endurance & muscle soreness.

Alcohol prevents the liver from making glucose, which leaves you, as an athlete, tired and wondering what happened to your endurance. Alcohol can leave you out of bounds as you watch your team.

1. ATP* is used in the body for muscle contractions.
2. ATP is produced during glycolysis=breakdown of glucose to ATP
3. As ATP* is leaked into the blood when there is damage to a muscle tissue.
5. Alcohol decreases production of glucose—>muscle fatigue—>muscle soreness

So what does that really mean? Basically, when you consume alcohol the body isn’t able to break down the essential nutrient for energy because it is not there. To compensate the body tries to keep up and is fatigued. When the muscles are fatigued, but you still demand things from them, the muscles become overworked. Overworked muscles lead to muscle soreness, which can be seen by an increase of CPK in the blood.

*ATP=adenosine triphosphate
*CPK=creatinephosphokinate
--information from:
Wilmore, Jack H. Costill, David L. Kenney, W. Larry. Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Energy expenditure and Fatigue. Edition 4. Chapter 4. Pp.100-104.

Alcohol Adviosyr Counsel of New Zealand. Sport. Alcohol and Exercise. http://www.alcohol.org.nz/Sport.aspx?PostingID=835