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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Coffee and Bodybuilding – Should Bodybuilders Drink More or Less Coffee?

 

Coffee and Bodybuilding – Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, trailing only water and, debatably, tea. Coffee is among the most consumed — and controversial — beverages in the world, and certainly many of us use it for a nice little boost for working out. While coffee should be treated with care and avoided altogether by those who metabolize it poorly, it also provides health benefits to many people, especially bodybuilders. Read on to find out what they are – and how to drink coffee responsibly.

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


COFFEE’S RISKS AND REWARDS, IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK

Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, trailing only water and, debatably, tea.

Coffee is among the most consumed — and controversial — beverages in the world, and certainly many of us use it for a nice little boost for working out.

While coffee should be treated with care and avoided altogether by those who metabolize it poorly, it also provides health benefits to many people, especially bodybuilders.

Read on to find out what they are – and how to drink coffee responsibly.

Caffeine, a key component of coffee, is a controversial compound.

With 90% of North American adults consuming caffeine daily, it is the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug – and coffee is the delivery method of choice.

Coffee’s origins

The coffee plant originated in East Africa — according to legend, a goat herder tried coffee cherries after he noticed his goats acting much more energetic after nibbling on the coffee bushes.

The earliest evidence of coffee drinking occurred in the 15th century in Yemen. From Yemen, coffee quickly spread to Egypt and North Africa, and by the 16th century it was being enjoyed by the rest of the Middle East, Persia, and Turkey and soon thereafter Italy and the rest of Europe.

Fast forward to today. Coffee is ubiquitous in our culture. Everywhere you look, there’s a coffee shop on the corner. What effect might our cultural love of coffee have on our health?

Short answer: Well, we’re not completely sure.

Coffee’s risks

Research on coffee’s safety is mixed, for several reasons:

  • Metabolism matters. People vary genetically in how well they can process caffeine and coffee.
  • Coffee interacts with many hormones and neurotransmitters in the body, such as cortisol, acetylcholine, and insulin. These relationships are complex, and often depend on timing, amount, and people’s individual makeup.
  • As a crop, coffee is less like corn or soy, and more like cacao or wine grapes: It’s typically grown and processed in smaller batches by smaller-scale farmers and producers. Variations in soil and climate, as well as later roasting and brewing technique, will change the taste and chemical makeup. It’s hard to standardize the exact chemical compounds in coffee from batch to batch.

So it’s hard to say definitively that coffee is “good” or “bad”; “healthy” or “unhealthy”. Let’s explore this in more depth.

What about my metabolism?

One reason that evidence on the health effects of coffee is so mixed is that people clear caffeine at different rates. Caffeine is broken down and cleared by the liver, and our genetic makeup shapes how quickly and effectively we can do this.

  • On one hand, “slow” metabolizers of caffeine don’t process caffeine effectively. These are people who are adversely affected by caffeine, get the jitters, and are wired for up to nine hours after consumption.
  • Others just get a boost in energy and alertness for a couple of hours; they are considered “fast” metabolizers of caffeine.

Research in the emerging field of nutrigenomics shows that about half of us have the gene variant that makes us “slow” metabolizers, while the other half enjoy the gene variant that allows them to get away with quad-espressos.

Thus, whether coffee is better or worse for you depends on how well and quickly you metabolize caffeine.

If you are a slow metabolizer of caffeine and coffee, steer clear (or at least, reduce your consumption). In your case, coffee can do more harm than good, and this may explain why high coffee consumption has been associated with:

On the plus side, low caffeine consumption still seems relatively safe for most folks, so a few daily cups of tea or squares of dark chocolate shouldn’t harm you (and in fact, may greatly boost your wellbeing!).

And fortunately, not everyone is adversely affected. For those lucky enough to be fast metabolizers, there is good news – and lots of it. Fast metabolizers don’t show the same association between coffee and disease — if you’re a fast metabolizer, coffee might even improve your health!

If you’d like to know more about how well you metabolize caffeine, you can take a quick and easy genetic test through agencies such as 23andme.com or existencegenetics.com

What about cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It increases blood pressure, spikes blood sugar and prepares the body for “fight or flight” mode.

