All through history, men have been debating whether and how to control sex. Ancient Asian societies believed that the semen fluid is sacred, made from the same stuff that the brain is made from, and therefore should be preserved inside the body. Athletes, particularly wrestlers and boxers, have traditionally avoided sex before competition to increase aggression. Does the avoidance of sex promote aggression? Apparently yes, but aggression can be increased by suppressing other things as well, including eating, resting, sleeping, etc. Aggression isn’t always a side effect of testosterone, sometimes it’s a symptom of sheer frustration and stress.

The truth is simple: sex should be treated like exercise. If you do it too often, you may become overtrained/oversexed but if you don’t do it at all, you may get out of shape. Note that overtraining is a relative matter - what’s considered overtraining to one person may be an optimal regime to another. Other factors that contribute to overtraining are nutrition and sleep. Inadequate nutrition (misincorporation of recovery meals and nutritional deficiencies) as well as sleep deprivation are major contributors to overtraining symptoms. The same holds true for sexual performance, whether you exhaust your virility or not is a relative matter and it depends on your lifestyle, nutrition, sleep and level of stress.

How does all the above relate to your survival? The answer is obvious: the capacity to perform sexually is critical to the survival of the species. Sex hormones regulate multiple survival related functions, including reproduction, build-up of tissues, and physical performance (fight or flight activities). The point is that we are inherently programmed to actively survive - cycle between action and rest - and having sex is an action that plays an important role in actively surviving. Every mechanism in our body is well programmed for activity rather than inactivity. And this, by any means, applies to our reproductive/sexual system. Our semen fluid must be spent and recycled to keep it fresh and healthy. Similarly, our testosterone pool must be recycled (secreted and reproduced) to sustain itself and this important process is enhanced by exercise and sex. Legendary warriors, including King David, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Attila the Hun were known for their high virility and brutality. Evidently sex and aggression go hand in hand.

Manhood is inherent to us. It involves more doing than thinking, and like other things that we possess, it should manifest itself instinctively. Sexuality is part of what we are and we can’t deny it. How often and how much? Well, it all comes down to the “art of living” - if you live your life as you have been programmed to, this very question becomes irrelevant.

In our modern society, everything is pathologically measured and accounted. Check and balance, moderation and saving are all terms that relate to matter and money - “if you spend you lose” or “you can’t eat the cake and have it …etc. What people today have been failing to understand is that our bodies are not programmed to do well while saving (saving/storing means getting fat). Unlike cars, our bodies can generate energy without having been fueled. Unlike machines, we have been programmed to renovate and recreate ourselves. Our testosterone pool must be challenged in order to recreate itself and overcompensate, that’s why active individuals are in better shape than sedentary people - more resilient to aging and potentially more capable of being virile for life. Do not try to save your testosterone like saving money. It simply doesn’t work. Stop counting and stop contemplating, instead live instinctively, eat to your heart, make love passionately - and enjoy this primitive side of yours.