In addition to Powerade and Gatorade, one common post-run drink is a nice cold glass of beer. As shown by the number of fun runs with post-race beer gardens, beer and exercise recovery go together, right? Well, maybe not.
A recent study has found that ingesting alcohol after exercise may hinder muscle recovery. Specifically, alcohol appears to inhibit rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) – an important component in post-run recovery.
So although a post-run beer is fine now and then, it is best to choose a different recovery drink most of the time.