The Effects Of Alcohol Consumption On Measures Of Anaerobic Performance

Abstract

Although alcohol is a depressant drug, some athletes believe it can be used as an ergogenic aid to improve athletic performance. Despite this belief, studies have shown that alcohol has a detrimental effect on endurance and work performance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute alcohol ingestion by achieving a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.06% on muscle strength, power, endurance, and anaerobic capacity in college aged males and females. METHODS: Twenty five (13 females, 12 males) college aged males and females (22 ± 3 yrs, 173 ± 12 cm, 70 ± 17 kg, 45 ± 8 ml/kg/min, and 16 ± 7% body fat) completed 1 repetition maximum bench press, vertical jump, abdominal crunches, and the Wingate anaerobic cycling test under placebo (PLA) and alcohol condition (ALC). Trials were completed using a randomized, crossover design (Female: ALC=2.1 g/kg of alcohol + 4.3 g/kg CHO; PLA=6.4 g/kg CHO; Male: ALC=2.6 g/kg of alcohol + 5.3 g/kg CHO; PLA=7.9 g/kg CHO). During the ALC trial, mean BAC during testing was 0.060 ± 0.008. Performance differences were determined by paired t-tests with significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between trials for the bench press, vertical jump, and abdominal crunches. Peak watts during the Wingate were similar between trials, but mean watts produced over 30 seconds were reduced during ALC compared to PLA (520 + 166 watts and 538 + 176 watts for PLA and ALC trials, respectively, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Achieving a BAC of 0.06% through acute ingestion of alcohol limits sustained anaerobic power output but has minimal impact on measures of muscle strength, endurance, and power.