A great workout and a great night have a similar energy: great atmosphere, a great partner always helps, and you’re probably going to want to be performing at your best.
Today we’re talking about pre-workout and its relation to sex. We’re going to discuss why this trend has occurred and what the implications are – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We’re also going to highlight our favorite pre-workout and some of the lessons it teaches us about good sexual supplementation!
Stick with us if you’re wondering about improving your potency in those “cardio workouts” we all think about (or if you like awful jokes)!
Why Should You Care About Pre-Workout and Sex?
The trend of pre-workout for sex is one that has come up a few times lately and we need to address what and why.
This is a thought that most of us have had – is this supplement really performance boosting in more ways than one? Will it bring the same energy to my bedroom that it brings to the weight room? Can – and will – I suffer side effects if I take pre-workout before bedtime?
If you choose the right pre-workout, you’ll avoid the dreaded ‘jittery’ side effects. But the benefits and drawbacks of a pre-workout before adult sleepovers are more nuanced than you might think!
The trend of pre-sex pre-workout isn’t as silly as you think – though it is often discussed in a way that makes it seem that way. We’re going to try and bring some science to the topic (if you can stop giggling long enough to get scientific about it!).
Why Do People Use Pre-Workouts Before Sex?
So, why do people do this? Why would you want to take pre-workout before sex?
–Better performance
The most obvious overlap is the similarity between the physical and psychological demands that you have in the gym and the bedroom.
Being awake, aware, and focused all tend to be great for both workouts and sex. They’re high-intensity, deliberate physical activity that takes a lot of attention to detail.
It might seem like an old “gymbro” joke to take pre-workout before sex but it’s totally understandable that you’d try if you were basing it on feelings of similarity between these two “workouts”.
If you’re looking for better performance, this is a pretty simple analogy and it’s one we see all too often!
–Reduced fatigue and improved wakefulness
Sometimes, you’re just tired. The mood isn’t always easy or simple, and if you’ve been busting your ass in the gym or at work, it’s easy to feel drained when you’d like to be having fun.
A pre-workout is obviously good at reducing fatigue and improving wakefulness. The caffeine in many pre-workouts is directed at doing exactly that, while other compounds like theanine support awareness.
If you’ve got evening plans but your daytime plans have left you zapped, there’s a distinct appeal to getting some extra energy under your belt (so to speak).
In many ways, there’s not much difference between pre-sex pre-workout and the “come upstairs for a coffee” trope.
Just don’t bring your shaker bottle into the bedroom – it might kill the vibe.
–Why not?
Life’s for the living – and the interest in pre-workout for sex seems to be motivated by “I wonder what would happen if I did that”.
So, here’s what happens when you take pre-workout before sex…
The Science: Can a Pre-Workout Help Your Sex Life?
–Caffeine and stimulants: the point, but the drawbacks
Caffeine is the big factor in a pre-workout that you need to consider when looking at how it affects sexual activity.
To start with, it’s clearly important for improving your wakefulness. This means that it’s going to be key to the performance changes and making sure that you don’t feel too tired – key for those late nights, especially following long days.
There’s value to this – caffeine improves focus and cognitive performance in spatial awareness and complicated tasks. From experience, we can say that these are two key factors in a good night in.
It’s also a key supplement for building resilience to fatigue and improving time-to-exhaustion. This means that stamina is likely to increase – though it’s important to note that this is physical stamina. It’s not going to make anyone last any longer – we can’t stress this enough!
Caffeine is one of the key players here for the fact that it addresses both the physical and psychological factors. Changes in fatigue-resistance and the cognitive benefits add up and they’re why you’d be using a pre-workout in the first place, so it’s clearly relevant.
–Caffeine Concerns: it’s not all good
The problems with caffeine, however, are at least as significant as the benefits it might bring.
Firstly, wakefulness is great for the time you’re having sex, but what about afterwards? Now we don’t want to throw any shade, but the half-life for caffeine in the body is roughly 6 hours – definitely more than you’re going to need.
