Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => Further and Faster => Topic started by: Kev Sp8 on 05 December, 2018, 10:43:45 am

Title: Boozy Training
Post by: Kev Sp8 on 05 December, 2018, 10:43:45 am
What thought are there on doing training sessions after a few bevvies? Yesterday I went out for a few sociable ones after work. Probably had four pints. I was going to have a day off, but after something to eat at home, I felt like a bit of a spin, so popped into the shed for a 30 minute Trainerroad 'Bashful' session. Heart rate seemed to be more or less on point, I hit the power goals and I felt okay during and after.
My question I suppose is, will the booze have impaired my body's ability to absorb the training? Quite apart from anything else, doing that short session staved off my usual tendency to shovel down stodgy food after a beer or three, so I guess that's a positive if nothing else.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: simonp on 05 December, 2018, 10:57:29 am
Alcohol is said to inhibit fat burning. Probably you'll not get any fat burning training out of such a protocol, but if it works for you why not? Bashful is VO2max type training, IIRC, so that probably doesn't matter here.

4 points is of itself not a great idea, though. However, it's safer to ride it off on the trainer than on the way home, DAHIKT.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Scrantaj on 05 December, 2018, 12:33:48 pm
I'd agree with SimonP.

Beer is essentally liquid carbs, 150-200 calories per pint depending on the alchohol content.

If it didnt impare your ability to do the session you probably managed to work of a couple of pints worth.

There seems to be a cut off point where blood alchohol levels begin to impact performance beyond the general effects of intoxication. Stay below that and there is no appreciable negative effect on performance.

Interesting paper on t he subject here : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257708/

Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Chris S on 05 December, 2018, 01:00:26 pm
Alcohol is my performance-reducing drug of choice.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: bobb on 05 December, 2018, 01:35:33 pm
A small amount of boozahol can increase reaction times. Years ago, I used to go to various motor racing events and the drivers would often neck a can of beer before their race. However, the graph of peformance against shitness plunges after more than a couple of units.

As for something more physical, such as cycling - I can't see how you could call it "Training" after four pints. It's just a ride by that point.

Not that I have anything against it. I've ridden my bike home after all day benders, crashing multiple times, but I wouldn't call that training....
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: simonp on 05 December, 2018, 01:38:15 pm
https://blog.trainerroad.com/alcohol-reason-youre-not-getting-faster/
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Frank9755 on 06 December, 2018, 06:12:25 am
While we've all ridden home from the pub or a party after having had a few, there is of course a long tradition in pro cycling in using alcohol as a performance-enhancing drug to reduce the pain of extreme effort during competition.  One of the things that enabled poor Tom Simpson to ride himself to death was the cognac in his water bottles. 

I would expect that approach to be disapproved of by those in the more puritanical, US-based thinking as in the Trainerroad blog post, but, on a quick skim, I don't think they address the pain relief aspect. 

If the question is 'Is it better to drink four pints before a training session?' the answer is most likely no.  But if it is 'Having drunk four pints, am I better to do a training session anyway or skip it, go and have a kebab and a sleep?' I expect it is probably yes.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: simonp on 06 December, 2018, 11:51:14 am
Chad, their lead coach, is fond of a beer or many. He has tried to find a training benefit from alcohol, and failed.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: sojournermike on 06 December, 2018, 12:54:10 pm
The serious answer was articulated by Peter Coe years ago - sadly, alcohol has no place or role in the diet of a committed athlete


However, most of us enjoy some form of relationship with the old toxin and that’s normal. Personally, my only post alcohol training consists of riding up the Beryl Burton as I head home from Knaresborough
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: hellymedic on 06 December, 2018, 04:12:42 pm
I got tipsy SO quickly when I'd been cycling I was a cheap date!

Otherwise i could outdrink Hardened Men...
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Frank9755 on 06 December, 2018, 04:25:58 pm
Chad, their lead coach, is fond of a beer or many. He has tried to find a training benefit from alcohol, and failed.

