alcohol
neeb
Posts: 4,473
How much will regular, moderate consumption of alcohol compromise your fitness? I pretty much always have a glass of wine (20-25cl) or a bottle of good ale with my evening meal, so I'm consuming 2-3 units a day on a daily basis. These days I rather rarely drink more than that in one session (well, maybe 3 pints at the pub once a month or so).
I'm really not aware of any performance drop off from this (although I do notice it a little the day after a 3 pint pub session). if anything when I have tried to cut out alcohol completely for a few days I have felt less strong on the bike. But if I stopped drinking completely would I eventually notice any benefit?
I'm really not aware of any performance drop off from this (although I do notice it a little the day after a 3 pint pub session). if anything when I have tried to cut out alcohol completely for a few days I have felt less strong on the bike. But if I stopped drinking completely would I eventually notice any benefit?
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the best way to find out if you notice a difference is to try it
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3 units on a daily basis is perhaps affecting fitness - but who knows. Sounds like a lot to me but maybe not to others. Either way it will be upping your 'empty calorie' account - which if you're trying to lose weight isnt helpful....0
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1 glass of wine or a can of beer wont make a negative effect on your fitness, infact I would say it would probably help. Beer provides good calories and alcohol allows the blood to flow freely and will help you relax after a ride. Remember they used to have bottles of beer and wine every stage in the tdf a while back. They did alright on it.0
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That's my experience too, although there is definitely quite a low threshold above which the opposite is the case. Just noticed that the pros seem to be very strict with alcohol nowadays, so you would think there must be some benefit in near complete abstinence. Or maybe they are just wrong..1 glass of wine or a can of beer wont make a negative effect on your fitness, infact I would say it would probably help. Beer provides good calories and alcohol allows the blood to flow freely and will help you relax after a ride.
2-3 units is an accurate assessment - a lot of people underestimate their intake IMHO. The old idea that a glass of wine is one unit is very misleading, it's very difficult to have even a pretty frugal glass of wine and end up consuming less than 2 units...3 units on a daily basis is perhaps affecting fitness - but who knows. Sounds like a lot to me but maybe not to others. Either way it will be upping your 'empty calorie' account - which if you're trying to lose weight isnt helpful....0 -
thiscocks wrote:1 glass of wine or a can of beer wont make a negative effect on your fitness, infact I would say it would probably help. Beer provides good calories and alcohol allows the blood to flow freely and will help you relax after a ride. Remember they used to have bottles of beer and wine every stage in the tdf a while back. They did alright on it.
I thought alcohol was an issue as only your liver can process it and not the usual digestive system. They also using to smoke on the TDF thinking it helped.0 -
one glass of wine = 125 mls I believe but often pubs serve larger glasses - so your estimate is as you say probably spot on. I drink about 9 units a week (beer) over 3 evenings - three pints of 5.5% ale and think that is the upper limit of what I can consume without affecting my weight adversely. Drinking 2 of the 3 on one evening leaves me feeling a little out of sorts the day after - but thats just me I guess - we girlies take take alcohol like a man!
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i drink 0-10 units a week
the main thing i notice with drinking - especially wine for some reason - is that it seems to affect the quallity of my sleep - so for the same hours in bed i'm less rested - with wine if i have more than 1-2 glasses - i actually wake up in the night (when it wears off or something?)
the problem with not drinking at all - is if you do this for any length of time - you prettty much can't drink anymore (ie the adverse effects seem compounded because your tolerance is so reduced)0 -
jfw wrote:SNIP
the problem with not drinking at all - is if you do this for any length of time - you prettty much can't drink anymore (ie the adverse effects seem compounded because your tolerance is so reduced)
Amen - stopped once for a pregnancy - 9 months with not a drop - and boy was alcohol potent after that !0 -
Just in case people find it useful - it's always pretty easy to calculate units if you know the volume and percentage alcohol.
A unit is 10ml of pure, 100% alcohol, so a litre of pure alcohol contains 100 units.
A litre of any other drink contains as many units as its percentage alcohol by volume. So litre of 5% alcohol beer contains 5 units, and a standard 500ml bottle has 2.5 units.
