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Why the post ride brew is a bad idea.

I'm guilty. After a hard ride or intense workout in the gym a beer often sounds delightful. In an effort to reduce weight for the upcoming race season I'm looking for anyway to reduce my mass. To that end I did a bit of research to see if I could find some motivation to curtail the beers. What follows is an list, founded in science, that shows why drinking beer is bad. From reduced muscle mass to dehydration. I hope this list is helpful to some of you!

http://samuelwbennett.com/the-struggle/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt.html

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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34 comments

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Martyn_K | 9 years ago
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Not a big drinker but during spring boot camp in Majorca last year it was the only way to get to sleep.

Big climbs, big decents, big adrenaline. Hitting the bar in the evening to review the days events over a couple of drinks took the edge off and allowed us to chill out.

Obviously not a great thing to do on a permanent basis but no point all work and no play.

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sincadena | 9 years ago
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I used to be coached by a very well known coach who used to swear on gargling with whiskey (or brandy) after hard efforts in the cold.. he also used to slap you round the back of the head if you spat out said whiskey (or brandy)... Funnily enough it seems to work... Also remember being in the break on a very cold snowy shitty race up in the Pyrenees and being handed a bottle of hot chocolate with cherry brandy.. worked a treat

A small amount of wine or beer is good for you... there are a number of studies that show it. 21pints followed by a bottle of vodka isnt a good idea.

As with other people on this thread I also find it funny how someone who has just discovered cycling is trying to teach his granny how to suck eggs. FFS, I have been racing probably aslong as Samuel has been alive (and I can still manage 5,7w/kg)

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Hensteeth | 9 years ago
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My consultant told me after my heart attack that alcohol is good for the heart as long as it's in moderation. Little and often. That will do for me.
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Judge dreadful | 9 years ago
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I can't be arsed with amateur cyclists who give it all the 'my body is a temple, I'll do 1000 Km's and return home to water and a slice of melon' bull. I can fully understand why someone who makes their living from cycling would take it uber seriously, but personally, I just do it for shits and giggles, a couple of beers after a ride, and a wind down with the 'posse' is all good.

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700c replied to Judge dreadful | 9 years ago
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Judge dreadful wrote:

I can't be arsed with amateur cyclists who give it all the 'my body is a temple, I'll do 1000 Km's and return home to water and a slice of melon' bull. I can fully understand why someone who makes their living from cycling would take it uber seriously, but personally, I just do it for shits and giggles, a couple of beers after a ride, and a wind down with the 'posse' is all good.

Agree, but the irony is, having an alcoholic drink with the evening meal is de rigeur for pro's on the Tour..

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Quote:

Samuel Bennett is originally from Santa Barbara, CA where he spent 7 years in graduate school (University of California, Santa Barbara) and authored several peer-reviewed academic papers. Before graduate school, Samuel spent his time surfing California, Hawaii and Mexico. Samuel and his wife are raising three small children in the Colorado Rockies. He is now the upper school science teacher at the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, the academic partner of Ski Club Vail.

Surf and ski bum discovers cycling, knows more about it than everyone else. Yawn.

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getfast (not verified) | 9 years ago
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This is awesome. As someone relatively new to riding a bike, I, surprised to see how much beer is a part of cycling culture.

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getfast (not verified) | 9 years ago
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This is awesome. As someone relatively new to riding a bike, I, surprised to see how much beer is a part of cycling culture.

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Man of Lard | 9 years ago
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A post-ride beer certainly works better than a preride or in-ride one for me (I find it goes warm and flat in my bottle - or worse I spill some!)

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SideBurn | 9 years ago
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"Are beers really worth a 11 percent decline in performance?"
Yes

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getfast (not verified) replied to SideBurn | 9 years ago
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Ha! I guess it depends on what you want each day.  16

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Simon E | 9 years ago
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So have I got this right?

Some clown you've never heard of creates a cheap & nasty webpage with 5 reasons you shouldn't eat [insert chosen product] after a bike ride so you just believe it?

I never realised brainwashing stupid people was that easy.  21

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notfastenough replied to Simon E | 9 years ago
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Simon E wrote:

So have I got this right?

