Tag: masturbation
Forget Masturbation, These 6 Things Affect Your Workouts Even More
If you’ve been around the fitness scene long enough, chances are, at some point, you’ve been told by a gym bro that fapping can lead to weakness and muscle loss. On top of that, wanking before a workout is considered a sin by broscientists around the world.
Since this article is about things that affect your workout performance more than masturbation, we won’t go into if you should or shouldn’t have sex/masturbate before a workout. We have covered this topic in its entirety in a previous article. Check it out here.
Things Which Affect Your Workouts More than Sex & Masturbation
Work Stress
Do you know what’s worse than masturbating before a workout? Thinking about your boss before and during your workouts. Excessive stress is a known factor of decreased performance in every aspect – physical and mental.
While a small build-up of stress before an intense workout, a race, or a competitive event can improve your performance and focus, the problem begins when you begin to remain anxious constantly.
Stress is known to release cortisol in your body which increases your body fat storage levels and reduces your muscle mass. Cortisol also abrupts the protein synthesis and tissue growth by reducing the production of growth hormone.
The good news is, exercise is known to be a great stress-buster. No matter how tired or busy you might be, you should never miss a workout session. Creating a pre-workout ritual like listening to your favorite music or doing breathing exercises can be effective ways of getting you in your zone.
You’re Not Sleeping Well
If you’re not getting 6-8 hours of sleep every night, you’re just running on fumes. If you’re not rested well, no amounts of pre-workout supplements or caffeine can turn your workouts into productive sessions.
Sleep deprivation can impair your body’s fat-burning mechanisms, disrupt the insulin response, and can even affect your decision-making processes. Don’t be surprised if you can’t establish a mind-muscle connection in the gym if you haven’t slept well.
If you’ve trouble falling asleep, following a routine that includes things like not using your phone in the bed or switching off the lights after 11 pm can be of help. Waking up abruptly from deep sleep can also be a cause of exhaustion in some cases. Invest in gadgets/apps which help you wake up gradually.
Poor Diet
No matter how hard you train, you’re not going to get anywhere if you treat your body like a dumpster. Following a simple diet plan is one of the most effective ways of staying on track.
You should be eating anywhere between 6-8 meals every day spread-out evenly at two-hour intervals. Your diet should consist of lean proteins, unprocessed foods, and vegetables.
One of the most overlooked aspects of a diet plan is water. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, muscle cramps, and prolonged muscle soreness. Drinking at least a gallon of water is necessary if you desire optimal performance.
Your diet plan should be designed keeping in mind your daily macronutrient requirements as per your goals. Reading labels and tracking calories should become second nature if you’re serious about your gains.
Your Muscle Recovery Lacks
Taking a day off of the gym can feel like a crime especially when you’re in your 20’s but you need to remember that you can’t give in your 100% in the gym if you’re not feeling your best.
If you’re constantly sore, you should consider taking an extra day off. Training too hard without proper recovery can lead to a state of overtraining. Overtraining can be counterproductive as it can lead to muscle catabolism.
You should give your muscles at least three days to recover before training them again. Rest days are a blessing-in-disguise. Recreational activities like yoga, swimming, biking can give your muscles enough stimulation to help with recovery.
If you’re a serious lifter and are having troubles with your muscle recovery, you should consider using supplements. A protein, BCAA, and glutamine supplement can be game-changers in helping your muscles recuperate from your grueling workouts.
Genetics
Although hearing this might break your heart, genetics play a massive role in how your muscles develop. You might do the same calf exercises and lift the same weights as your training partner but there are no guarantees that your lower legs won’t remain the twigs they are while your buddy’s turn into full-brown bulls.
The good news here is, while you could have a genetically weaker muscle group, you can make up for it elsewhere. Your workouts should be designed around your genetic predispositions.
If you are slow-twitch muscle dominant, you’ll excel in exercises that require bursts of speed and power but will probably fatigue quickly. Getting to know your body takes a lot of time, and understanding what works for you takes even longer, so be patient.
Your Mental Health Needs Attention
Being under immense work or personal life pressure can kill your mood and motivation of working out but deteriorating mental health can impact every aspect of your life – both psychological and physiological.
Prolonged muscle soreness, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, muscle, and joint pains, and decreased appetite are a few symptoms of deteriorating psychological health. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you shouldn’t wait for them to die down but should instead consult a professional at the earliest. Letting mental problems run for longer can worsen the situation.
Most of the therapists, in any case, will suggest some sort of exercise in your recovery program. Working out can release endorphins (happy hormones) which can help alleviate your mood and can induce a sense of well-being.
While broscientists confuse ejaculation with wasting testosterone, they hardly talk about the things which can actually hamper your growth inside and outside the gym. If you want to see gains, impress the bodybuilding gods by working on the things mentioned in the article.
