I am an athete -- I started practicing nofap due to the simple observation that ZERO ejaculation resulted in improved athletic performance, focus, training drive.. Strength and power improved.. Neural drive improved.. Grip strength improved.. Mind body connection.. You name it. A lot of people in the athletic world claim that the purported benefits that I have observed are all in my imagination. They do concede that abstaining from ejaculation for 1 week does increase testosterone, but after that 1 week testosterone levels return to baseline. Thus they do not believe that there is any testosterone benefit to semen retention for more than a week. And personally I disagree. Personally, it does not FEEL like testosterone levels return to baseline after 1 week, and I am sure many of you can attest to this. My theory is that although testosterone levels return to baseline, I suspect that this may be because of some sort of increase in testosterone sensitivity. I am not aware of the mechanism, would be grateful if someone could point it out to me. Because I am convinced that our bodies increase the efficiency and receptivity to testosterone and probably other androgenic or anabolic hormones as well--_ And this key point debunks the research that people use to suggest that there is no hormonal benefit to nofap beyond a 1 week period of abstinence. Thank you for reading!
You are correct, there are studies that have shown exactly this in mice, if you look on the web you'll find them
Thanks for your post. But I am not sure if you read mine. I cited the research you mentioned in my OP and offered a counterpoint. I concede that testosterone production "declines" after day 7. What I take issue with is when people extrapolate from that research to suggest there is absolutely zero performance enhancement beyond day 7 of nofap... As a competitive athlete who trains hard daily, this is not the case in my experience. I certainly do not feel a "back to square one" sensation of any sort on day 8. If anything, I feel like I am shifting into a higher gear. We must consider the possibility that the reason testosterone declines after day 7 is due to an increased receptivity / sensitivity to androgens meaning that although test levels return to baseline, there is actually an increase in androgenic activity due to (hypothetically speaking) increased androgen receptors or increased activity of enzymes.... I am also aware that the benefits may in fact be mostly neurological (increased nerve drive to the muscles, potentiation of dopamine or even adrenaline / norepinephrine, etc..) But I am still convinced that the performance enhancement that is observed beyond day 7 is at least in part due to some sort of potentiation of anabolic or androgenic hormones.... My work outs keep getting better after day 7 and beyond... something is going on there...