Some clown you've never heard of creates a cheap & nasty webpage with 5 reasons you shouldn't eat [insert chosen product] after a bike ride so you just believe it?

I never realised brainwashing stupid people was that easy.  21

Given that this is the third "check out this list" thread, all started by getfast and all pointing at the same website, I think the OP has more than heard of the sites' creator- I think he sees him in the bathroom mirror every morning.

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peterben | 9 years ago
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Beer does not cause dehydration, that is a myth. Wine and spirits will. Due to it's volume beer will supply more fluid than it causes you to expel. It is also readily available carb and bitter particularly is a source of B vitamins. Bitter shandy even better.

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Daveyraveygravey replied to peterben | 9 years ago
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peterben wrote:

Beer does not cause dehydration, that is a myth. Wine and spirits will. Due to it's volume beer will supply more fluid than it causes you to expel. It is also readily available carb and bitter particularly is a source of B vitamins. Bitter shandy even better.

You were doing so well til the last sentence and then it all fell apart! I love beer and I love cycling, although I tend not to do both at the same time these days. A couple of pints in the middle of a long ride in the summer with friends - one of the joys of being alive. Ok so the first half hour after when you are trying to get going again is a bit of a struggle...

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Jimmy Ray Will | 9 years ago
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I'm abstaining from the evil alcohol during January and I have to say that three weeks in, I am noticing a marked improvement in both my perceived physical fitness (need to do a controlled test to clarify) and especially in my recovery (muscle soreness) from training.

I have to be honest with you... this utterly, utterly breaks my heart.

Whats really annoying is that I've not lost any weight... which was the real driver for stopping.

One of the scary habits I now realise that I had got into, was finishing a hard session on the turbo of an evening, coming in from the shed and sitting down with a glass of red... Just after these turbo sessions have been the only time I have really missed it.

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sincadena | 9 years ago
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I can feel Anquetil spinning in the grave at the thought of cyclist's everywhere ditching beer/wine/champers/pastis. FFS, it's supposed to be fun. I've won a few elite races both still pissed/hungover, and I know a fair few who enjoy a nice pint afterwards.

As the Spanish say: "no engine, no go..."

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Colin Peyresourde | 9 years ago
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Not to pick holes in this but it doesn't say when the decreases happen (immediately/long-term or the day after) and in fact some of the English is awfully unclear.

Alcohol is not very healthy, but the claims are not really contextualised and do not provide a deeper understanding.

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Quince | 9 years ago
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The article seems a little simplistic (but that I guess that's half the point of '5 Reasons Why...' lists), and doesn't make any explicit mention of quantities. The list generally feels a little 'cobbled together' in my happy opinion (//.\\)

In fact, the whole website just seems like the product of some chap in America with a fondness for self-proclamation and 'Top 5 Lists'. His bio page (http://samuelwbennett.com/index.html) basically says, 'Hey, I plan of becoming the best cyclist ever! How? Because I am AWESOME!!!'.

It's a very 'quick-to-judge' summary I've made, but at least it stuck it out beyond the lurid green 'get fast' banner.

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getfast (not verified) replied to Quince | 9 years ago
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Thanks for the comment. Simplistic in theme, but all ideas presented are founded in science and empirical data. Simplistic articles are what readers generally prefer. I do sometimes right more detailed posts, see an except from 'Nutrition: The Role Of Iron' below.

I simply have a goal and Im trying to achieve it, I'm no 'better/ than anyone else...I just work hard.

Iron in the body

A typical human contains about 4 g of iron, of which approximately 70% of that iron is present as hemoglobin in red blood cells. Iron is also stored in the liver, the bone marrow (the site of red blood cell production) and the spleen. According to Nielsen and Nachtigall 1998, 1-2 mg of iron is cleared from the body daily. Athletes are also known to require more iron due to several factors including increased demand for red blood cells (hemoglobin) and blood vessels, blood loss from injury and from heavy sweating. Given the physiological stress exercise exerts on the body, the iron required for hemoglobin synthesis may be the most important aspect of iron nutrition for an athlete.

