Effect of Previous-Day Alcohol Ingestion on Muscle Function and Performance of Severe-Intensity Exercise
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceClick name to view affiliation
Purpose: Many athletes report consuming alcohol the day before their event, which might negatively affect their performance. However, the effects of previous-day alcohol ingestion on performance are equivocal, in part, due to no standardization of alcohol dose in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a standardized previous-day alcohol dose and its corresponding impact on morning-after muscular strength, muscular power, and muscular fatigue in a short-duration test and on performance of severe-intensity exercise. Methods: On 2 occasions, 12 recreationally active individuals reported to the Applied Physiology Laboratory in the evening and ingested a beverage containing either 1.09 g ethanol·kg−1 fat-free body mass (ALC condition) or water (PLA condition). The following morning, they completed a hangover symptom questionnaire, vertical jumps, isometric midthigh pulls, biceps curls, and a constant-power cycle ergometer test to exhaustion. The responses from ALC and PLA were compared using paired-means t tests. Results: Time to exhaustion in the cycle ergometer tests was less (P = .03) in the ALC condition (181 [39] s vs 203 [34] s; –11%, Cohen d = 0.61). There was no difference in performance in vertical jump test, isometric midthigh pulls, and biceps curls tests between the ALC and PLA conditions. Conclusions: Previous-day alcohol consumption significantly reduces morning-after performance of severe-intensity exercise. Practitioners should educate their athletes, especially those whose events rely on anaerobic capacity and/or a rapid response of the aerobic pathways, of the adverse effect of previous-day alcohol consumption on performance.
The authors are with the Applied Physiology Laboratory, Dept of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA; Levitt and Vingren are also with the Dept of Biological Sciences at the university. Levitt is also with the Dept of Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
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