Which is the least bad for muscle growth: to drink alcohol before or after exercise?
January 19, 2012 10:47 AM Subscribe
Which is the least bad for muscle growth: to drink alcohol before or after exercise?
I work out first thing in the morning of every second day: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and some hand weights stuff. This means that every evening is either an evening after I've exercised the morning before or will be exercising the morning after. I would like to have a few beers or glasses of wine occasionally but I'm never sure when is the best time to minimise the negative impact on muscle growth. If I drink in the evening after I've been working out then surely that night's sleep is the time when my body will be repairing the damage from exertion and rebuilding my muscles so alcohol would inhibit this process. However, if I drink the evening before I exercise then I feel a little dehydrated when I wake up and it seems like I can't do as much as I would normally.
So, is one better than the other or does it not really matter?
I work out first thing in the morning of every second day: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and some hand weights stuff. This means that every evening is either an evening after I've exercised the morning before or will be exercising the morning after. I would like to have a few beers or glasses of wine occasionally but I'm never sure when is the best time to minimise the negative impact on muscle growth. If I drink in the evening after I've been working out then surely that night's sleep is the time when my body will be repairing the damage from exertion and rebuilding my muscles so alcohol would inhibit this process. However, if I drink the evening before I exercise then I feel a little dehydrated when I wake up and it seems like I can't do as much as I would normally.
So, is one better than the other or does it not really matter?
I guess it would depend on how good you were are re-hydrating yourself. Exercising while dehydrated is dangerous as hell, but I would guess that the non-dehydration related effects of drinking a moderate amount of alcohol that evening would have a greater impact on muscle development than a moderate amount the evening before.
That said, drinking enough to produce enough ketone bodies that you feel shitty from that in the morning on top of dehydration related shitty-ness is always a terrible idea, and exercising after that would be that much more terrible, dangerous, and unpredictable regardless of how hydrated you were.
posted by Blasdelb at 11:05 AM on January 19, 2012
That said, drinking enough to produce enough ketone bodies that you feel shitty from that in the morning on top of dehydration related shitty-ness is always a terrible idea, and exercising after that would be that much more terrible, dangerous, and unpredictable regardless of how hydrated you were.
posted by Blasdelb at 11:05 AM on January 19, 2012
Here's a study from NZ that shows future muscle performance is harmed by drinking after a resistance workout. Don't know about drinking the night before but I can't imagine being dehydrated is good either.
posted by jeffch at 11:05 AM on January 19, 2012
posted by jeffch at 11:05 AM on January 19, 2012
Response by poster: I'm not talking about heavy drinking - no more than the equivalent of two glasses of wine. I'm not worried about my body's ability to heal itself either. I'm just interested in whether or not there is an optimal point in the exercise/recovery process for me to drink a moderate amount of alcohol on occasion.
posted by neilb449 at 11:26 AM on January 19, 2012
posted by neilb449 at 11:26 AM on January 19, 2012
A glass or two of wine is absolutely fine and can even help with recovery. I know a lot of very lean, muscular people that do this regularly. The timing doesn't matter.
Throw some body squats in there and one leg deadlifts too.
posted by zephyr_words at 11:50 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Throw some body squats in there and one leg deadlifts too.
posted by zephyr_words at 11:50 AM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The truth about alcohol, fat loss, and muscle gain
posted by ludwig_van at 1:16 PM on January 19, 2012
posted by ludwig_van at 1:16 PM on January 19, 2012
Best answer: These are things I worry about if I was competing in an event, like a race and like, seconds count.
The exercises you're doing are great, but they're not specifically muscle-building exercises, to the extent that they develop you into some crazy animal-man that can break cars in half.
I'd be more concerned with the effects of drinking (perhaps too much) alcohol on how it makes me feel - if I drink too much, do I *really* want to work out? Or, do I want to sleep 3 more hours?
That's gonna have more impact on you than drinking responsibly and doing the work.
Drink away!
posted by alex_skazat at 5:42 PM on January 19, 2012
The exercises you're doing are great, but they're not specifically muscle-building exercises, to the extent that they develop you into some crazy animal-man that can break cars in half.
I'd be more concerned with the effects of drinking (perhaps too much) alcohol on how it makes me feel - if I drink too much, do I *really* want to work out? Or, do I want to sleep 3 more hours?
That's gonna have more impact on you than drinking responsibly and doing the work.
Drink away!
posted by alex_skazat at 5:42 PM on January 19, 2012
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If you're drinking so much alcohol that you worry about your body's ability to heal itself after a workout, you're drinking too much.
The key to letting your body heal itself after working out is proper nutrition, hydration, and rest.
posted by dfriedman at 11:01 AM on January 19, 2012