Moderate alcohol consumption and performance - quantification?
neeb
Posts: 4,473
OK, I know this comes up every now and again and it's generally accepted that for peak performance you want to avoid alcohol, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen any studies actually quantifying the relationship, or monitored their own performance carefully in relation to moderate consumption.
Basically, if I could get an extra 10 watts by not having a beer with my evening meal the night before I'd be sold, but if it's more like 1 then perhaps not..
Or is the effect more on recovery, so best to avoid after training? Or perhaps it's less of an acute relationship and nore a case of avoiding or cutting down over a period of weeks if you have a goal coming up?
Basically, if I could get an extra 10 watts by not having a beer with my evening meal the night before I'd be sold, but if it's more like 1 then perhaps not..
Or is the effect more on recovery, so best to avoid after training? Or perhaps it's less of an acute relationship and nore a case of avoiding or cutting down over a period of weeks if you have a goal coming up?
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neeb wrote:OK, I know this comes up every now and again and it's generally accepted that for peak performance you want to avoid alcohol, but I'm wondering if anyone has seen any studies actually quantifying the relationship, or monitored their own performance carefully in relation to moderate consumption.
Basically, if I could get an extra 10 watts by not having a beer with my evening meal the night before I'd be sold, but if it's more like 1 then perhaps not..
Or is the effect more on recovery, so best to avoid after training? Or perhaps it's less of an acute relationship and nore a case of avoiding or cutting down over a period of weeks if you have a goal coming up?
I often stop for a beer whilst on a longer ride, it gives me a motivation to do it, so that’s got to be a positive effect. Without alcohol, I’d ride less, which would negatively impact my performance :?0 -
Low levels of alcohol consumption after a workout are unlikely to have a detrimental impact of exercise performance.
There are a few studies, it's not actually been all that thoroughly studied though. Here's one review from 2010:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/2/8/781/htm0 -
As the old saying goes, "train drunk, race sober"0
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Did two PB's on a mile long 8% Hill on my commute to work after having two beers and a brandy the night before. Felt a bit rough at the start but was flying at the end. Guess it's those "empty calories " being used.
Sometimes. Maybe. Possibly.
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You’re not a pro.
Have a beer or a glass or two of wine. It’s not going to make a jot of difference.
#notaproPostby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
A pint before a race is actually performance enhancing, try it, you might be surprised.
Best experiment in training first though, as the saying goes "nothing new on race day".[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
DeVlaeminck wrote:A pint before a race is actually performance enhancing, try it, you might be surprised
Sorry, is this an anecdote? I only ask because I’ve never seen anyone drinking a beer before a race...0 -
Imposter wrote:DeVlaeminck wrote:A pint before a race is actually performance enhancing, try it, you might be surprised
Sorry, is this an anecdote?
No: its a measure of liquid.
#pintPostby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
If you are that inter you can test it yourself. Have beer and then do an FTP test the next day.
Repeat a week or two later but without the beer.
I don't think you'll find a difference.0 -
Alcohol - especially wine - in moderation is also good for you.
MF is trying to remember whether there was a study on it he read or it was discussed but red wine is good for breaking down fat within arteries whilst white is good for oxygenation.
#drinkgoodwinePostby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
Imposter wrote:DeVlaeminck wrote:A pint before a race is actually performance enhancing, try it, you might be surprised
Sorry, is this an anecdote? I only ask because I’ve never seen anyone drinking a beer before a race...
Cyclists are notoriously cagey about their training secrets.
OK I've never actually tried it in a race but on a club run or audax I always "feel" like a couple of pints helps.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
Pinot Noir ..Thibaut Pinot
drink wine , done deal,case closed0 -
I once rode home from a work do after a few too many rum & colas. I set a whole bunch of PB's according to the Strava upload so it must be performance enhancing, although I don't really remember it...0
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cougie wrote:If you are that inter you can test it yourself. Have beer and then do an FTP test the next day.
Repeat a week or two later but without the beer.
I don't think you'll find a difference.
Unless his FTP has actually changed, or the test conditions are different, plenty of reasons you might see a difference apart from alcohol0 -
MiddleRinger wrote:I once rode home from a work do after a few too many rum & colas. I set a whole bunch of PB's according to the Strava upload so it must be performance enhancing, although I don't really remember it...
MF once rode home after a skinful and crashed into every wall and bush on the way before ripping his arm open and leaving a trail of blood all the way up the stairs and bedroom wall.
#soreheadPostby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
About 200 calories in a pint of beer, so one every evening = 1400 in a week or 5600 in a month.
One pound of human fat = ca. 3500 calories
If you swap your beer for something with zero calories after a month you'll be 1.5 lbs lighter, on average.
About 320 calories in half a bottle of wine, so even more room for weight savings.
That said, I probably drink too much, but try to stay dry on 'school nights' and the week before a big race.
I know a guy who half way around the Marmotte stopped to buy several cans of beer. He didn't finish.0 -
I remember a story back in the day of the South Yorkshire division champs on a hot day. One of the Doncaster/ Dinnington lot getting a pint of lager in a drinks bottle hand up every lap. He supposedly won it as well.0
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Hmmm, funnily enough I was pondering this very subject the other day. I regularly find if I abstain from alcohol the night before a ride I often feel a bit "flat" the next day whereas if I've had a couple of beers and/or glass or two of wine then as long as I haven't over done it I feel better for it. Maybe this points to me being an alcoholic (but I don't think I am just yet).
