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Exercising when drunk.

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Obviously, not recommended by any reputable personal trainer or health professional, but yesterday I had planned to do some weight training - instead, I unexpectedly ended up in the brew pub*

Not being some lightweight worry-wort, I decided to do my weight training when I got home. I didn't die and I didn't drop any heavy weights on my toes. Did I have a lucky escape? 

Discuss

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 7:43 am
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Yes, you could have died man! I think that's shockingly irresponsible of you. Oh, and please don't look at what I posted on the midweek ride thread just a few minutes before you. 😉 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 7:46 am
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Posted by: vlad_the_invader

Obviously, not recommended by any reputable personal trainer or health professional, but yesterday I had planned to do some weight training - instead, I unexpectedly ended up in the brew pub*

Not being some lightweight worry-wort, I decided to do my weight training when I got home. I didn't die and I didn't drop any heavy weights on my toes. Did I have a lucky escape? 

Discuss

 

 

What could the asterisk be intended for?

*'Spoons

 

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 7:49 am
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Posted by: Beagleboy

Yes, you could have died man! I think that's shockingly irresponsible of you. Oh, and please don't look at what I posted on the midweek ride thread just a few minutes before you. 😉 

😂

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 7:57 am
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Fairly regular occurrence for a lot of climbers I reckon.

I think the last time I did it was years ago in Oman. We'd been deep water soloing near the Straight of Hormuz and then drove inland and set up camp. Had tea with a few beers then at about midnight we decided we might as well start climbing. Can't recall how many pitches we did but I was starting to worry about night time being the point where all the creepy crawlies would come scuttling out of the large pockets I was using as holds.

In the end it was a large bird that came flying out in a panic as I climbed past. I nearly crapped myself and we decided to call it a day.

All bolt protected  so not quite as stupid as traditional climbing  but still sub optimal


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:42 am
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id be interested to see how the alcohol affects the the cardio or strength training processes

 

a quick surf of pubmed throws up several studies saying that alcohol disrupts some of the processes involved in muscle building so you might loose benefit of strength training 

also as a diarrhetic it means you will become dehydrated easier and the effect on deep sleep may also effect recovery, which is when you are actually building up the muscle

also strains liver so you will get more lactate buildup

alcohol is also a vasodilator, lowering your bp, meaning your heart rate has to increase to compensate, so increased risk of stroke during strength training but for cardio it would put you in a higher hr zone, obviously if you have heart issues this would not be advised!!

studies of heart attack victims show those whod drunk just before were almost twice as likely to have a heart attack

 

in summary, assuming you have no preexisting conditions it's probably not going to do u any harm now and again after a pint or two, long term not a good idea

but you lose some of the benefit of the actual exercise anyway , and more than a couple of pints you will likely see a big drop off in muscle building 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1467026/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24533082/

https://www.cardiosmart.org/news/2016/3/heavy-drinking-heightens-immediate-risk-for-heart-attack-and-stroke

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4314445/

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:44 am
a11y reacted
 mert
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Once turned round from a club ride when i realised i'd been leaning on my mate for the last 5 km.

While he was also leaning on me. 

For stability...

We'd both been out the night before and i got home about 6 am after going back to a lovely young ladies apartment, out on the road by 9... I was back home, showered and in bed by 10:30. Got my hangover in the afternoon.

Then went out for some drinks with the lovely young lady.

Who turned out to not be as lovely as she'd seemed at midnight.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:55 am
 DrP
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"a quick surf of pubmed throws up several studies saying that alcohol disrupts some of the processes involved in muscle building so you might loose benefit of strength training"

 

This is my understanding.
I've definitely been sorer after doing a strength workout and then getting pissed up in the eve.

 

A few times I've had frineds over and we've been bladdered, then tried hitting high watts on the turbo trainer... no one died, but i did similar at the Goodwood festival of speed (Ford stand..zwift sprint challenge) after drinking in teh sun all day, and gave myself a migraine!!!