A bottle (750ml) of wine at 12% has 9 units, but if it's 14.5% it's nearly 11 units.0 -
Nobody has mentioned the dehydrating effect of alcohol which is likely to be a limiter if used excessively.17 Stone down to 12.5 now raring to get back on the bike!0
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neeb wrote:Just in case people find it useful - it's always pretty easy to calculate units if you know the volume and percentage alcohol.
A unit is 10ml of pure, 100% alcohol, so a litre of pure alcohol contains 100 units.
A litre of any other drink contains as many units as its percentage alcohol by volume. So litre of 5% alcohol beer contains 5 units, and a standard 500ml bottle has 2.5 units.
A bottle (750ml) of wine at 12% has 9 units, but if it's 14.5% it's nearly 11 units.
Neat - thanks for that!0 -
Some other things to consider:
- alcohol has an energy content of about 7kcal/gram, compared to 4C/g for carbs and 9C/g for fats. Excessive consumption can lead to weight gain
- alcohol cannot be used directly or indirectly for energy production by the muscles in the same way that fats and glycogen can
- it may act as a diuretic in higher doses (if not combined with a high sodium intake)
- in small amounts, alcohol doesn't appear to affect maximal output abilities (max O2 consumption) but it can see a significant increase in HR at sub-max intensities
- in larger quantities (e.g. to cause a hangover) has been shown to have a significant decrease in aerobic performance (>10%)
- alcohol can of course have a negative impact on muscular coordination and reaction times
- alcohol is a vasodilator which may be harmful to the repair of muscle damage
- in elite athletes, there is research to demonstrate a substantial rise in the proportion (double) of injuries per year for those that consume alcohol compared to those that don't
- alcohol can impair re-synthesis of glycogen when insufficient carbs are consumed, which is not good for recovery
- consumption is often associated with poor diet choices
- metabolism of alcohol is a relatively slow process performed by the liver (~ 100mg alcohol per kg body mass per hour)
Now, go and enjoy your beer, wine of alcopop of choice 0 -
the alcohol amount you appear to be drinking will possibly have a knock on effect on performance from the possible dehydrating affects,
most people dont drink anywhere near enough water every day, which during the summer should be at least 2 litres, due to what your body uses/loses. if you are drinking a drink every night this wiill possibly be having a small effect on how well hydrated you are.....it only takes 2% loss of hydration to affect optimum performance.
however depending on your level of cycling/compeition (if competing) i doubt whether its a problem......however make sure you drink the water anyway, if not to optimise performace,then for your body!!!!
you cant beat a good ale though!!0 -
the alcohol amount you appear to be drinking will possibly have a knock on effect on performance from the possible dehydrating affects,
most people dont drink anywhere near enough water every day, which during the summer should be at least 2 litres, due to what your body uses/loses. if you are drinking a drink every night this wiill possibly be having a small effect on how well hydrated you are.....it only takes 2% loss of hydration to affect optimum performance.
however depending on your level of cycling/compeition (if competing) i doubt whether its a problem......however make sure you drink the water anyway, if not to optimise performace,then for your body!!!!
you cant beat a good ale though!!0 -
jfw wrote:i drink 0-10 units a week
the main thing i notice with drinking - especially wine for some reason - is that it seems to affect the quallity of my sleep - so for the same hours in bed i'm less rested - with wine if i have more than 1-2 glasses - i actually wake up in the night (when it wears off or something?)
