Effects of alcohol on training

Alcohol affects training, but turns out it’s not as bad as you might think. Dr. Vingren has worked on one of the more out of the ordinary research projects that included resistance training of chronically intoxicated rats. In this episode, you will learn about the effects of drinking alcohol in terms of quantity, frequency, timing (before, during, and after workouts), type, and more. We dive into how alcohol affects the androgen system, immune system, muscle recovery, and short and long-term gains.

Key Takeaways

• Alcohol doesn’t reduce strength or performance, but it increases recovery time, and you won’t recover as well.
• Chronic alcohol ingestion leads to less androgen receptors and less gains.
• If you drank hard last night, you are better off not training today. Exercise damages muscles, so you should let your body recover from drinking before you are training. The more you wait, the better. But don’t wait too long… 😉
• Drinking beer vs. mixed drinks vs. hard alcohol alone — Mixed drinks and beer are better for you, because of the added sugars, antioxidants, and other substances that help recovery.
• In college — the more you exercise, the more you drink.
• Absence of exercise causes harder and longer hangovers.
• Drinks that were aged in barrels, such as whiskey, bourbon, and brandy, usually cause harder hangovers because they contain methanol. As a general rule, the darker, the more methanol, and harder hangover.
• If you’re going to have a drink, it’s best you do it when you are eating, specifically protein.

“Moderation is really the key… And separating it from your workouts.” — Dr. Jakob Vingren

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Resources: UNT Profile and Recent Publications, Applied Physiology Laboratory