Athletes engage in plenty of pre-game rituals – they have to do certain things, and for others it’s about avoiding certain activities. Some do things that are truly ridiculous, really out there. Abstaining from physical activity in the bedroom might seem really odd to a lot of you, but it’s actually quite common in the sporting scene. There are plenty of athletes who abstain before big events, a massive sporting competition that might be on the horizon. Why do they do this? Is it just superstition, or is there actually something to it? They all have their reasons.

Some say getting it on weakens the legs, makes someone’s mind get all frazzled and lose focus. There’ve actually been scientific studies done on the matter, papers written about the subject, but they’ve drawn up results for both possibilities, with varying results as to what's more effective. But hey, competing is largely about psychology, so from a psychological standpoint, if as an athlete, you think it’ll help, by all means stick to the ritual. The late great Muhammad Ali did so and it certainly didn’t adversely affect his performances. Here are seven athletes who just like Ali, abstain before competing. On the flip side, here are eight athletes who find the notion of abstaining ridiculous, and let loose before competition.

15 Have Fun: TIGER WOODS

Tiger Woods’ fall from grace has been rather dramatic. Once one of the biggest sportsmen in the world, he’s now deemed to be a disgraced athlete, and that’s due to the whole infidelity scandal that came to light. He later came out and admitted that he was addicted to the deed. Tiger even went to rehab to try and get help with his problem. Being an addict means you’re going to have a seriously hard time abstaining from that activity for any length of time.

We can safely say that Tiger didn’t abstain before competitions.

He’s on the road for most of the year, going from one competition to the next, and with his habits, there's no way he would've taken breaks. According to one of his mistresses, he’d be at it all the time. It didn’t matter when, where, or for how long, he just never wanted to stop.

14 Stay Strong: DAVID HAYE

Boxers are famed for abstaining before fights. Many do this because Muhammad Ali did so. Others are told not to do it before fights by their trainers. Some have their own reasons, do it because of their own choosing. David Haye, the former unified world cruiserweight champion and WBA Champion of the world, does the latter.

He’s actually pretty frank about why he doesn’t do the deed before fights, where most would shy away from the topic.

He doesn’t abstain because her thinks his legs will get wobbly or anything like that. It’s purely a mental thing. He abstains for six weeks before a fight, simply to get a psychological advantage. "It’s a sacrifice. I know my opponent hasn’t sacrificed like that, so it gives me that mental edge over my opponent.”

13 Have Fun: HOPE SOLO

Hope Solo is without doubt one of the most beautiful athletes in the world. Her steely gaze, her strong features and her sizzling physique – it’s a package that appeals to a whole lot of people.

If Hope Solo was game for some action, it would take an awfully strong man to be able to resist.

Who’d want to anyway? Hope Solo’s now married, and based on her past, you can probably assume that she spends some intimate time with her hubby before competing. She’s said her and her U.S. soccer team pals have partied with the likes of Vince Vaughn, and she personally has had some bedroom fun with other athletes and celebrities during the Olympics. It’s safe to assume that she didn’t just wait to get up to her bedroom shenanigans until after she’d finished competing.

12 Stay Strong: TOM BRADY

Tom Brady needs no introduction. He’s a superstar, and is another sportsman who hangs with the rich and famous, brushes shoulders and gets up to all sorts with actresses and other A-list celebs. Well, rather he did. Now he’s a one-woman man. He’s been married to Brazilian model and actress, Gisele Bündchen, since 2009.

Most wouldn’t be able to stop if they were with a woman like Gisele. But Tom Brody is a serious athlete, and somewhat superstitious too.

Apparently, he makes it a point to abstain from bedroom activity for a day before a game. Before the Super Bowl, he goes three days without physically interacting with Gisele. Sure, that doesn’t seem like any great feat considering some of the athletes on this list are abstaining for months. But a source close to the couple has revealed that they’re both very active in the boudoir, almost making it a daily activity. So, three days with no action – that’s got to be challenging for the duo.