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Same experience here. Was told by a clubmate that alcohol is good at inducing sleep,but that it inhibits a "deep sleep". Don't know how much truth is in that, but would tie in with my experiences. Also makes me get up several times a night to pee.0 -
Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:Some other things to consider:
- alcohol has an energy content of about 7kcal/gram, compared to 4C/g for carbs and 9C/g for fats. Excessive consumption can lead to weight gain
- alcohol cannot be used directly or indirectly for energy production by the muscles in the same way that fats and glycogen can
- it may act as a diuretic in higher doses (if not combined with a high sodium intake)
- in small amounts, alcohol doesn't appear to affect maximal output abilities (max O2 consumption) but it can see a significant increase in HR at sub-max intensities
- in larger quantities (e.g. to cause a hangover) has been shown to have a significant decrease in aerobic performance (>10%)
- alcohol can of course have a negative impact on muscular coordination and reaction times
- alcohol is a vasodilator which may be harmful to the repair of muscle damage
- in elite athletes, there is research to demonstrate a substantial rise in the proportion (double) of injuries per year for those that consume alcohol compared to those that don't
- alcohol can impair re-synthesis of glycogen when insufficient carbs are consumed, which is not good for recovery
- consumption is often associated with poor diet choices
- metabolism of alcohol is a relatively slow process performed by the liver (~ 100mg alcohol per kg body mass per hour)
Now, go and enjoy your beer, wine of alcopop of choice
Yep, totally agree with that one. Went on a stag weekend to Amsterdam and drank like a fish and now my body has loads of aching bits Although, after having a cake from Greggsssshhh the bakerssshh, it did numb the pain some what 0 -
If I drink it tends to make me ache and I have read it prevents tissue repair so most of the time I don't drink unless is a special occaision or if its a work do.0
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So if my weight's OK, I drink in moderation and only with food, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and don't actually cycle while under the influence, I'll be OK then...- alcohol has an energy content of about 7kcal/gram, compared to 4C/g for carbs and 9C/g for fats. Excessive consumption can lead to weight gain
- alcohol cannot be used directly or indirectly for energy production by the muscles in the same way that fats and glycogen can
- it may act as a diuretic in higher doses (if not combined with a high sodium intake)
- in small amounts, alcohol doesn't appear to affect maximal output abilities (max O2 consumption) but it can see a significant increase in HR at sub-max intensities
- in larger quantities (e.g. to cause a hangover) has been shown to have a significant decrease in aerobic performance (>10%)
- alcohol can of course have a negative impact on muscular coordination and reaction times
- alcohol is a vasodilator which may be harmful to the repair of muscle damage
- in elite athletes, there is research to demonstrate a substantial rise in the proportion (double) of injuries per year for those that consume alcohol compared to those that don't
- alcohol can impair re-synthesis of glycogen when insufficient carbs are consumed, which is not good for recovery
- consumption is often associated with poor diet choices
- metabolism of alcohol is a relatively slow process performed by the liver (~ 100mg alcohol per kg body mass per hour)
Hmm, that's interesting, but how to interpret it? Are they injuring themselves when drunk on their days off or is there some subtle effect of drinking that makes you more prone to injuries even when you are not under the influence in any way?- in elite athletes, there is research to demonstrate a substantial rise in the proportion (double) of injuries per year for those that consume alcohol compared to those that don't0 -
neeb wrote:
So if my weight's OK, I drink in moderation and only with food, eat healthily, drink plenty of water and don't actually cycle while under the influence, I'll be OK then...
Are you actually asking IF it's OK to drink alcohol?? That's a bit like asking if it's OK to smoke. :roll: :roll:0 -
....no it isn'tdennisn Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 1:26 pm Post subject:
Are you actually asking IF it's OK to drink alcohol?? That's a bit like asking if it's OK to smoke.0 -
Tobacco is incredibly bad for you in any quantity. Alcohol, overall, is not bad for your general health in moderation (although in excess it clearly is). But whether it's good for cycling, even in moderation, is a different question..Are you actually asking IF it's OK to drink alcohol?? That's a bit like asking if it's OK to smoke0 -
Alcohol and weight gain
Just as an aside, the calories gained from alcohol are burnt off first in the great scheme of things, but that's largely immaterial and just a physiological triviality since you still have to burn them off and, of course an over consumption can lead to weight gain and fat storage as can an excess of any type of calorie.
The real damage is done when you have a glass then follow it with a bowl or 3 of fatty snacks because it lowers inhibition and resolve to keep your hands out the crisp packet.0 -
A few things were pointed out in the research. Riskier behavior out of competition increases risk of injury (fights etc, or doing risky things, car accidents etc). Sometimes poor recovery leads to injury (alcohol tends to go with late nights and other poor recovery habits). Competition while still under the influence increases injury risk.neeb wrote:
Hmm, that's interesting, but how to interpret it? Are they injuring themselves when drunk on their days off or is there some subtle effect of drinking that makes you more prone to injuries even when you are not under the influence in any way?- in elite athletes, there is research to demonstrate a substantial rise in the proportion (double) of injuries per year for those that consume alcohol compared to those that don't0
