Proponents argue that beer provides carbohydrates and electrolytes, which tend to wear out during long or intense exercise sessions. Others argue that the social aspect of going to the bar with friends for a celebratory beer after a grueling run or workout can be a great way to encourage regular exercise.
«Drinking a beer after a workout is not very harmful as long as it is with water and food, but it is not absolutely positive or beneficial.»
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—Hana Abdulaziz Feeney, RD, founder of Nourishing Results, a private functional nutrition company in Tucson, Arizona.
So drinking a post-workout beer is kind of like getting social and nutritional benefits in a bottle, right?
Not quite.
Abdulaziz Feeney attributes the idea of beer as a recovery tool to the power of marketing: «These beer commercials have Incredibly fit athletes enjoying a beer after a hard bike ride, but it’s a myth«. As he points out, top athletes probably aren’t turning to beer for a recovery drink, and yet many buy into that idea, even though beer does offer a zero nutritional value for the regular athlete.
Yes, it is true that beer provides some electrolytes (these regulate fluid balance and play a role in muscle contraction), carbohydrates (the main source of energy that is depleted during higher intensity exercise) and even polyphenols (compounds anti-inflammatory and antioxidant found in plants).
However, the favorite beer contains mainly potassium electrolytesand you don’t normally lose much of that during exercise, says Susan Kitchen, a certified fitness specialist. sports diet and eight times Ironman finisher. On the other hand, if you want something replace sodium chloride, the main electrolyte you lose through sweat, beer won’t provide it.
As for carbohydrates? Well they’re there but they are quite high pricedsays Abdulaziz Feeney. The reason: your body has to use many nutrients, in particular the B vitaminsto metabolize alcohol, which puts extra stress on your liver and diverts resources from the rest of your body.
«All of those nutrients would be much better for them to be used in muscle repair and support glycogen production,» says Abdulaziz Feeney. (Glycogen is the stored form of fast-acting carbohydrates that fuel high-intensity exercise).
How Alcohol Hurts Your Workout Recovery
Also, alcohol is dehydrating, which is the opposite of what you want right after a workout, says registered dietitian Cassie Bjork. Dehydration will only make it harder for you to recover from your training sessionwhich will take you to longer recovery time and lower physical performance. Look, workouts by themselves don’t make you fitter, it’s how well you adapt and recover from that training which leads to progressKitchen says.
When your muscles are already dehydrated after your workout, drinking alcohol will only dehydrate them even moreas a last resort, it will prevent those muscles from recovering and repairing in the way you need them to see your fitness.
In fact, a 2014 study in the journal Plos One found that alcohol consumption reduces muscle protein synthesis (the process of repairing and building new muscle cells after exercise) by 24 to 37 percent after resistance training, steady-state cardio, and high-intensity exercise, even when combined with protein and carbohydrates. However, it is worth noting that this study included higher amounts of alcohol to replicate the amounts athletes report while binge drinking.
So if you want to get the most out of your exercise program, have a post-workout beer (or two). may not be the best idea.
Can you ever have a beer after training?
Having said that, no need to always skip post-workout beer. As long as you only drink occasionally, he practices moderation and understands that you are drinking for enjoyment, rather than drinking as a recovery strategy: you should be fine. «Have a few glasses of water with your beer and it’s not the worst.»Bjork says.
When deciding if you want to enjoy a post-workout beer, consider the goal of your training:
«If your purpose in doing that activity is train the body to get strongerso you want to do everything you can to help him reach his goal goals,» Kitchen says, and that will likely mean say no to beer most of the time. (I am sorry!)
Most of the time you will want to focus on fueling up with carbs and protein from non-alcoholic sources. Unless you’re doing high-intensity or exhaustive exercise (i.e. you finish your workout feeling like you have nothing left in the tank), In that case your best option will be to sandwich your workout between regular meals or snacks, rather than add a special post-workout recovery snacksays Abdulaziz Feeney.
On the other hand, if you’re doing high-intensity or exhaustive exercise, then you may need to eat a small high-carb, high-protein snack right away to help fuel your recovery until you’re able to eat a full meal. In that case, yogurt with a banana, a bottle of a protein drink, or a scrambled egg with bread will be a better alternative.