11 Have Fun: MAGIC JOHNSON

58-year-old Magic Johnson is widely regarded to be amongst the greatest players who’ve ever stepped on a basketball court. Since retiring, he’s remained in the game and has plenty of clout as President of Basketball Operations for the Lakers. I could go on about his achievements, but let’s get down to business – probably something Johnson said a fair few times during his playing days and before his HIV diagnosis.

Johnson at the peak of his powers was like some kind of machine. He was with women pretty much all the time, before – during if it would’ve been possible – and after games.

Apparently, Johnson admitted to ex-basketball pro Jerry West, that he was sleeping with up to 500 women a year. That’s pretty staggering if true. He’s also said that the Lakers’ dressing room was like an animal house before and especially after games. Johnson would’ve been at the forefront of all of the shenanigans.

10 Stay Strong: MANNY PACQUIAO

Boxer Manny Pacquiao is known for his grueling training regimes in preparations for his fights. His dedication, work ethic and passion for his craft has to be a huge part of what’s made him such a successful fighter. Relentlessness – that’s a term that’s frequently used in the Manny Pacquiao camp. Be relentless in your approach, do things again and again and again. In this case, when talking about this aspect of his training, the opposite applies.

In the lead up to his massive 2001 fight against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao vowed to abstain from any 'extracurricular' activities for a month before the fight.

His camp said it was so he could build up a level of intensity and then just explode with his aggressiveness on fight night.

9 Have Fun: RYAN LOCHTE

12-Time Olympic medalist, American swimmer, Ryan Lochte, has been found guilty of lying in the past. He became an embarrassment during the Rio Olympics when he fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint. But when he said to ESPN, that around three quarters of Olympians get it on at the Olympic Village, due to what others have also said, you’ve got to think that statement’s true. Ryan also said he had engaged in bedroom activity during the Olympics, but that he regretted it. If he could turn back time, he’d have wanted to be on the abstain side of this list. He must have thought that having a girlfriend and getting it on with her during his last Olympics affected his performances. He’s vowed to never make that same mistake again.

8 Stay Strong: DAVID LUIZ

David Luiz is a rarity amongst soccer players, amongst men in general for that matter. Soccer players have a reputation of being womanizers, partying, spending their cash on pretty much everything, including women. But David Luiz is different from the norm.

The Brazilian and Chelsea attacking defender is a deeply religious individual.

He believes that he should be with only one woman, and that woman should be his wife. He’s 30 years old and hasn’t gotten married yet. So, David Luiz doesn’t just abstain before a game. He’s abstained full stop. It’s because of his morals and Christian faith. He did though, later appear to backtrack, claiming he wasn’t a virgin, perhaps not wanting to face the ridicule that would come his way. Who knows which side is true?

7 Have Fun: CONOR MCGREGOR

In the lead up to last year’s mega fight with Floyd Mayweather, all sorts of things were revealed. The two fighters didn’t hold back, had serious animosity about one another, and were constantly hurling jibes back and forth. Plenty was also said, simply to drum up more hype around the fight. Conor certainly didn’t hold back, and revealed stuff about himself that had previously been a mystery.

Fighters, as you’ve probably learned by now, are famed for following in Ali’s footsteps in that they abstain before fights. But not Conor.

He was asked about whether he follows that approach. Conor scoffed at the question. "That is most certainly a superstition that I do not abide by. I definitely do it as much as possible."

6 Stay Strong: FLOYD MAYWEATHER

Floyd Mayweather is without doubt one of the greatest fighters of all time. He retired unbeaten, then came back to silence the loudmouth that is Conor McGregor, for one last massive payday. I just mentioned how Conor revealed during an interview in the leadup to that fight, that he gets it on as much as possible. We have no reason to doubt the truth behind that statement. But many think he came out with it simply because Mayweather said he was abstaining. Mayweather was asked the same question as Conor, to which he replied “absolutely,” i.e. he was abstaining. He was 100% focused on the mega bout, and wasn’t about to let anything get into his head and act as a distraction. Every little thing helps.