Iron deficiency, hemoglobin and athletic performance

According to Peeling et al, iron deficiency can be characterized by three stages with increasing severity. Stage 1, iron depletion from the bone marrow, spleen and liver; stage 2 is characterized by a decreased production of new red blood cells; stage 3 is marked by iron deficient anemia and a reduction in hemoglobin production.

Hemoglobin, the iron containing protein in red blood cells, is the protein responsible for binding and transporting oxygen from the lungs to various somatic cells. Every gram of hemoglobin is capable of carrying and transporting 1.3 ml of oxygen. Myoglobin, another iron containing protein present in the muscles, accepts oxygen from hemoglobin and transports the oxygen to mitochondria. The mitochondria are the site of cellular respiration, i.e., transforming food energy into energy for the body. Several researchers have demonstrated a clear link between iron deficiency, as low hemoglobin levels, and athletic performance.

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen a body can utilize and it is often measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight. VO2 max is often used as a measure of fitness and athletic performance. Given that muscle performance is limited by oxygen delivery, the link between hemoglobin levels and athletic performance (VO2 max) is quite logical on the surface and is also well established in the literature. Otto and coworkers suggest that hemoglobin concentrations are one of the critical limiting parameters for cardiac output. In their work, they showed that for VO2 max increases 1% for every 3-g/l increase in hemoglobin concentration. Other work by Jacobs and colleagues focused on cyclists showed that;

the strongest predictor for maximal incremental power output is the hemoglobin mass and that overall exercise performance (time trial performance + incremental power output) correlates most strongly to measures regarding the capacity for oxygen transport, high VO2 max and hemoglobin mass.

Other work reflecting the link between hemoglobin and increased athletic performance can be found here, here, and here. It then follows that iron supplementation may enhance athletic performance. In a study looking at runners, researchers found a significant link between iron supplementation, hemoglobin levels and VO2 max. The researchers gave 19 trained athletes 50 IU of iron per kg every 2 days for 4 weeks. VO2 max and hemoglobin levels were monitored before during and after the 4-week administration period. Their work showed that:

1) Running performance was improved by 6% and remained enhanced by 3% after 4 weeks

2) VO2 max significantly increased from 56.0 to 60.7 ml/min/kg

3) Hemoglobin significantly increased from 12.7 to 15.2 g/kg

Given the benefits of iron, how much should one intake?

The USDA recommends that typical adult males consume 8 mg of iron per day while adult females should consume 18 mg of iron per day. Given the increased iron demands for athletes, how much iron should an athlete consume per day? The answer is the same for an athlete unless they are anemic. Research shows no benefit from iron supplementation unless an athlete is deficient in iron. Given a deficiency, one should consult their physician to obtain a prescription for iron supplementation.

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jacknorell | 9 years ago
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Much easier to just ride more... cutting out the beer is just cruel.

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Broady | 9 years ago
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It's a good hour before I can stomach a beer after a ride. On the few occasions that I've gone to a pub on the ride I can't even drink a half! I now just have water or maybe a sugary fizzy drink.

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getfast (not verified) replied to Broady | 9 years ago
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Me too. After a hard ride I want water with bubbles and a something salty to eat.

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farrell | 9 years ago
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I get the feeling that people like Samuel Bennett staying out of pubs and not drinking is probably for the benefit of us all.

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getfast (not verified) replied to farrell | 9 years ago
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 20

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Al__S | 9 years ago
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depends if you're riding for fun or riding for "results" doesn't it?

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SamShaw | 9 years ago
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Christ on a bike.... I thought this was about tea for a moment!

Glad the cuppa is still safe...

Phew.  4

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UrbanBushman replied to SamShaw | 9 years ago
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I feared the same only with coffee. Coffe and bikes just go well together.

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getfast (not verified) replied to UrbanBushman | 9 years ago
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Coffee goes real well with bikes...I sometimes roll with a thermos full of Joe.

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J90 replied to getfast | 9 years ago
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I don't like venturing into pubs wearing cycling gear personally.

getfast wrote:

Coffee goes real well with bikes...I sometimes roll with a thermos full of Joe.

So pro.

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