Can I Do Weightlifting With A Hangover?

Have you been wondering: can I do weightlifting with a hangover?
The short answer is: you shouldn’t do weightlifting with a hangover. And remember, please, this is a sensible approach! Don’t listen to people who are saying it’s okay to do weightlifting with a hangover.

Please be responsible, and when you are hungover, please try to relax and rehydrate your body. Training makes the situation even worse. It is not healthy and does not bring benefits – warns Ian Streetz, a personal trainer from the Kobox gym in London. It is worth to add that while you are hungover and trying to weightlift, your dehydrated body is more prone to cramps and injuries.

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of a hangover. And if you are hungover, drink water, relax and skip strength training until you recover. In my experience, apart from drinking water, I can recommend sauerkraut juice or water from pickled cucumbers. Also, vitamin C and isotonic drinks work well.

The sooner you start drinking a lot of fluid, the better – it’s best to be able to drink immediately after drinking alcohol. You can also eat a bit of warm food. Scrambled eggs for breakfast will be just right. Gently prepared a small amount of meat with stewed vegetables will also be suitable for dinner. Protein or mass gainer will also be the right choice. A valuable meal is important for the rapid regeneration of the body.

Training when you are hungover is less effective and does not bring such satisfaction. A tired body copes worse with exercise. Alcohol also negatively affects the muscle-building process and its regeneration. Such training can do more harm than good.

You can clean up the garage or do some work in the garden, but don’t go to the gym! Keep busy your body and mind so that the hangover will pass quickly. Besides and take a bath, also walking is recommended. Just DO NOT sit and lament – do anything.

How to Avoid a Hangover

Do not drink! Yes, yes, I know, sometimes you cannot avoid drinking, especially while you are invited for occasions. What can you do with it? Have a look at these tried and tested tips.

  • Be a driver. This is the only real way to avoid or minimize drinking at the party. The driver is always accepted in the drinking company. Use it.
  • Drink alternative drinks. Colleagues overthrow another can of beer, and you hold a can of fashionable energy drink in your hand and sip slowly. So you are drinking something – a social ritual preserved.
  • Take part in a toast important for the company, drink symbolically, but avoid to drink more. Be clever, and don’t let anybody drag you in drinking. As a weightlifter, your character should be strong. Try not to join the drinking team.

Apart from the above, to prevent alcohol from affecting your body too quickly, you should eat a lot and move.

The best way not to get drunk is to dance and eat fatty food. For example, it’s not difficult at a wedding.

But you should think about strengthening your body sooner. You shouldn’t be tired when going to a party. Sleeplessness and fatigue reduce alcohol resistance. That’s why it’s worth getting enough sleep before the party. Also, it is worth having a snack beforehand. You should not drink on an empty stomach. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is harmful.

Also, you should avoid mixing alcohol and drinking it with sweet, fizzy alcohol. They accelerate the absorption of alcohol by the body.

Summary

Weightlifting training, when you are hungover, is not recommended at all – especially, if you are strongly experiencing the symptoms of alcohol poisoning.
In this situation, the only way out is to rest and provide the body with the most significant possible dose of nutrients.

If you do not feel exhausted, then you can afford physical effort. However, you should avoid proper strength training, which additionally puts a strain on your muscles.

You can train no earlier than a few hours after drinking alcohol and remember about isotonic drinks to rehydrate your body. Water, vegetable, and good quality fruit juices (freshly squeezed have the highest vitamin content, with no added sugar) are best for this purpose.

Also, online you can find advice saying that you can go for weightlifting while you have a hangover. But the question is, for what? What kind of benefit will you have from training while your mind is not fully conscious? For your health and safety, please, don’t do weightlifting while you have a hangover.

If you are seriously thinking about weightlifting, try to have the best lifestyle as possible to maintain your good health and enjoy your life fully.

Reference: Alcohol, Athletic Performance and Recovery

Tomasz Faber

HI, MY NAME IS TOMASZ, and welcome to my site WeightliftingPlace.com. I’m a weightlifter, and I’m very much interested in health and fitness subjects. Throughout a few years of my weightlifting training, and diet experience, I managed to make my body much, much stronger, as well as build endurance and athletic figure. I live in London, UK, where I enjoy my weightlifting training...read more...

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