 

Prob wouldn't do a weight workout after a sesh though!

 

DrP


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:56 am
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going back to a lovely young ladies apartment

I don't think we're talking about that sort of post drinking physical exercise.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:01 am
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I once went for a run whilst drunk and OMG my feet and legs hurt the next day. I think all my technique went out the window obv and I was just slamming my feet down into the pavement. 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:23 am
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Posted by: kimbers

and the effect on deep sleep may also effect recovery,

well if it effects recovery, I'm gonna be getting wasted after a ride 🙂

if it affects recovery then maybe drinking in moderation is better?


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:29 am
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Well worth reading up on grand tour Cafe Raids, they were a key part of TdF and Giro. Those dudes we quite content to neck a bottle of wine to prepare them for the next big climb, all in the days before sports science came along and ruined the fun!

Cafe Raids

bar-raids-cycling-giro-tour-nss-16.jpg

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:47 am
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I know this isn't quite the point of the OP but its not uncommon for me to do some fairly intense training (running hill reps, threshold/V02 max session on turbo or whatever) and then hit the pub a bit later.

I do wonder exactly to what extent the effects of the training are negated by a whole bunch of pints and a 2am finish. I assume the benefits of the training aren't *completely* negated but likely quite blunted? Curious to know exactly how much though (or perhaps not). 

I obviously realise that doing the training and not going out getting wasted at all would be better before anyone feels the need to say it. 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:50 am
 mert
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Posted by: thisisnotaspoon
I don't think we're talking about that sort of post drinking physical exercise.
It's my most common form of post drinking exercise these days. And it probably was those days too...

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:53 am
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well if it effects recovery, I'm gonna be getting wasted after a ride🙂

if it affects recovery then maybe drinking in moderation is better?

There's a few of factors to it:

1) the calories in the beer

2) the poor decision making after a few beers.  No, a kebab is not much needed post exercise protein, and that family bag of salted kettle chips aren't electrolytes.

3)  the alcohol acts as a metabolic off-switch.  The body stops using energy to recover and repair, and instead has to process the alcohol and stores any excess energy as fat.

4) it disrupts your sleep, you tend to sleep more/longer (which means you aren't up and about burning energy) but it' poor quality do you don't actually get the recovery, which means you then burn less energy / do less exercise the next day.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 10:00 am
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I once cycled home from work after corporate event for the Englad Wales game in Euro 2016. 

I survived (somehow) but was about 40 minutes slower over 20 miles. And I was sick and fell asleep on the floor when I got home. 

 

I blame dehydration and exercise for the negative effects, not the 7 pints of moretti in 2 hours.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 10:07 am
Cletus reacted
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I won a "who can jump up the most steps of Coventry Cathedral" competition after several pints in the student union bar. I doubt I could have done that sober.

Plus, 35 years later, my resultant cartilage-less knee is still putting food on the tables of various physiotherapists, and at some point in the future the replacement it will require will give a nice little job to an orthopaedic surgeon, so everyone's a winner.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 10:44 am
prawny reacted
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My fastest commute home was after an irresponsible number of pints (5 in about 90 mins, as you’re asking), didn’t tire the whole way despite a long old climb, practically sprinted.

 

No hangover the next day (drank lots of water when home) but was exhausted, and stiff as a board. Not like that…


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 11:14 am
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Back in the days of the "old" Real Ale Wobble there were some very refreshed people riding around ( and spewing on climbs!). I don't remember anybody dieing.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 11:54 am
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Posted by: prawny

I survived (somehow) but was about 40 minutes slower over 20 miles.

It's quite a common thing. I can walk to the pub in about ten minutes, but it takes me about forty five to get home again. The difference is staggering!


