The best unconventional wisdom of the week thus far has to be this, from the most conventional of sources — one David Barton (as in the gym): "It's better to work out and drink than to not work out and drink."

Now I don't go to the gym, really, so I wouldn't know that Barton is now serving up vodka cocktails after spinning classes in New York, Chicago, and Miami. And I wouldn't know if it's necessarily a good idea to mix that many sweaty people already as delirious from vainglory as they are from exhaustion... with a pop-up bar in their midst. But I do know this: You are very much allowed to have a drink before, during, and after a workout.

If you tend to get most of your exercise on a moving bicycle, clay court, or something involving nine-to-eighteen holes, go for all three of those time frames. If that's a mounted bike, hardcourt, or the holes in between your abdominal muscles, better stick to the latter. If any of that's happening in the morning, better not. For most men, attending the gym is a necessary and only occasionally liberating hobby, and so it happens after work or on the weekend, when you're most likely to be drinking anyway. No need to let a couple calories stand in your way — drinkers work out more anyway, and liberation is more powerful than guilt. Plus, it loosens up the blood pressure. And Dr. Oz has a drink every day, so why not?

Still, as Barton continued to tell The Times, "It's a little weird to serve bourbon or Scotch... Tequila might seem out of control. Vodka seems like the right complement to the gym." So it's okay to go for the Diet Coke of cocktails here, but let's not get too carried away with the flavored booze and muddle cucumbers, alright? A few ground rules:

Before the (regularly scheduled) workout: Gin. A gin, Campari, and soda. Maybe with some sort of juice in there, but only if the bartender on your way to the gym knows how to balance it with some kick, like the fellas at Brooklyn's Clover Club do with the dash of pomegranate molasses in their take on the Tom Collins, the Bitter Tom.

During the (impromptu) workout: Vodka. A Goose and soda — or Barton's Svedka, even — because you don't need to sip so much as recharge and move on.

After the (intense, or not so much) workout: Rum. Ask (nicely) for an Arnold Palmer with some white Caribbean rum. Although, really, a double shot of Myer's would taste much better in there.

There's moderation involved, of course. As one happy-hour companion e-mailed me the other day: "Warning: Training for the marathon and am a total boy scout right now — try not to mock too heavily." But still, he tacked a few on. And smiled.

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