Coffee and caffeine tend to transiently increase cortisol levels; however, this depends on several factors, including when you drink coffee, how often you drink it, and whether you have high blood pressure.

Cortisol is normally high in the morning, so if you drink some coffee at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., you should be fine, as cortisol is naturally elevated at that time of day anyway. However, your body may not appreciate coffee as much in the afternoon or evening, when cortisol normally drops. At that point, consider tea or something decaffeinated.

Again, there’s individual variation: Habitual consumers of coffee seem to be less affected by the cortisol bump, while those with hypertension seem to be more affected.

If cortisol levels are a problem for you, keep your coffee intake to first thing in the morning, and otherwise consume more tea. (Not only does tea have less caffeine, it also has other beneficial, calming compounds such as L-theanine.)

What about pesticides?

Coffee plants are heavily sprayed with pesticides, which pose obvious health concerns.

Fortunately, the plant’s structure offers some protection. While the outer “berry” does receive a lot of exposure, it’s the interior bean that is roasted and used for coffee, and its exposure is far less. In addition, the roasting process destroys the majority of pesticide residues.

If you’re especially wary of pesticides, choose organically grown coffee. (Hey, it can’t hurt.) And while you’re at it, look for the Fair Trade label, which helps insure that family farmers are paid a fair wage for their crops.

What about my insulin sensitivity?

While a high dose of caffeine tends to decrease insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance acutely, it doesn’t seem to cause chronic problems. While those at risk of developing diabetes may want to be cautious, overall coffee consumption is actually associated with a 35% decreased risk of developing type II diabetes.

What about my kids?

There’s no clear guideline on when kids can safely consume coffee. Guidelines on caffeine consumption are based mostly on the size of the child, rather than their chronological ages.

Nevertheless, Health Canada recommends:

  • no more than 45 milligrams a day for kids aged 4 to 6;
  • 62.5 milligrams for kids age 7 to 9;
  • 85 milligrams for kids age 10 to 12; and
  • no more than 2.5 milligrams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight for adolescents 13 and up.

All this means that a 110-pound adolescent should not have more than 125 milligrams of caffeine a day — about one 6-8 oz cup of coffee.

Coffee’s benefits

Caffeine & dehydration

For years, fitness enthusiasts worried that coffee would dehydrate them. However, a recent review of 10 studies found that consuming up to 550 mg of caffeine per day (or about five 8-oz cups) does not cause fluid-electrolyte imbalances in athletes or fitness enthusiasts.

In another review, researchers concluded that consuming caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle does not lead to fluid losses exceeding the volume of fluid consumed (intake and output were roughly equal), nor is it associated with poor hydration status.

Take-home: Don’t drink coffee as your only beverage, and drink enough water, and you’ll be fine.

Coffee & performance

Let’s be honest — that first morning coffee can transform us from beast to philosopher (or at least, slightly more awake and nicer beast). Coffee, and more specifically its caffeine content, provide many noted mental and physical performance benefits.

Caffeine reduces our rate of perceived exertion, so it doesn’t feel like we’re working as hard as we actually are. People who regularly drink coffee perform better on tests of reaction time, verbal memory, and visuo-spatial reasoning.

Another study found that women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on tests of cognitive function if they had regularly consumed coffee over the course of their lifetimes.

Take-home: A little bit of coffee/caffeine before important tasks requiring alertness and energy can be a good thing.

Coffee & Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a fatal and incurable brain disease that affects 1 percent to 2 percent of people over 65. Amazingly, at least six studies have found that regular coffee drinkers are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s.

Researchers have identified a gene called GRIN2A that appeared to protect people who drank coffee from developing Parkinson’s. GRIN2A is linked to glutamate, a compound that is suspected of killing the brain cells that die off in Parkinson’s patients. Glutamate can be affected by another compound called adenosine, and coffee interferes with this process.

However: Only about 25% of the population has the gene variant of GRIN2A that boosts the protective effect of coffee.

Take-home: Coffee may lower Parkinson’s risk, but only in a small subset of people.

Coffee & Alzheimer’s

Speaking of neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which gets progressively worse over time, and eventually leads to death.

