Is there any time a beer tastes better than after a long bike ride? Despite the strong bond between bikes and beer, we still need to ask the question; What impact does drinking beer after a ride have on our performance?
In today’s journal club we’ll examine a new article about beer and exercise. Let’s jump in.
Wynne, J. L. and P. B. Wilson (2021). “Got Beer? A Systematic Review of Beer and Exercise.” Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab: 1-13.
We’ll start things off by taking a look at the primary questions this review paper set out to answer.
Review Questions
Performance
How does beer impact performance?
Adaptation
How does beer impact our adaptation to training?
Recovery
How does drinking beer after a ride impact recovery?
Being a review, this article set out to examine the findings of 15 previous studies that evaluated the relationship between beer and exercise.
In this graphic, we see the varying quality of each study included in the review.
In a practical sense, this spectrum of research quality means there is still much to learn about how alcohol may impact cycling performance.
While we won’t get into the details of each study in this review, we will take a closer look at the final one in the list above; Wijnen et al. (2016).
Here are a few highlights from the study:
Ride a Bike
11 physically active males rode for 45m at a moderate intensity until they were mildly dehydrated (lost 1% of their body mass).
Drink Beer
After riding, one of five beverages was consumed to restore 100% of sweat loss. Beverages were either non-alcoholic beer, low-alcohol beer (2%), full-strength beer (5%), sports drink, or water
Assess Fluid Balance
After 1 hour, riders who drank the 5% beer peed significantly more than those who drank the sports drink. After 5 hours those who drank the sports drink retained about twice as much fluid than those who drank 5% beer (they were better hydrated).
Ride Basic: A Minimalist Guide to Maximize Your Cycling
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So what conclusions were drawn from the Wijnen et al. (2016) study?
In short. Whatever type of beer you choose to drink after a ride, it probably makes the most sense to also rehydrate with water and/or sports drink, in addition to eating other salty foods.
So how do the findings of this single study fit into the larger context of our review article?
That’s where we’re headed next.
Q – What larger implications did the review find for drinking beer and cycling?
Like we mentioned earlier, the authors of this review highlighted three areas they hoped to better understand in reviewing the literature on beer and exercise. These three areas were beer’s impact on performance, training adaptation, and recovery.
Q – Let’s start with performance, how is that impacted by beer?
Unless you’re drinking excessively, “moderate beer consumption seems to minimally impact cardiorespiratory and strength-training adaptations” [1]. In plain speak, drinking beer after rides is probably fine.
Q – How about training adaptations and recovery?
This review highlights previous research [3] suggesting that consuming alcohol after exercise may negatively impact the ability to build muscle mass and recover fully from training.
If you’re razor-focused on gaining every performance advantage possible, avoiding alcohol might make sense.
Q – Doesn’t your answer above contradict your earlier comment about drinking beer not impacting performance?
Kind of, but there’s one key difference. In the study referenced above, participants were basically binge drinking after exercise [3]. There was nothing moderate about their approach to alcohol.
In a practical sense, this meant that they had around 12 standard drinks worth of alcohol in a four-hour window post-exercise.
The key takeaway here is if you’re drinking a lot after exercise, you’re probably going to be eating into gains you might otherwise earn if you stuck to consuming a moderate amount of alcohol or no alcohol at all.
I would make the counterargument that completely abstaining from alcohol after a ride might mean you miss out on the pleasure of enjoying great beer and a unique window to connect most deeply with friends.
In this sense, drinking beer might very well improve your performance if it makes you more likely to train, regularly compete, or in general enjoy cycling to a greater extent. Life is complicated.
Q – What are some practical guidelines for a cyclist who wants to enjoy beer with an eye toward maximizing their performance on the bike?
We’ll highlight four practical takeaways from the review article in the graphic below [1].
Enjoy
Moderate beer intake after exercise seems unlikely to negatively impact your performance, recovery, or adaptation to training. No need to stress.
Go Light
Lower alcohol beer (<2%) is more likely to aid in restoring fluid balance after a ride than higher alcohol (>5%) beer. If you drink a heavier beer be mindful of the need to match it with more fluid like a sports drink.
Eat Salty Foods
Whatever fluid you drink after riding, consuming it with salty foods will likely improve how quickly you restore fluid balance (hydration).
Watch Your Mind
Since emotional factors after an event might impact the quantity of beer you drink, be mindful of scenarios where you may drink beyond moderation, potentially degrading future performance.
References
- Wynne, J. L. and P. B. Wilson (2021). “Got Beer? A Systematic Review of Beer and Exercise.” Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab: 1-13.
- Wijnen, A. H., et al. (2016). “Post-Exercise Rehydration: Effect of Consumption of Beer with Varying Alcohol Content on Fluid Balance after Mild Dehydration.” Front Nutr 3: 45.
- Parr, E. B., et al. (2014). “Alcohol ingestion impairs maximal post-exercise rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis following a single bout of concurrent training.” PLoS ONE 9(2): e88384.