How are your gains going? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
8 Factors That Can Kill Your Gains Faster Than Masturbation
It’s a calm and uneventful Saturday evening, and you have got an hour to spare before you head out to the gym for a leg session. Just as you grab the bottle of lotion, open the incognito chrome window, and type in the magic words, the warnings from your friendly neighborhood gym bro hits you in the face like a brick wall. It is at this moment you know you screwed up.
Countless blogs and YouTube videos have repeatedly cautioned you against the ill effects of masturbation on your gains, and yet you find yourself in the same compromising position for the second time this week.
Before you put the tissues away, you need to stop and analyze if there are other things you are doing that are negatively affecting your gains more than watching a few manly videos.
Getting Masturbation All Wrong
Most people confuse ejaculation and testosterone. They think fapping before a training session can rid your body of the male hormone required for building muscle. Contrary to popular belief, ejaculation does not affect your T-levels.
Effects of Masturbation On Your Body
Releases Endorphins
Engaging in sexual activities can increase endorphin levels in your body. Endorphins are also known as happiness hormones as they diminish the perception of pain and act as sedatives. They are produced in the brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of the body.
The next time a bro asks you not to fap before a workout, ask him why he does not want you to feel happy and have some endorphins rushing through your body.
Increases Testosterone Levels In Men
We know what you are thinking. This is the exact opposite of what you have been fed for years. Studies have shown that T levels naturally rise during masturbation and sex, then fall back to regular levels after orgasm.
To top this off, here are a few proven benefits of masturbation:
relieves stress
reduces sexual tension
helps you get more satisfying sleep
improves your mood
helps you relax or reduce anxiety
helps you learn more about your sexual desires
improves your sex life
alleviates cramps
So, Should You Masturbate Or Have Sex Before A Workout?
If it makes you feel good – sure. Go ahead, knock yourself out.
Your mood and energy levels play a vital role in your performance in the gym. It does not matter if you have been celibate for a decade, if you are tired or not zoned in for your workouts, you will not have a fruitful training session.
Now that we have established that masturbation or sex before a workout does not negatively impact your training or kill your gains, let us talk about the issues that take a toll on your muscles.
Factors That Kill Your Gains Faster Than Masturbation
1. A Poor Diet
Your diet needs to be based on your daily macro and micronutrient goals. Your meals should consist of lean proteins, unprocessed food, and vegetables.
Consuming simple carbs before your workout will give you enough energy to get through your training session. Carbs are also used by the body for the repair and restoration of muscle tissue. Water is one of the most overlooked aspects of a diet. You need to be drinking at least a gallon of water every day to avoid dehydration.
2. Stress
Cortisol running through your veins throughout the day can be fatal for your gains. Cortisol can reduce protein synthesis and tissue growth through the reduction of growth hormones. The inhibition of these processes can prove detrimental to the muscle recovery process after an intense workout.
On the flip side, exercise is a great stress reliever. So, no matter how stressed or busy you are, you should never miss a training session. You might walk into a workout feeling burdened and stiff, but you will walk out relaxed and relieved.
3. Lack of Discipline
Building muscle mass and keeping it is no easy task. Skipping a planned training session might not feel like a big deal right now, but it will surely set you back on your timeline.
Discipline is not limited to hitting the gym every day. You have to train, eat your meals, sleep at the same time every single day. Following the fitness lifestyle needs military-grade discipline.
4. No Recovery Plan
Most people have a training and diet program in place, but they are clueless when interviewed about their recovery plan. Gulping down a protein shake and sleeping for a few hours every night is not enough if your goal is to build muscle mass.
If you want to perform at your peak level, you should be seeing a chiropractor once every month and be going for deep tissue work. Active recovery is better than a passive recovery program.
5. Poor Sleep
A lack of sleep can disrupt the body’s response to insulin, disturb fat-burning mechanisms, and can even impair your decision-making process.
Poor sleep can cause overstimulation of the brain’s reward center, which can further lead to the adoption of other bad habits like overeating, alcohol consumption, and smoking.
6. Deteriorating Mental Health
If you are not motivated enough, you will never be able to give your 100% in the gym. Other serious mental issues like depression should be dealt with utmost urgency. Depression can create physiological problems by causing constant fatigue, soreness, muscle pain, insomnia, and decreasing appetite.
Bodybuilding is as much a psychological game as it is physical. You will never see results until your mental and physical health is in top shape.
7. Not Factoring In Genetics
Genetics plays a crucial role in bodybuilding. More so than most of us would like. If you are not training according to your body type and genomes, you are leaving gains on the table.
Taking a lifestyle genetic test can save you a lot of time and effort as it can help determine what type of training and nutrition would work the best for you.
8. Broscience – Deadlier Than Masturbation
Nothing kills progress faster than unsolicited broscience. As a rule of thumb, never take fitness advice from someone smaller and less experienced than you. If something seems to be working for you, don’t stop doing it because a gym bro says so. If you need help, find a professional with a proven track record.
Have do you keep your stress levels in check?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.