Alcohol is intimately related to cycling and racing in general. Post-ride trail brews, podium champagne and \u201crecovery beers\u201d are all a regular part of our cycling vernacular and culture, but if you\u2019re trying to take your training seriously, should they be?<\/p>\n
The effects of alcohol on performance can be narrowed down to two things: how it affects your metabolism and how it affects your muscles.<\/p>\n
Alcohol is not processed like food. As it leaves the small intestine it heads straight to your bloodstream, leaving your liver to do most of the work.<\/p>\n
Since your body recognizes alcohol as poison it takes metabolic priority over everything else you\u2019ve consumed. That means your usual metabolic processes of converting glucose and fat into energy are temporarily slowed while your body focuses on processing the alcohol. This results in low blood sugar and makes the effects of exercise, like fat loss, more difficult to achieve. In fact, alcohol can delay or slow the process for quite some time after consumption.<\/p>\n
When you combine the effect alcohol has on fat metabolism with its high sugar content and high caloric density, it\u2019s fair to say it\u2019s not a good choice for performance nutrition. In fact, alcohol has 7 calories per gram compared to the 5 calories per gram of carbohydrate. For comparison\u2019s sake, fat has 9 calories per gram. What this means is that alcohol, in a sense, isn\u2019t too far off from pure fat but the major downside is it lacks all the fueling benefits of fat.<\/p>\n
From start to finish, processing \u00bd oz of alcohol can take as little as one hour, but for some this extends all the way up to three hours. During this time your body inhibits\u00a0antidiuretic hormone production. This results in a loss of liquid, vitamins and minerals, and hinders the process of nutrient absorption from the food you are taking in at that time.<\/p>\n
The goal of structured training<\/a> is to make you faster through dosing a specific amount of stress, offset by adequate recovery. However, the popular tradition of post-ride beers or podium champagne throws a wrench in these spokes.<\/p>\n Much of your recovery takes place during sleep when your body releases human growth hormone and replenishes its testosterone levels. When alcohol has been consumed, even hours before sleep, it slows the production of both of these reparative processes athletes need. What this means in terms of training is that the intended benefits of increased training stress will not be absorbed at the same rate.<\/p>\n There\u2019s another disadvantage to consider. If you drink an excessive amount of alcohol you can actually poison muscle fibers and significantly impair the way your body absorbs training adaptations. What once took your body hours to recover from, now takes days.<\/p>\n If becoming a faster cyclist is your sole focus, then it\u2019s tough to recommend anything besides total abstinence. That said, don\u2019t eliminate alcohol completely if it\u2019s going to cost enjoying your sport. Not prioritizing fun can almost be just as detrimental as having a beer or two post race. Moderation and timing are the keys when it comes to alcohol consumption.<\/p>\n If you are going to drink, simply remember the less you drink, the better off you\u2019ll be. And, most importantly, remember: alcohol before training or racing will adversely affect your body\u2019s ability to stay fueled; and alcohol after training or racing will adversely affect your body\u2019s ability to repair and recover. Also bear in mind that the detrimental effects of alcohol tend to linger for longer that we\u2019d like to admit, so try to leave as much time between drinking and training as possible.<\/p>\n My advice? If you can, skip the drink, but don\u2019t allow yourself to suck the fun out of your cycling experience. If you can manage to do both, then you\u2019re winning big!<\/p>\n Alcohol and human performance\u00a0is just one topic\u00a0we covered\u00a0in episode 30 of the\u00a0Ask a Cycling Coach podcast<\/a><\/em>. Listen to the episode’s full recording below to hear this and other questions from cyclists get answered by our certified cycling coaches.<\/p>\nShould Cyclists Not Drink?<\/h2>\n
Listen to Certified Cycling Coaches Discuss\u00a0Nutrition<\/h2>\n