Alcohol After Resistance Exercise Does Not Affect Muscle Power Recovery

Levitt, DE, Idemudia, NO, Cregar, CM, Duplanty, AA, Hill, DW, and Vingren, JL. Alcohol after resistance exercise does not affect muscle power recovery. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 1938-1944, 2020-The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alcohol consumed after heavy eccentric resistance exercise on measures of muscle power. After familiarization and an initial eccentric exercise bout to control for the "repeated-bout effect," 10 recreationally resistance-trained men completed 2 identical heavy eccentric squat bouts (4 sets of 10 repetitions at 110% of concentric 1-repetition maximum) 1 week apart. Each exercise bout was followed by ingestion of a beverage containing either alcohol (1.09 g ethanol·kg fat-free body mass) or no alcohol (placebo; volume of alcohol replaced with water). Vertical jump (VJ) peak power, VJ peak force, VJ jump height, change-of-direction ability (shuttle run), sprint acceleration (sprint test), and muscle soreness were measured before (PRE), 24 hours after (24H), and 48 hours after (48H) each eccentric exercise bout. Although the exercise bout resulted in significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased VJ peak power at 24H, significantly decreased VJ jump height at 24H, and significantly increased muscle soreness at 24H and 48H, consuming alcohol after the exercise bout did not affect any of the performance outcome measures. When consumed after a non-novel heavy eccentric resistance exercise bout, alcohol did not affect soreness or recovery of muscular power. Practitioners can use this information to advise their athletes with regard to responsible alcohol use after non-novel exercise. Although short-term anaerobic performance does not seem compromised as a result of acute postexercise alcohol ingestion, practitioners and athletes should be aware of potential long-term effects of such alcohol use.