If anything that makes the Tom Simpson story even more sad.
Or maybe it could have a performance benefit, 'dulling the pain' without a training one? Clutching at straws...
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: trekker12 on 07 December, 2018, 02:28:42 pm
A small amount of boozahol can increase reaction times. Years ago, I used to go to various motor racing events and the drivers would often neck a can of beer before their race. However, the graph of peformance against shitness plunges after more than a couple of units.

My old boss owned a racing team, he raced F3 and touring cars in the 80s and 90s and was adamant his qualifying laps were faster when half cut - one reason he gave was that the effect of the booze, vibrations of the car and the rapid movement of scenery being registered by the eyes made him feel so sick all he wanted to do was get out of the car!
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Ben T on 07 December, 2018, 10:36:40 pm
A small amount of boozahol can increase reaction times. Years ago, I used to go to various motor racing events and the drivers would often neck a can of beer before their race. However, the graph of peformance against shitness plunges after more than a couple of units.

My old boss owned a racing team, he raced F3 and touring cars in the 80s and 90s and was adamant his qualifying laps were faster when half cut - one reason he gave was that the effect of the booze, vibrations of the car and the rapid movement of scenery being registered by the eyes made him feel so sick all he wanted to do was get out of the car!

Increase reaction speed, or increase reaction time?  ;D
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: bobb on 08 December, 2018, 07:29:44 pm
I'm sorry. I should have used more poncy terms such as positive decrease or negative increase, but I'm not totally sphinctal, so I didn't  :P
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: pcolbeck on 08 December, 2018, 07:51:59 pm
I was always better at pool after a pint or two. Any more than two though and I got worse really quickly.
I think a little bit of alcohol steadies the nerves and increases confidence. Any more than a little and your motor skills get completely buggered.
If its a reaction time thing them plenty of studies show any alcohol makes you worse.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Kim on 08 December, 2018, 08:22:56 pm
Ob-xkcd:
(https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ballmer_peak.png) (https://xkcd.com/323/)
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Pedal Castro on 25 January, 2019, 06:03:15 pm
A couple of years ago I went up to Derby for an evening Saturday track session with an old friend. After 2 hours on the track we hit the strong Belgium beer, 6-7 bottles each of Rochefort 10, St Bernadus 12, etc.
The next morning I drove down to Tring and managed to take 2 " off my 10 mile PB that had stood for 25 years! Not only that my friend managed a 10km running PB that morning too!

This year during a tough patch in a 100 the memory of the previous evening's wine really helped me on my way to a PB. ;D

(http://nrtoone.com/allowhotlinking/SAS_prosecco.png)
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Frank9755 on 25 January, 2019, 08:08:58 pm
Tring.
Surely that's the f11/10 effect!
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Pedal Castro on 26 January, 2019, 10:15:08 am
Tring.
Surely that's the f11/10 effect!

Yeah but, my third attempt on that course that year ;)
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: mattc on 26 January, 2019, 02:55:19 pm
How much did you drink the other two times??

(That course really is insanely fast. I would never use the "cheating" word, but ... 

What was the fastest course available for your PB set 25 years ago??)
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Pedal Castro on 26 January, 2019, 05:19:04 pm
How much did you drink the other two times??

(That course really is insanely fast. I would never use the "cheating" word, but ... 

What was the fastest course available for your PB set 25 years ago??)

Probably nothing the other two times.

I find E2 much faster, flat but only one easy RAB and more traffic. It's not cheating as everyone goes down the same hill ;)

1989 PB (23:56) was Saturday afternoon on the F1 so similar to the E2 today (2017 PB 22:15).
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: hatler on 26 January, 2019, 06:46:43 pm
I watched a school chum compete in the 1500m London Schools athletics championships, when he had come to the conclusion that a quarter bottle of vodka was good preparation (carb-loading). He went straight on at the first corner.
Title: Re: Boozy Training
Post by: Pedal Castro on 26 January, 2019, 07:56:02 pm
How much did you drink the other two times??

(That course really is insanely fast. I would never use the "cheating" word, but ... 

What was the fastest course available for your PB set 25 years ago??)

And I was using aerobars in that 1989 race, almost 30 years ago now!  ;D