What separates the research on Alzheimer’s from most of the other information covered in this article is that it derived from directly controlled trials versus simple observation.

Here, research indicates that people who drink about three cups of coffee a day show a marked reduction in cognitive impairment compared to non-drinkers. Once you got up to four or more cups per day, though, the associated protection disappears.

This protection was not seen with tea or decaf coffee, so the benefit seems to be from the combination of the caffeine and some of coffee’s bioactive compounds.

In fact, new research from the University of South Florida found that this combination boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor called GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) that seems to prevent the formation of Alzheimer’s disease. People with Alzheimer’s disease have less GCSF than the rest of the population. Increasing GCSF in mice improves their memory.

In the U of South Florida study, the researchers compared the effects of regular and decaf coffee to those of caffeine alone. In both Alzheimer’s mice and normal mice, treatment with regular coffee dramatically increased blood levels of GCSF; neither caffeine alone nor decaf coffee provided this effect.

GCSF seems to improve memory performance in the Alzheimer’s mice in three ways:

  • It recruits stem cells from bone marrow to enter the brain and remove the harmful beta-amyloid protein that initiates the disease.
  • It creates new connections between brain cells.
  • It increases the birth of new neurons in the brain.

As the lead researcher, neuroscientist Dr. Chuanhai Cao, remarked: “Coffee is inexpensive, readily available, easily gets into the brain, appears to directly attack the disease process, and has few side-effects for most of us”.

According to the researchers, no other Alzheimer’s therapy being developed comes close to meeting all these criteria.

Take-home: Coffee seems to contain compounds that may reduce Alzheimer’s risk; and may also be part of a treatment protocol in the future.

Coffee, antioxidants & cancer

While dark chocolate and green tea gather a lot of acclaim for their antioxidant content, coffee actually outshines them both in this department.

In fact, the antioxidants in coffee may make up as much as 50-70% of the total antioxidant intake of the average American! (Which is not necessarily a good thing, because it means that there are a lot of vegetables not getting eaten…)

Despite some general worries about the health effects of coffee, coffee consumption is associated with an overall decreased risk of cancer. In particular coffee consumption has been shown to be associated with a lower risk for oral, esophageal, pharyngeal, breast (in post-menopausal women), liver, colon, and aggressive prostate cancer.

When it comes to the prostate, researchers recently found that men who drank the most coffee (6 or more cups per day) were nearly 60% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than non-coffee drinkers. Other research has shown that people who regularly consume two or more cups per day may have a 25% decreased risk of colon cancer.

Again, the research is mixed in part because of the variation in response to coffee.

Take-home: Coffee may lower your cancer risk, but don’t count on it as your only health strategy. And eat some vegetables already.

Coffee & cardiovascular health

Drinking unfiltered types of coffee can increase your levels of LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol. But overall the data seems to indicate that coffee consumption may moderately reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular complications.

Take-home: Research is mixed on cardiovascular disease and coffee.

Coffee & overall mortality

A recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that drinking two to three cups of coffee per day was associated with a 10% decreased risk of death for men at any age, and a 13% decreased risk of death for women at any age.

In general, coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart or respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, injuries, accidents or infections. (Which makes us wonder… what do they die of? Espresso steamer mishaps?)

Take-home: Coffee appears to generally lower overall premature mortality slightly.

Summary and Recommendations

Coffee’s not for everyone. And it’s not a magic bullet. Still, it seems to have significant health benefits for those who can tolerate it. This includes:

  • better athletic and mental performance
  • possibly lower rates of some types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and Type 2 diabetes
  • possibly some prevention of premature mortality and cardiovascular disease

Most of the research on coffee is epidemiological. This means studies look at associations rather than cause and effect. Simply because coffee is associated with particular risks and benefits doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee causes all of these risks or benefits.

Just as with all foods (and nutrients for that matter), dosage matters. While some studies have found large intakes (5-6 cups) to have significant benefits, other research suggests that drinking that much coffee is counter-productive.

In general, it appears that drinking some coffee is good, but more might not be better, especially if you are a slow metabolizer. For those who are greatly affected by coffee and caffeine, avoid it altogether or cut down your consumption.