5 Have Fun: RONDA ROUSEY

Ronda Rousey is essentially responsible for making women’s MMA what it is. She was a superstar in the UFC, something which she now hopes to replicate in the world of wrestling. Over the years Ronda has been very open about her pre-fight routines. She’s basically admitted that she’s horrible to be around, and isn’t a very nice person in the leadup to fights because she’s so tense and totally focused on the job at hand. She does however, find one way to relieve the tension. She gets it on, as much as possible.

Many men deem it to be bad for your body and state of mind before competition. The old adage that it weakens the legs is actually widely believed, despite there being no proof to it. But for women, it's believed to have the opposite effect, as Ronda explains: “I mean for girls it raises your testosterone, so I try as much as possible before a fight, actually. Not with like everybody. I don’t put out Craigslist ads or anything, but you know, if I got a steady, I’m going to be like, “Yo. Fight time’s coming up.”

4 Stay Strong: CARL FROCH

Carl Froch is another boxer to grace this list. He’s held multiple world championships, and retired a world champion, as one of the greatest fighters in the middleweight division. His last fights were against George Groves, massive British occasions. In preparation for the fight, he took things to the next level. Another boxer on this list, David Haye, revealed he abstained from bedroom activity for six weeks before a fight. Well, try doubling that.

Carl Froch revealed that he has abstained for up to three months before a fight.

He had a beautiful model girlfriend at the time too, Rachael Cordingley, who was the one who actually came out and spoke about the 'ban'. Apparently, Carl was exhausted every day due to his training, so it didn’t really bother him anyway.

3 Have Fun: AARON RODGERS

Aaron Rodgers, has set several records during his time in the NFL. He’s become something of a media personality too, someone who hangs with and dates celebs. One of those he dated, who he only split from last year, is actress and model, Olivia Munn. They cut a cute couple during their three years together and were pretty open about what they got up to. Olivia dished the dirt to host Padma Lakshmi on Watch What Happens Live. Lakshmi actually asked her the specific question, do they get it on before a game? Olivia answered: “There’s no rules, by the way. It’s just doesn’t happen usually because there’s a lot to do…But usually yes. I try to have as much as I can.”

We wonder if Rodgers will have a similar arrangement next season if he's still dating Danica Patrick by then.

2 Stay Strong: JAVIER HERNANDEZ

Javier Hernandez, affectionally known as Chicharito, is a Mexican soccer player, a striker who has played for some big clubs. He’s played for the likes of Man United, Real Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen, not to mention his national team for whom he’s got an impressive strike rate. He was one of the biggest strikers at the 2014 World Cup.

His coach probably takes some responsibility for Javier’s success. He imposed a ban on his players from doing it at the World Cup.

So, Javier, and you can add the rest of his national teammates to this list too, had no choice, were under orders to abstain. It’s thought the coach, Miguel Herrera, saw sex as a distraction. He didn’t want his players to be thinking about it when on the field, and just wanted them to be totally focused on the job at hand.

1 Have Fun: BREAUX GREER

American track and field athlete, Breaux Greer, used to compete in the javelin throw. He’s an eight-time American champion and American record holder when it comes to the longest throw of the javelin.

He was also known for being a pretty cool due, for being very relaxed and down to earth. But some people might think he was a tad too relaxed.

Some of the things he’s divulged over the years – well, people think he should have kept them to himself. Things like telling ESPN he was sleeping with three athletes on one day during the 2000 Olympics. It certainly didn’t hinder his performances. He’d probably claim it helped him. Wow, it’s like this guy’s the Olympic Casanova. Those days of sleeping around with multiple women are behind him now. He’s now a one-woman man, and is expecting his second child.