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Let me offer some food for thought: How many athletes report drinking a bit before competing? The answer is none because it negatively affects all physical ab
by Swenrekcah 5y ago
Let me offer some food for thought:
How many athletes report drinking a bit before competing?
The answer is none because it negatively affects all physical ability.
So would you say it’s likely that in aggregate drinking would be healthy?
Edit: Wow, I guess people really don't like to think about this.
To respond to both comments below, yes sure, sometimes it helps to relax just a bit and alcohol can help with that, but obviously you could also just drink some tea or actually train yourself to command better control over your state of relaxation.
Alcohol is a shortcut that comes with some penalties, but personal ability might overcome those penalties. That doesn't mean that person couldn't have performed even better without drinking.
And regarding lists of athletes that have been known to drink, well of course a counterexample to any absolute statement can be found, I'll grant that. But in the overwhelming majority you won't find top level athletes at the bar the night before the big event and there's a reason for that.
- stronglikedan 5y agoI used to have a beer before the gym, so I could get my heart rate up faster (thinner blood), and lift more (less pain response). If I were competing with an otherwise equally matched opponent at the gym, a beer would give me an edge.
- colechristensen 5y agoRefuting your “none” https://whyy.org/segments/when-a-bit-of-booze-is-just-the-boost-you-need/ https://whyy.org/segments/when-a-bit-of-booze-is-just-the-bo...
- penjelly 5y ago> The answer is none because it negatively affects all physical ability. Wrong. I can think of a few off the top of my mind who still have alcohol in their system while competing/training. - Arnold Schwartzenegger - Jon Jones and various other ufc fighters - olympic athletes in the olympic village according to news sources more here.. https://firstwefeast.com/drink/2015/08/athletes-drinking-habits https://firstwefeast.com/drink/2015/08/athletes-drinking-hab... Also note, physical ability isnt the only thing involved in high level performance. Ive had a couple beers before doing gymnastics before, and while it made me more disoriented i was less inhibited and actually performed better that day.
- GuB-42 5y agoAt some point, alcohol was listed as a performance enhancing drug in archery because a moderate amount is supposed to steady the aim. It is still banned in many competitions for that reason, and not just because drunk shooting is a bad idea.
- PaulDavisThe1st 5y agoDepends on the type of athlete. I know many ultraendurance and endurance athletes who are quite happy to drink the night before an event. This includes nationally and internationally ranked people, not just back-of-the-pack participants.
- pknight 5y agoAlcohol consumption was pretty common in the NBA, with some even drinking during halftime. Some of the biggest stars of the league in the past decades drank a lot of alcohol, though much less now with more stringent policies in place. There are players that led the league in scoring despite drinking well into the night all the time. Lebron James is a famous wine drinker. He drinks every day and his longetivity and conditioning is unmatched, but he may be from a different planet. These were some random facts from an NBA fan who doesn't drink.
- yakshaving_jgt 5y agoI used to work with one of the best athletes in the world (double Ultraman world champion), and I think he would disagree with you. https://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Island_To_Island_-_The_toughest_one-day-race_in_Sweden__531.html https://www.slowtwitch.com/Features/Island_To_Island_-_The_t...
- dionidium 5y ago"Mickey Mantle knew two things: 1. Drinking 2. Playing drunk baseball" -- Norm MacDonald (RIP)