[will_s87]

Bouldered Monday - Friday in Llanberis and Parisellas - This was a lot of climbing for me, I'm normally 1 on 1 off or 2 on 1 off.

Friday night I had 1 small glass of wine and Saturday night I had 1 litre of beer.  This morning (sunday) I feel fucked! Limbs feel like lead, generally feel fatigued, couldn't pull hard.

Had I not drunk any alcohol, is it likely I wouldn't feel so battered? As I get older I'm definitely becoming more partial to a beer after a session, how detrimental is a beer (not getting lashed, just 1 or 2 pints) to the nights recovery?  or is this a result of shocking my system, is this the DOMS?

thanks, Will.
 

[kelvin]

Just eat peanuts with the beer. Protein for muscle recovery and beer for glycogen replacement.

Perfectly balanced.

[tomtom]

Sounds like you need to drink more beer

[a dense loner]

Beer is shit for recovery

[fried]

Unless it's for recovery from beer.

[frankstoneline]

A pint or two shouldn't be so detrimental you feel thrashed provided you still hydrate well. I'd bet that the fatigued feeling you've experienced is more the result of poor hydration/poor sleep than the beer directly (though drinking certainly can amplify these issues).

[will_s87]

What does it mean to sleep 'proper'

8 hours?

[Jim]

I drink beer every night and I've climbed 6b! Man up

[Boredboy]

Beer slows my recovery much worse on an empty stomach straight after climbing.

[TobyD]

Had I not drunk any alcohol, is it likely I wouldn't feel so battered? As I get older I'm definitely becoming more partial to a beer after a session, how detrimental is a beer (not getting lashed, just 1 or 2 pints) to the nights recovery?

Not very. Dehydration would have more effect, as might lack of sleep. I believe that beer and wine, though diuretic, have a net hydrating effect anyway. The threshold is something like 16% alcohol i think, above this the drink has a net dehydation effect. Alcohol does disturb sleep, though this will depend on you as an individual, as will the amount of sleep you need.
I reckon that doing more activity, or different activity that exactly what your body is used to is far more likely to affect day after soreness / fatigue.

[webbo]

Bouldered Monday - Friday in Llanberis and Parisellas - This was a lot of climbing for me, I'm normally 1 on 1 off or 2 on 1 off.

Friday night I had 1 small glass of wine and Saturday night I had 1 litre of beer.  This morning (sunday) I feel fucked! Limbs feel like lead, generally feel fatigued, couldn't pull hard.

Had I not drunk any alcohol, is it likely I wouldn't feel so battered? As I get older I'm definitely becoming more partial to a beer after a session, how detrimental is a beer (not getting lashed, just 1 or 2 pints) to the nights recovery?  or is this a result of shocking my system, is this the DOMS?


thanks, Will.

I can't believe you even asked this question, you double the amount of climbing you normally do. You then need to ask if it was the glass of wine you consumed.
Clearly it's not made you more fatigued but it does seem to have given you a case of cognitive impairment.

[sidewinder]

I had heard it can reduce the effectiveness of a training session by 80% by reducing protein synthesis (google for details), but it seems if you don't drink much (a couple) and make sure to eat/drink a recovery meal (not the beer) it is probably not that bad.

[Fadanoid]

I don't think you sleep as well as you normally would if you've had alcohol. Not that I've watched you sleep.

Might just be that?

Was it a litre of super tennants?

[psychomansam]

What everyone else has said. The alcohol isn't the problem. The problem is a large and sudden increase in load. You can alleviate this a little with good recovery. That requires remainingly constantly hydrated, taking on the nutrition you need when you need it (including carbs and protein before, during and within 20 mins after a day of bouldering) and getting good sleep. If alcohol prevents any of this, then it's a problem. One glass of wine can have a notable effect if you're already a little dehydrated. If you're eating, hydrating and sleeping well then it shouldn't be a biggie. I'd say be sure to drink some water after alcohol, but then you also need to consider whether that will unnecessarily disturb your sleep, making you need a piss in the night.

So it's not a biggie generally, but if you're trying to push up to and beyond your limit over an extended period of time, alcohol may not be the most helpful thing. Which is part of why some people smoke a spliff to unwind instead.

[SA Chris]

Just eat peanuts with the beer. Protein for muscle recovery and beer for glycogen replacement.

Perfectly balanced.

You need chips as well, for carb replacement.

[Nibile]

http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/lifters-guide-to-alcohol
An article about alcohol on T-Nation.
Hope it helps.

[Jaspersharpe]

Great article Nibs. SCIENCE prevails.

Totally debunks the bullshit you get on mainstream media about "5 pints = eating a whole pizza" etc. Which I'm always trying to explain to people makes zero sense.

Now if only I could just limit my booze intake to the levels the article recommends I might get strong and........

Nah.

[will_s87]

TL,DR from T nation: 3 drinks (3 pints / 3 glasses wine) and you shouldn't suffer to many negative effects.