The Lifter’s Guide to Drinking Without Losing Gains

Happy Hour: The current wellness consensus on alcohol is pretty clear: less is better, and none is best. But for the dedicated lifter who enjoys the occasional drink, we’re asking: how much can you get away with before it hurts your training?

The Study: A narrative review looking at the effects of alcohol on strength training outcomes found that at doses of about 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per occasion, alcohol didn’t appear to affect recovery or muscle protein synthesis. For reference, that’s about three drinks for a 180-pound person. However, the effects on muscle repair and sleep did start to pile up if participants crossed that threshold.

The Takeaway: If you train consistently and want a drink on occasion, staying at or below 0.5g/kg each occasion likely won’t undo your progress. This shouldn’t give you a reason to drink this much every day. But for times that you do drink, 0.5g/kg is the ceiling.

Keep in Mind: Individual tolerance truly varies, and drinking can affect sleep quality and hydration at even smaller amounts. The safest amount for your training is still zero, but a little won’t wreck your progress.