What are the training benefits to quitting daily moderate drinking?

Drinker with a Running Problem wrote:

No noticeable difference. I guess it just depends on what you are used to. I tend to down two quick beers after my run. I usually just have a few beers with dinner and maybe one or two later on. That's about 5-8 on a typical weekday night. Weekends I tend to have a few more because......well, it's the weekend. If I am doing a race the next day then I do reduce the number of drinks. Whatever works for ya!

What kind of beers do you typically drink?

Yes it makes a difference. You can replace it (the calories) with something with way more nutrients but aside from that, you sleep a tonne better which makes a big difference in terms of recovery. I also found alcohol used to dehydrate me badly but it seemed to affect me way more than my friends.

I also noticed a difference in overall health and how I felt. When I quit drinking I noticed a big difference for the first six months, just felt better in general, and massive gains in terms of recovery.

∆esus Christ Son wrote:You're either going to be dead or obese in 5 years.

Bangers and mash wrote:What kind of beers do you typically drink?

No IPA's that's for sure. Never have liked them.

Let's see...…..Stella Artois, Carlsberg, Heineken, Guinness, Boddington's, & Paulaner are currently in my rotation.

People who say it does not impac5 their performance are either mislead or lying.

If you drink 10 beers a week and quit for a year, all other factors such as training, diet, social/family/work life and hours of sleep per night being the same you WILL get faster and benefit from the lack of alcohol. It isn’t just about calories blah blah blah, alcohol has a direct negative affect on your central nervous system which is arguable just as important as any other system involved in running.

Just quit, alcohol is trash anyway. If you need a vice then just use medicinal grade marijuana (edibles) a couple of times a week is completely harmless. If you are competing/getting tested just don’t use anything, if you were a serious and high level runner competing and getting routinely tested you probably wouldn’t need to ask these questions nor would you touch the LRC with a bargepole.

UMmmmm wrote:

Yes.

This Is like asking “what if I only took a small dose of steroids? Would I still derive any benefit?”

The impact may be small and not noticeable in the short term but that will add up over time. 2 beers a night is a fair amount of drinking

aka "i don't understand how steroids work so i'm going to make a horrible analogy."

Teetotaler wrote:

Are there any reasons why an athlete should give up a daily glass or two of wine or daily beer in order to improve training? Or would the benefits be nonexistent or not significant?

Not being an alcoholic is a benefit.

Buncha sallies on this site afraid that 24 ounces of budlight will keep them from breaking 19 minutes in the 5K.

Alcohol is like donuts or candy as far as a quality substance to consume goes.

Donuter wrote:

Alcohol is like donuts or candy as far as a quality substance to consume goes.

IDK; I would say a HIGH quality craft beer when consumed in moderation is probably holds a slight health advantage over processed flour and sugar. HOPS are known to have a high silicone content which is good for bone density. Also; what is better than slamming a refreshing beer after finishing up 10+ miles?

The only way to find out is to try it.

I have consumed 1-3 drinks per night on average for the past 8 years. I’m in my 40’s and haven’t noticed a massive performance problem. To be honest I do constantly wonder about the impact. I’m curious on the cellular level how much it impacts blood cells and mitochondria?

I’m currently cutting back to 1 drink per week till my fall marathon so I’ll let you know.

Teetotaler wrote:

Are there any reasons why an athlete should give up a daily glass or two of wine or daily beer in order to improve training? Or would the benefits be nonexistent or not significant?

Lots of opinions but no facts. There is, in fact, little to no research on this...for good reason (it's kind of a waste of money to fund research on such a topic). Heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to have no effect on cardiovascular performance the next morning, although it did lower leg power (although the subjects were out drinking late, and certainly had bad sleep, so that may have been the culprit). At any rate, leg power recovered by day 2.

Yes, alcohol can affect sleep quality, gut chemistry, electrolyte balance, and glycogen uptake, but these are in the just-after-drinking period, and the effects go away quickly. There is no justification to say that moderate alcohol consumption has any measurable effect on long-term training. If your liver is acutely damaged, obviously that could have a derogatory effect. But I'm interested for someone to point out the chemical or biological mechanism and then it's connection to long-term training, fitness, or performance.

Is alcohol good for you? Of course not. But that isn't the same question.

Suds McFastguy wrote:

Is alcohol good for you? Of course not. But that isn't the same question.

It's also highly debatable.

asdsadsdfsdfd wrote:

Suds McFastguy wrote:

Is alcohol good for you? Of course not. But that isn't the same question.

It's also highly debatable.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/red-wine/art-20048281

At least for heart health. But it is clearly related to many cancers. The increased risks are statistically significant; however, everything should be kept in perspective.