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Why Alcohol and Bodybuilding Don’t Mix
Bodybuilders know nutrition has to be on-point to
achieve maximum results.
However, an exception is made quite often to this creed: the consumption of
alcohol. Drinking at social functions is assumed and expected in our
culture.
And at first glance, having a few drinks every now seems like no big deal. I
mean, it’s not like it could wreak havoc on your physique, right?
Let’s take a closer look.
Drinking alcohol on weekends alone may seem infrequent (only two of seven
days).
However, it will set you back more than you know by decreasing fat
oxidation, decreasing protein synthesis, and lowering testosterone levels.
Will one weekend of fun destroy your gains? Probably not, but it
can slow down your momentum greatly.
Worse yet, it can become a slippery slope, and those who do partake tend to
not have an honest evaluation of their frequency of alcohol consumption.
This isn’t about being a good or bad person; it’s a matter of simple science
and good health.
Alcohol and bodybuilding are just not a good match. If
you want to truly take the bodybuilding lifestyle seriously,
I recommend reinventing your social life a little by keeping alcohol
consumption at a bare minimum.
I abstain from alcohol altogether (health and spiritual reasons) and still
have a wildly fun social life.
As so often in life, we have to sacrifice desired pleasures to
acquire more important things.
The Toxicity of Alcohol
The toxicity of alcohol is a topic that’s been studied extensively by
scientific researchers for decades. Alcohol loves to attach itself to the
membranes in our nerve cells, where it builds up and interrupts healthy
functioning.
Researchers in one study published in the Journal of
Hepatology emphasized that excessive alcohol intake is a major public
health issue around the world and one of the main determinants of a variety of
non-communicable diseases.
The World Health Organization has estimated alcohol is attributed to at
least four percent of all deaths worldwide and is a leading risk factor especially
for males between the ages of 15 and 59.
There are many factors that contribute to the toxicity of alcohol,
including:
- Nutritional
abnormalities
- Changes
in hormones
- Serotonin
levels
- Acetylcholine
levels
- Changes in
electrolyte balance
- Heavy metal
content
How intoxicated you get is ultimately determined by genetics, gender,
race, other health conditions you have, body size and composition, your current
mood, hormones, what you’ve been eating, and how you’ve been sleeping. Bodybuilders’ systems are going through
periods of great transition during training, so the way your body used to
handle alcohol is likely different now.
Having a Couple Drinks vs. Getting Drunk
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to reach a state of all-out
drunkenness to do noticeable damage to your health and prevent gains at the
gym. Even weekend warriors and people who have just a drink or two per night to
wind down at the end of the day are slowing down their bodybuilding progress.
For example, drinking in excess on a single night, even if that’s a very
rare occurrence, hinders your body’s ability to fight infections and
weakens your immune system long after the buzz has worn
off. If you’re serious about bodybuilding, you simply don’t have time or
energy to waste on alcohol.
Effects of Alcohol on the Body
Even if you understand how alcohol affects you personally, you might not
realize the extent of the effects it has on your body. It slows down your
progress to build muscle and burn fat, but that’s just
the start.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism lays out many of
the common effects alcohol has on the body:
- Brain – mood,
coordination, movement difficulties
- Heart –
irregular heartbeat, high
blood pressure, stroke
- Liver – Fatty
liver deposits, fibrosis, cirrhosis
- Cancer – Mouth,
liver, breast, throat, esophagus
- Pancreas – digestion
issues
- Immune
system
– makes the body an easy target for illness
The effects of alcohol are caused by the metabolites (substances necessary
for metabolism) it contains, which can eventually lead to metabolic
acidosis and cellular dysfunction. Metabolic acidosis occurs when there is too
much acid in your body’s fluids, and symptoms include rapid breathing and
lethargy.
Meanwhile, cellular dysfunction often appears in the body as an inflammatory condition and is marked by
reduced protein turnover and impaired energy production. It doesn’t take a
scientist to understand why these effects and symptoms are problematic for bodybuilders.
The morning after a heavy night of drinking in your 40s probably feels
considerably more miserable than it did when you were in your 20s. That’s
because our bodies typically recover from intoxication quicker when we’re
young, and the age difference in recovery tends to increase with
greater amounts of alcohol.
Protein Synthesis
In short, protein synthesis is the process of individual cells constructing
proteins. When you train hard in the gym, you damage your muscle tissue and the
process of protein synthesis helps repair the damage. This is also how we build muscle and grow stronger.
However, research show as little as one beer decreases protein
synthesis by as much as 20% for up to a 24-hour period. That’s not good at
all.
It flat-out cripples your body’s ability to repair, thus slowing
down and limiting your gains.
Testosterone
When we start talking about alcohol and bodybuilding, we have to address
testosterone.
Alcohol consumption lowers testosterone. Ironically, men who drink a lot
think it’s “manly,” when in fact, it makes them less of a
man — literally. It also limits the body’s ability to build lean muscle. Studies show that
having three to four drinks in a day can reduce testosterone levels
in men by as much as seven percent.
I don’t know about you, but I need all the “T” I can get.
Alcohol and Bodybuilding … and Body Fat
Fat oxidation is a catabolic process in which fatty acids are broken down by the body to be
used as energy. According to a study published in the American Journal of
Physiology, bodybuilding increases fat oxidation at rest
without changes to one’s dietary intake.
This means you burn calories even while you’re sleeping. That is awesome.
Well, say bye-bye to this awesomeness if you drink alcohol.
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that alcohol
decreases fat oxidation and habitual consumption of alcohol favors fat storage
and weight gain.
When only 24 grams of alcohol is consumed (less than two beers), the liver
produces enough acetate to decrease the body’s fat oxidation, by a colossal 73
percent.
To make things worse, alcohol is a poor source of extra calories that aren’t
built into your meal plan.
Alcohol and Bodybuilding Takeaway
This article was meant to educate you on how alcohol can affect bodybuilding.
Even if you like to drink in a social capacity, it can decrease your
body’s ability to burn fat and repair muscle. Any amount weakens the body.
Although it’s clear that alcohol isn’t good for your health, this isn’t
sweeping message telling folks to get sober. People can drink responsibly with
minimal health damage.
However, if excelling at bodybuilding is important to you,
abstaining from booze might be one more sacrifice worth taking.
For more ideas related to alcohol and bodybuilding, watch this video - How
Alcohol Impacts Muscle (New Study)
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System
is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users
with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and
vegetarians only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Vegan Bodybuilding Tips
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