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 12:20 pm
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Me and my mate met some ladies at the local riding spot for a picnic. We picnicked, we drank beer. We then left them sitting in the sun and went for a ride. I crashed very badly and wrecked my shoulder.. the worst thing was the noises I made from the pain. So embarrassing. I will never drink & MTB again.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 4:12 pm
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Posted by: vlad_the_invader

Obviously, not recommended by any reputable personal trainer or health professional, but yesterday I had planned to do some weight training - instead, I unexpectedly ended up in the brew pub*

Not being some lightweight worry-wort, I decided to do my weight training when I got home. I didn't die and I didn't drop any heavy weights on my toes. Did I have a lucky escape? 

Discuss

 

All good. Spent many a PT session getting thrashed by an educationally-challenged physical training instructor during my time in uniform. 

That was until people got a stick up their arse about turning up for PT straight off the piss. 

Sigh. good times. 

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 6:29 pm
 ton
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one of my fave rides of the year is the Jennride.  sometimes i do the route, other times i have been know to follow my nose or my thirst.

a classic route for me is, The cuckoo brow, The drunken duck, The outgate inn, The sun inn, The three shire, The brittania and then the ODG.

the route gets easier the further i cycle.   and a few on here will testify to my ability to cycle under such testing conditions.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 6:47 pm
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When I used to live near Wigan, I did a bike/pub crawl along the Leeds/Liverpool canal with a few mates. IiRC, there were 14 pubs between the start point in Wigan and home. Good times and God knows how no one ended up in the drink (though plenty of drink ended up inside us...)

I couldn't do that these days...


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 6:56 pm
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Definitely still pissed on the start line of a 10k race many years ago after too much tequila - how do I know, because I sobered up around the 7k mark - it was brutal.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 7:33 pm
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Posted by: prawny

I once cycled home from work after corporate event for the Englad Wales game in Euro 2016. 

I survived (somehow) but was about 40 minutes slower over 20 miles. And I was sick and fell asleep on the floor when I got home. 

 

I blame dehydration and exercise for the negative effects, not the 7 pints of moretti in 2 hours.

TBH me and my m8 used to do this regularly, good old Bath to Bristol horizontal\vertical park.

It’s what bikes were invented for 🙂

I preferred it in the light but it wasn’t uncommon for use to go to a works do and cycle back.

It’s a real no,no in Spain as they will fine you for drunk cycling, although I’ve heard it tends to get used if your riding on busy roads.

(Riding in the campo after dark is also seen as pretty dangerous and rightfully so.)

 

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:20 pm
 mert
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Posted by: Dickyboy

Definitely still pissed on the start line of a 10k race many years ago after too much tequila - how do I know, because I sobered up around the 7k mark - it was brutal.

CX with a hangover was not uncommon...

..

 


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:34 pm
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Posted by: kimbers

a quick surf of pubmed

I thought pubmed would be like clubmed but with a more boozy focus


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 8:47 pm
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Posted by: franksinatra

Those dudes we quite content to neck a bottle of wine to prepare them for the next big climb,

True, but wine was about 6% then not 14% so it was basically a bottle of beer. Also, many heart attacks.


 
Posted : 21/05/2026 9:42 pm
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I remember playing rugby the day we won the 2003 World Cup. The game was shown in the bar in the morning and then we ran out to play... maybe Mansfield? Scrums were a little challenging that day and the referee started to get a bit annoyed. Eventually he pulled us up to have a word with the opposition Hooker - and he had an almost comic drunk face. Then one of his props piped up with "Oh, give him a break, he's drunk 8 pints this morning!"

Rugby tours were horrific, though. I went to Newcastle once, had 16 or so pints over the day and then a match the next morning. Genuinely not pleasant. Our team had a brandy bottle that you were supposed to partake of at half-time which meant people were running off and puking. I returned home with only one eyebrow and I was shaking a lot at work on the Monday so i'm pretty sure the exercise combined with the alcohol must have interfered with my muscles... or something. 

 


 
Posted : 22/05/2026 12:49 am