The effects of caffeine are negative when it comes to the restfulness of sleep, which means that stimulant loading before evening escapades really isn’t smart. If you’re going at it during the daytime, that’s fine, but poor sleep quality is a serious problem for performance in the gym.
Poor sleep is gambling away your focus and cognitive performance in the long-term. This makes a caffeine-heavy supplement seem like a poor choice for your long-term results in every area of life.
Second, caffeine acts on the adrenal system in a way that could be disastrous if you’re not careful.
The effects of caffeine are pro-arousal (not that kind, but maybe that too). This means that it is likely to increase anxiety – both the negative and positive (excitement) kind.
You see where this is going. Excessive anxiety around sexual performance and the act itself can really be a problem for some people and is one of the most common sexual disorders. This means that the risks of side-effects to your performance and enjoyment are real.
These are likely to come in one of two types:
- Being over-stimulated a little too early in the game. Premature is bad, and you can avoid this by reducing your overall anxiety/psychological arousal if you avoid caffeine.
- Being over-anxious about performance, which can have exactly the opposite of the intended effect, leaving you nervous and jittery when you should be at-peace and comfortable.
Excessive arousal isn’t as fun as the name sounds, and it can have a serious negative impact. The last thing you want to do is have a bad experience and produce negative associations with sex. The long-term approach says to avoid caffeine.
This is why we’re a big fan of the Performance Lab SPORT Pre-Workout – it’s caffeine-free and relies on natural, nature-identical compounds to support mental and physical performance. That means keeping your cool and getting the best from the experience!
–Nitric oxide and the importance of blood flow
Unlike caffeine, nitric oxide boosters are great sexual health supplements in the short- and long-term.
Unlike caffeine, which is a stimulant, these compounds simply improve blood flow and capillary activity. This means that you’re going to be feeling great and has profound benefits for both sexes.
The impact on male sexual health is a clear one: better blood flow and vascular health is directly associated with improved potency. You can get some of the benefits of better cardiovascular health in the short-term using compounds like citrulline malate.
For females, there are similar benefits that are just less-often discussed. Blood flow is an important aspect of female sexual experience and plays into the good kind of sensitivity. This makes an effective NO-boosting supplement versatile.
It’s not our preferred form of romance but sharing a pre-workout before bed is versatile enough to ensure that you’re having the best experience – whatever your sex.
Our recommendation, Performance Lab SPORT Pre-Workout, contains L-Citrulline and Glutathione to raise nitric oxide levels naturally.
–Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is another compound that is associated with improved endurance. This is an obvious benefit (duh), but it also has some interesting effects on the perception of fatigue.
The metabolic benefits of improved stamina and resistance to fatigue are paired with reductions in feelings of tiredness. This is usually a great way of improving duration in your cardio exercise, but the parallels are clear and we’re pretty sure that you’re going to be using aerobic energy anyway.
The tingling feelings associated with beta-alanine are interesting, but this seems very individualized. If you’re a fan of that feeling then you do you, but this is one to be aware of, though it’s a normal response to this endurance-boosting amino acid.
Also, B-alanine may even increase your lifespan. Who knew this could be a health-promoting hobby?
Our Final Thoughts
If we ignore caffeine, there’s really no reason to avoid a pre-workout supplement before bed.
Most of the non-stimulant compounds found in a pre-workout supplement provide significant benefits to your sexual health and experience.
While the chats about pre-workout before sex tend to be far from serious, the benefits of a stimulant-free pre-workout make it totally plausible as a pre-sex supplement. These include resistance to fatigue, improved wakefulness, and better blood-flow for sensitivity and potency.
We’re not sure how you’re going to work this into a romantic candlelit evening, but if you know you’re going to have company and have a little time to yourself, Performance Lab’s SPORT Pre-workout is stimulant-free with all the benefits we’ve discussed.
Play smart and safe – avoid the stimulants and apply these lessons if you’re thinking about pre-workouts before sex!
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