Just How Bad Is Alcohol for Athletic Performance?

In many ways, alcohol and sports go hand-in-hand: Marathon winners celebrate with an ice-cold drink at the finish line, pro teams partner with booze brands, and “beer league” amateur sports often live up to their name. But a shift may be underway, as a growing number of Americans are drinking less for health reasons, on the heels of a new wave of research about the impacts of even moderate drinking. In 2023, the World Health Organization contradicted a long-held belief: No, moderate alcohol consumption, like a glass of red wine at dinner, won’t increase your lifespan. Actually, any amount is actively bad for you.

The extent of alcohol’s impact on athletic performance is still uncertain, though. Can you still make gains in the gym if you like to imbibe from time to time—or even every day? “There are not a tremendous number of studies that really look at alcohol consumption and sports performance in an athlete,” says Dr. Hallie Labrador, a sports medicine physician at Endeavor Health. She points out that most research studies are either performed on mice or focus on chronic alcohol users.

But even without hard data, experts can make some educated assumptions based on how alcohol functions in the body. “When you introduce alcohol to the system, it's viewed as a poison that the body basically needs to detox,” says Tedd Girouard, director of the athletic training program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “If we're using some of that energy to detox the body from alcohol, we're not using it to rebuild the body.” Exercise is a form of stress on the body; a cycle of breakdown and repair. The repair stage is when gains are made. When we can’t rebuild properly, we miss out on some of the benefits of exercise.

For strength training, acute alcohol consumption can hinder muscular recovery. A 2014 study found that when test subjects drank after exercise, they had decreased rates of protein synthesis—necessary for muscle growth and repair. However, this test used quite high alcohol levels—1.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body mass, or about 8 standard drinks for a 170 pound individual—and there is not much research about lower levels of consumption. Another study showed that alcohol can also affect endurance training, decreasing power output and increasing the rate of perceived effort—if taken prior to exercise, which just about anyone would consider a bad idea.

One hugely important element for both strength and endurance training is sleep: “We do see there is a correlation between a poor sleep and high alcohol intake,” says Daniel Chavez, registered dietician at Fay Nutrition. “That's obviously going to matter because a sleep deprived athlete is not going to perform at their highest level.”

So alcohol is probably not great, but you don’t need to quit cold turkey to reap some of the benefits of drinking less. If you want to maximize your hard work at the gym, here are some tips:

Follow Moderate Drinking Guidelines

Chavez recommends sticking with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ guidance for moderate alcohol consumption: One drink per day for women and two drinks daily for men. A 2014 review suggests similar limitations: 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight, or about two standard U.S. drinks for a 170 pound person.

We know this is easier said than done. “Alcohol has this magic, inhibitory ability,” says Girouad. “Once you’ve had one or two drinks, it becomes a lot easier to have three or four.” So, he recommends writing out a plan for a night out when you’re sober so you can stick to it even with a few drinks in your system. You can tell a friend or partner for some added accountability.

Hydrate and Fuel

Dr. Labrador recommends that anyone who is drinking takes care to hydrate and fuel their body properly. Alcohol affects the metabolism of sugar and can cause hypoglycemia—low blood sugar. As your liver processes alcohol, it stops releasing glucose, an essential fuel source during exercise. If you plan to train the day after drinking, make sure that you are eating enough food, specifically carbohydrates, to fuel this deficit.

Dehydration is another major concern, as both exercise and alcohol negatively impact hydration levels. So while it’s best to drink water around the clock, Chavez recommends balancing your water and alcohol intake ounce for ounce. 12 ounces of alcohol? Follow it with 12 ounces of water.

Time Your Drinking

You can also consider timing your alcohol consumption with your training schedule. For example, if you work out three days a week, Dr. Labrador recommends skipping the post-workout drinks if you want to build muscle or strength. Instead of happy hour right after the gym, have that old-fashioned or mezcal cocktail on your off-day so you won’t be affecting protein synthesis.

Log Your Alcohol Usage

If you’re curious how alcohol is impacting your fitness, you could keep a log of your workouts, tracking days you drink like Girouard does with his athletes: “After their workout, I have them write into their log, like how did I actually feel today? How hard was it in comparison to how hard it should have been?” he says. You can rank your rate of perceived exertion on a scale of one to 10, and then have a feedback system with a score attached to it to drive home the data.

Another option would be to wear a wearable device, like a Whoop or an Oura Ring, which gives you a recovery score. Log your drinks in the app, and over time, you can notice patterns on whether or not your recovery score tracks with your habits. Maybe three drinks sends it plummeting, while one drink barely moves the needle. You can tailor your behavior from there.

Personalize Your Approach

Ultimately, though, recommendations about alcohol consumption come down to your fitness goals and intention. Starting off too strict may not be the most sustainable approach. “Many athletes I've worked with accept the fact that having a few drinks may affect them, but it's that ingrained in their life, and that's fine,” says Girouard. “Everyone has different goals, and many people do sports and work out purely for enjoyment. It's not about performing at the highest level.” For some, moderate drinking comes with social benefits, so it may be worth the modest decrease in fitness.

Your athletic experience might also dictate how strict an approach you take: “When you get to the very highest level, making gains at one or two percent in a year is huge,” says Girouad. “So if alcohol is holding you back, that might be quite significant. Whereas a weekend warrior, they can make a 20 percent gain in a year, so maybe drinking wouldn’t be as noticeable.”

No matter whether you choose to cut out alcohol entirely or take a more strategic approach to drinking, you can still increase your fitness. “Can someone still make gains and improve their athletic performance while drinking a moderate amount?” I ask Girouard. “You’re really putting me on the spot,” he laughs. “Yes. They absolutely can. I just think they’re leaving something on the table.”

Originally Appeared on GQ

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