You finish a grueling lifting session, knock out a protein-dense dinner , and head out to meet friends for a beer or two. If you are focused on optimizing your results, one thought might be lingering in the back of your mind. Did those drinks just completely derail all your hard work?

Alcohol has earned a reputation as a muscle-building saboteur, with warnings that drinking after exercise can interfere with recovery and blunt muscle growth. There’s science behind those concerns, but some of the most frequently cited research involved considerably more alcohol than the occasional post-workout drink.

The real question isn’t whether alcohol affects the body after exercise. It’s how much it takes to make a meaningful difference and whether the impact changes depending on how often you drink.

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