Source: Elite Daily.com
According to the American College of Sport Medicine, you should refrain from alcohol consumption before any kind of exercise.
Alcohol has a whole slew of adverse effects on performance because of its metabolic and cardiovascular effects. Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, founder of The Fit Father Project, says:
“As enjoyable as drinking can be, our bodies view alcohol as a ‘metabolic toxin’ that puts stress on every major vital organ that keeps us alive.”
Alcohol Is A Depressant. Any kind of alcohol consumption is going to affect your nervous system — it basically acts as an anesthetic and tranquilizer. This will negatively impact your reaction time in general, but especially if you’re making the journey to the gym. You’ll be slower and have significantly less hand-eye coordination and balance.
Alcohol Prolongs Muscle Recovery Time. Alcohol intake has been shown to impair the rates of muscle glycogen synthesis and reduce muscle protein synthesis, overall prolonging muscle recovery time. It can also decrease the key sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) that are essential for muscle building and fat burning. And it make the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness way more prominent.
Alcohol Makes Navigating Gym Equipment Dangerous. This kind of goes without saying, but the Smith machine is not going to be your friend after one too many sips. And I think we can all agree a free weight to the face does not sound appealing in any way.
Alcohol Is A Diuretic. You’re already profusely sweating from your jump squats, and on top of that, the drinks you just had are going to tell your kidneys to excrete more fluid, leading to Dehydration Nation.
Alcohol Takes A Little While To Reach Full Effect. You know when you’re “not even that drunk,” but then you stand up to go to the bathroom a few minutes later and you’re like —”I am that drunk.” Alcohol stays in your bloodstream until your liver is able to process it, so the delayed drunk feeling is sure to come out to play, but on the treadmill instead of the toilet.
Alcohol Negatively Impacts Sleep. Alcohol decreases the special type of sleep called rapid eye movement sleep (REM), in which our bodies normally secrete growth hormone to repair our muscles, organs, and tissues. Apparently, lower REM sleep after drinking equates to poorer recovery from exercise and those pesky fitness plateaus that everyone hates.
Bottom line: Alcohol and exercise do not mix — the vodka and sodas should wait until long after your workout.