T levels begin rising, and flatline at about 1.5b on about the 7th day after masturbation (presumably, after any orgasm). They stay at this highly elevated level until you orgasm again.

Long story short: protracted abstinence dramatically raises your T level.

And the best part is, you don't have to take anyone's word for it. Just try it for yourself and you won't doubt it anymore. The effects of that extra testosterone are powerful. I assure you that you won't be able to mistake the difference. The strength, motivation, clarity, and drive that you feel after protracted abstinence has been noted by men throughout the ages, and all across the globe. To give an extreme example, the Spartiate warrior caste lived in barracks their entire lives, and only had carnal knowledge of their wives when they were able to sneak out (at the risk of formal censure). The warriors of the Maori, the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, widely famed for their ferocity in battle, engaged in rigorous, extended periods of sexual abstinence in preparation for war.

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Sources

Endocrine response to masturbation-induced orgasm in healthy men following a 3-week sexual abstinence.

This current study examined the effect of a 3-week period of sexual abstinence on the neuroendocrine response to masturbation-induced orgasm. Hormonal and cardiovascular parameters were examined in ten healthy adult men during sexual arousal and masturbation-induced orgasm. Blood was drawn continuously and cardiovascular parameters were constantly monitored. This procedure was conducted for each participant twice, both before and after a 3-week period of sexual abstinence. Plasma was subsequently analysed for concentrations of adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and testosterone concentrations. Orgasm increased blood pressure, heart rate, plasma catecholamines and prolactin. These effects were observed both before and after sexual abstinence. In contrast, although plasma testosterone was unaltered by orgasm, higher testosterone concentrations were observed following the period of abstinence. These data demonstrate that acute abstinence does not change the neuroendocrine response to orgasm but does produce elevated levels of testosterone in males.

Orgasmic frequency and plasma testosterone levels in normal human males.

Twenty males participated in a 2-month study examining the relationship between 8 a.m. plasma testosterone levels and orgasmic frequency. Within subjects, higher levels of testosterone are associated with periods of sexual activity. Over subjects, however, the direction of the relationship is reversed. Mean testosterone levels were higher for sexually less active individuals.

A research on the relationship between ejaculation and serum testosterone level in men.

The authors found that the fluctuations of testosterone levels from the 2nd to 5th day of abstinence were minimal. On the 7th day of abstinence, however, a clear peak of serum testosterone appeared, reaching 145.7% of the baseline (P<0.01). No regular fluctuation was observed following continuous abstinence after the peak. Ejaculation is the precondition and beginning of the special periodic serum testosterone level variations, which would not occur without ejaculation. The results showed that ejaculation-caused variations were characterized by a peak on the 7th day of abstinence; and that the effective time of anejaculation, is 7 days minimum. These data are the first to document the phenomenon of the periodic change in serum testosterone level; the correlation between ejaculation and periodic change in the serum testosterone level, and the pattern and characteristics of the periodic change.

Answer 4

One of the reason why masturbation is believed to have an effect on muscle gains is because it influences the testosterone levels. Recent research suggest that natural levels of testosterone simply have no effect on muscle gains.

New research from scientists at McMaster University reveals exercise-related testosterone and growth hormone do not play an influential role in building muscle after weightlifting, despite conventional wisdom suggesting otherwise. […]

"A popular mindset for weightlifters is that increased levels of hormones after exercise play a key role in building muscle," explains Daniel West, lead author of both studies and a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster. "That is simply not the case."

In the first study, researchers examined the responses of both male and female participants to intense leg exercise. Despite a 45-fold difference in testosterone increase, men and women were able to make new muscle protein at exactly the same rate.

"Since new muscle proteins eventually add up to muscle growth, this is an important finding," says West.

"While testosterone is definitely anabolic and promotes muscle growth in men and women at high doses, such as those used during steroid abuse, our findings show that naturally occurring levels of testosterone do not influence the rate of muscle protein synthesis."

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