World boxing champion Carl Froch won 31 bouts, 22 by knockout, adhering to a code forged in folk legend. In preparation for his latest fight, The Sheriff of Nottingham banned himself from sexing his girlfriend Rachel for nearly 120 days.
Froch compared his self-imposed sex ban to a racehorse not being allowed to mate before a race because it "takes away the horse’s drive and energy." He even forced his girlfriend to sleep in a separate bed.
"It’s the same in human beings. If a man abstains he keeps his strength. I feel stronger and fitter when I abstain because my body holds on to more testosterone. Women weaken legs. I don’t get weak legs when I’m abstaining. Sometimes two weeks is long enough to give me the strength — you can overdo it."
Many athletes before Froch have donned chastity belts. Fellow champions, boxer Muhammad Ali and coach Bill Bowerman, preached the virtues of locking away the keys. NFL coach Marv Levy, too, has advocated for a no-sex-in-the-champagne-room policy, although that may have contributed to Scott Norwood’s "Wide Right" more than Levy’s shoddy clock management.
Froch and Ali must have heard that pearl of wisdom from cinema’s greatest coach:
Although Froch’s vow of celibacy to prevent weakened knees may have reaped riches, glory, and a smoke show girlfriend, his theory does have its share of detractors.
Fellow smoke show UFC Bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey actually increases her sexual intake with a pick-up line any guy would appreciate: "Yo, fight time's coming up."
And because this is science, and measuring how an athlete’s smush sessions affect his or her athletic prowess is scientific, research shows that a roll in the hay takes as much of a toll on your body as walking up a flight of stairs.
Yeah, Science!
Studies show that athletes getting frustrated by a dry spell is the reason why pre-game abstinence was even instituted in the first place. Ergo, those patriotic Americans who sacrifice their bodies so athletes can get off the slide: slumpbusters.