How much does drinking after a workout affect recovery and growth?
probably not great - alcohol is a toxin and puts the body under stress to process it. Putting additional stress and strain on the body will hamper recovery. A review article from 2010 I found after a quick google said this
A significant body of literature has established an array of adverse symptoms caused by acute alcohol ingestion. However the notion that alcohol consumption effects performance has not received enough consistent validation to advance beyond being anecdotal
really all this says is that there isn’t a strong body of evidence (according to this article) showing negative effects of alcohol on recovery - but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.
another review article from 2019 had this to say in the discussion
Only cortisol levels seem to be increased, conversely testosterone, plasma amino acids, and rates of muscle protein synthesis decreased
and
The general findings therefore highlight that muscle function is not altered by alcohol consumption following exercise bouts, however the altered endocrinological asset regarding cortisol and testosterone and the consequent suppressed rates of muscular protein synthesis and reduced circulating levels of amino acids, suggest that long-term muscular adaptations could be impaired
effectively saying that alcohol itself doesn’t directly impact recovery or hypertrophy - but downstream effects of alcohol on hormone levels can have a negative impact
but it also comes down to how much you’re drinking, and the reasons for drinking. If its like 1-2 drinks per week, that’s going to be a much smaller impact than if its a 1-2 drinks every evening to wind down.
Another way to look at it is alcohols impact on sleep, which is vital to recover and growth. According to Dr. Matthew Walker (a sleep scientist and author of the popular book Sleep), even one drink of alcohol can interrupt healthy sleep patterns. Alcohol gives a sedation like effect instead of allowing for proper sleep cycles.
I don’t drink, but you light want to look at cyclists. Drinking after a ride seems to be a pretty common thing for them.
This really has more to do with hobbiest cycling culture than anything else. It in no way benefits performance. The inflammation alcohol causes is enough of a reason not to, especially in a sport where body weight is so important. I’ve read in the past that the effects that alcohol has on your recovery is significant enough that you’re better off not working out prior to a night out on the town. I will admit that I can’t find the that research now, so take it for what you will.
huh interesting. I didn’t know that.
I’d imagine that you lose a lot of fluid after a ride, and drinking alcohol, which is a diuretic - wouldn’t be too helpful though.
Alcohol is a diuretic, but your average beer is like 5% alcohol and 90% water (and 5% other stuff). Beer at 0.1% alcohol is going to hydrate you more than it dehydrated you, and a shot of 151 will dehydrate you more than it hydrates you. There exists, for any given person at a specific time, a percentage where the effects of the alcohol and the water level out. From what I’ve read, that percentage is typically higher than your normal beer.
When it comes to optimizing performance/recovery, I can’t imagine alcohol doing anything good. Personally, I might be inclined to avoid alcohol after a hard workout where I feel like crap, but I’m not going to not have a celebratory beer after finishing a big race or something.