So, empty calories or not I reckon a beer or two helps not hinders.0 -
I thought there was some debate around how well calories from alcohol are actually metabolised.Term1te wrote:About 200 calories in a pint of beer, so one every evening = 1400 in a week or 5600 in a month.
One pound of human fat = ca. 3500 calories
If you swap your beer for something with zero calories after a month you'll be 1.5 lbs lighter, on average.
About 320 calories in half a bottle of wine, so even more room for weight savings.
That said, I probably drink too much, but try to stay dry on 'school nights' and the week before a big race.
I know a guy who half way around the Marmotte stopped to buy several cans of beer. He didn't finish.
Personally I find I do my best cycling on a 5-6 pint hangover. I think this is because it's enough that I feel like cr@p to begin with so my expectations regarding performance are drastically lowered. But then when I actually get going I start to feel alright quite quickly, so I end up exceeding expectations.
I do tend to get back from the pub quicker the more beers I have had, unless I need to stop at the takeaway on the way. Which adds quite a few calories as well.0 -
This article is quite interesting, maybe not addressing the OPs specific question about having a beer the night before, but saying there is little evidence (in this under-researched field) of a negative effect of small amounts of alcohol on athletic performance:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/2/8/781/htm
This week I did my fastest ever ride over 30 miles the morning after a couple of decent glasses of red. But then I'm not in the territory of marginal gains....0 -
It's the same item I posted yesterday.Neil Grubb wrote:This article is quite interesting,0 -
Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:
It's the same item I posted yesterday.Neil Grubb wrote:This article is quite interesting,
Apologies- should have re- read thread before posting.0 -
GCN touch on the subject here:
https://youtu.be/quy05UqNQgU0 -
bobmcstuff wrote:
I thought there was some debate around how well calories from alcohol are actually metabolised.Term1te wrote:About 200 calories in a pint of beer, so one every evening = 1400 in a week or 5600 in a month.
One pound of human fat = ca. 3500 calories
If you swap your beer for something with zero calories after a month you'll be 1.5 lbs lighter, on average.
About 320 calories in half a bottle of wine, so even more room for weight savings.
That said, I probably drink too much, but try to stay dry on 'school nights' and the week before a big race.
I know a guy who half way around the Marmotte stopped to buy several cans of beer. He didn't finish.
Personally I find I do my best cycling on a 5-6 pint hangover. I think this is because it's enough that I feel like cr@p to begin with so my expectations regarding performance are drastically lowered. But then when I actually get going I start to feel alright quite quickly, so I end up exceeding expectations.
I do tend to get back from the pub quicker the more beers I have had, unless I need to stop at the takeaway on the way. Which adds quite a few calories as well.
This, being hung over at the start of an event means I feel like shot and start slowly. As the event goes on i start to feel better and pick up the pace, perfect pacing strategy. 0 -
Interesting. Yes, although they say that there is a study showing an adverse interaction of "moderate" amounts of alcohol and strenuous exercise related muscle damage, I wouldn't call the amounts they are talking about "moderate"!Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:Low levels of alcohol consumption after a workout are unlikely to have a detrimental impact of exercise performance.
There are a few studies, it's not actually been all that thoroughly studied though. Here's one review from 2010:
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/2/8/781/htm
1g per kg body weight for me would be 63.5g of alcohol, which is about 8 units (3 or 4 pints or most of a bottle of wine..). I'd kind of expect that to interfere with recovery if I drank it immediately after a heavy session on the bike..Functionally, the consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol augments the loss of force associated strenuous eccentric exercise [18,56]. To the researchers knowledge Barnes, Mündel and Stannard have produced the only research that has used functional measures of muscle performance to identify an interaction between post-exercise muscle damage and alcohol [18,56]. This research established a significant decrease in average peak isometric, concentric and eccentric torques at 36 hours post-exercise. This decrement appeared to be exacerbated across all three variables in the group that consumed 1g per kg of body weight immediately post-exercise.
The more I find out about alcohol the more I think that if you are aware of your body you can pretty much tell when it's significantly damaging. These days If I drink one pint I feel completely fine the next day (perhaps even better than if I hadn't drunk anythng), but if I drink two or even one and a half, although I won't have a hangover as such I can detect subtle effects on my mood and energy levels. That threshhold is quite close to the recommended daily limits for alcohol consumption.0 -
The other thing with alcohol is injury prevalence.
While not necessarily a direct causal factor, there is research showing elite athletes who consume any amount of alcohol have far higher rates of injuries and other issues than those who do not. This sees them miss training and events, and through that overall performance declines.0 -
It would be interesting to see that related to drinking pattern - e.g. out of athletes who drink very little overall, comparing those who are very occasional binge drinkers with those who drink small amounts regularly. Also, I wonder if this separates injuries sustained on and off the bike?Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:The other thing with alcohol is injury prevalence.
While not necessarily a direct causal factor, there is research showing elite athletes who consume any amount of alcohol have far higher rates of injuries and other issues than those who do not. This sees them miss training and events, and through that overall performance declines.0 -
neeb, are you an elite racer?
Yes, carry on. No, you are overthinking things. Have a drink and get back to us. The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
just remebered cyclist magazine did an article on this - the copy in question is in the trunk of the car so let me dig it out.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0
