The original “Rocky” movie is 32 years old now, but one scene still provides a small window into the mindset of sex and the athlete: Rocky Balboa hacks away on a punching bag inside a tiny, dingy boxing gym. Sweat runs down his face and seeps through his grey T-shirt as trainer Mickey taps Balboa on the shoulder. Upset with Balboa’s newfound love interest and laziness leading up to a big fight, Mickey informs him, “Women weaken legs.” No less than five seconds later, Mickey has Balboa convinced not to fool around anymore.

The notion of pre-game abstinence from sex to enhance athletic performance is a longstanding one. But is that notion as fictional as Balboa’s character?

KU sports team physician Sean Cupp sure thinks so. Cupp, a sports medicine specialist, said no true scientific studies proved night-before sex impedes performance in any way. In fact, Cupp said if sex was part of an athlete’s typical nighttime routine, the person shouldn’t suddenly abandon lovemaking.

“Basically, the best way to continue positive performance outcomes would be to not change your pre-game ritual,” Cupp said.

Cupp, who was an athlete in high school, said he had been around plenty of coaches and athletes who had perpetuated the abstinence myth.

“You won’t find a more superstitious bunch of people than coaches and athletes,” Cupp said. “If they feel like they have a pretty good system, they’re not going to stray from it.”

According to an article that appeared in the October 2000 edition of the Journal of Sport Medicine, “The long-standing myth that athletes should practice abstinence before important competitions may stem from the theory that sexual frustration leads to increased aggression, and that the act of ejaculation draws testosterone from the body.”

Cupp said boxing in particular lends itself to that myth because of its aggressive nature and that abstaining could increase anxiety level.

“The object of the sport itself is to give someone a concussion,” Cupp said. “To be successful, the more aggressive you are.”

Justin Montgomery is the co-owner of the Lawrence-based Walt’s Boxing Gym. An amateur fighter and trainer himself, Montgomery said he had heard of the myth over the years — even Muhammad Ali was said to have gone six weeks without sex before a fight — but Montgomery didn’t believe in it.

“As a fighter, you don’t want to be all tensed up,” Montgomery said. “You take care of business and you’ve got your head cleared. That’s my opinion, and I would say that would be the opinion of several young boxers.”

Few tests exist that definitively answer the question for men, and none exist that answer the question for women. The Journal of Sport Medicine cited just three scientific studies, all using a small male sample size, showing no major physiological differences before and after sex.

Last year, the cable television show “Sports Science” set out to prove or disprove the theory. Former heavyweight boxing champion Chris Byrd was put through a series of the same tests. One set occurred before sex, where Byrd abstained for one week leading up to the tests. The other tests occurred the day after Byrd had sex with his wife. The tests measured leg strength, heart rate and punching power, as well as testosterone levels.

Byrd’s leg strength on a squat machine was 909 pounds afterward compared to 908 pounds before. His heart rate remained at 180 beats per minute in both tests. His punching power, measured on a punching bag containing impact censors, was actually higher after sex (1,304 pounds compared to 1,128 pounds). And his testosterone levels were also higher after sex (462 nanograms-per-liter compared to 325 ng/l).

While the test by no means definitely answers this question, it does raise an interesting point. Can sex the night before competition actually increase performance?

“It seems to help because it relaxes you,” said Carl Inzerillo, a sports medicine specialist at Inzerillo Family Practice in Lawrence. “Number one, they get a good night’s sleep. Number two, it takes their mind off the competition. Number three, it increases testosterone.”

Cupp said that too many confounding factors were present to warrant a definitive answer.

The Journal of Sport Medicine cited time of day, frequency and duration of sex, diet, fatigue and stress as possible complications to gathering accurate findings.

“Although,” Cupp added, “you would probably get a lot of guys who would want to do the study.”

- Edited by Rebekah Scaperlanda