Want a quick and easy test of your coffee consumption? Ask yourself how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally a few hours after you drink some… as well as if you miss your daily dose.

Also, go black if possible. Pumping your coffee full of cream, sugar, and other exotic additives reduces any potential health benefits by adding unnecessary calories and artificial flavours and sweeteners. (And Frappucinos or chocolate covered coffee beans? C’mon.)

Taking all the data into consideration, it seems that your best bet is about 1-3 cups of coffee (8-24 oz) per day. This will maximize the benefits while minimizing the risk.

And keep this in mind…while there is positive data on coffee, these benefits don’t necessarily include things like energy drinks and caffeine pills. There are many antioxidants and bioactive compounds in coffee that are interacting with its caffeine content to provide the benefits. So, unfortunately, Red Bull doesn’t count.

(Article written by Brian St. Pierre from Precision Nutrition)

For more ideas related to coffee and bodybuilding, watch this video - Benefits & Side Effects of CAFFEINE | How much is Safe? Info by Guru Mann



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 – Coffee and Bodybuilding

 


How to Reduce Excessive Gas and Bloating for Vegetarian Bodybuilders?

 

Reduce Excessive Gas and Bloating for Vegetarian Bodybuilders - Gas and bloating is especially common if you’re taking meat out of your diet and adjusting to plant-based proteins. The good news is that you don’t have to cut healthy foods that cause you to get bloated out of your diet. There happens to be foods that counteract excessive gas and bloating.

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


THE “EXCESSIVE GAS AND BLOATING” SMOOTHIE

Excessive gas and bloating is something many vegetarian bodybuilders and athletes have to deal with.

Gas and bloating is especially common if you’re taking meat out of your diet and adjusting to plant-based proteins.

Plant foods that have fiber* are usually the culprit:

  • beans
  • broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • cabbage
  • cauliflower
  • lentils
  • soy

To what extent this happens, if at all, depends greatly on the individual. For instance, I don’t seem to have a problem with black beans, but soy gives me gas. I can’t touch cabbage, but lentils seem to do well with my system.

*Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate made up of sugar molecules, commonly called starches, or polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. As these starches pass undigested through the digestive tract, they ferment in the lower gut and produce intestinal gas. Fiber is a vegetarian bodybuilder’s friend because it improves insulin sensitivity and offers other well-known health benefits.

The good news is that you don’t have to cut healthy foods that cause you to get bloated out of your diet. There happens to be foods that counteract excessive gas and bloating. Without further ado, I give you:

The “Excessive Gas and Bloating” Smoothie

Ingredients:

This smoothie is filled with electrolytes and super-hydrating. Throw a little protein in the mix to convert this into a great post-workout smoothie.

Why does it work to reduce excessive gas and bloating for vegetarian bodybuilders?

Although each ingredient makes a contribution, there are a couple star players worth highlighting.

Apple Cider Vinegar: This stuff is no joke for reducing excessive gas and bloating. It is potent, however; to some, it throws the taste off slightly. So if your bloat isn’t serious, you can omit it and let the other ingredients rise to the occasion.

Banana: Too much salt causes water retention around the abdominal area. Foods rich in potassium, such as bananas, help fight bloating caused by salty foods. While salt invites water into the cells, potassium drives it out. Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which can cause gas and bloating, so be sure to use ripe bananas!

Celery: This natural diuretic helps relieve water retention. When buying celery, opt for organically grown produce whenever possible.

Ginger: One of the best digestive aids around, it works on a few levels. It soothes and relaxes the digestive system muscles. Ginger also contains zingibain, a protein digestive enzyme, which is particularly effective at reducing bloating and gas caused by protein-rich foods. It is also anti-inflammatory.

For more ideas to reduce excessive gas and bloating for vegetarian bodybuilders, watch these 2 videos below –

STOP BLOATING ON A VEGAN DIET | My Top Tips


 

Foods that Reduce Bloating (Overnight)

 



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 – How to Reduce Excessive Gas and Bloating for  Vegetarian Bodybuilders


Friday, January 1, 2021

How to be a Successful Vegan Bodybuilder?

 

How to be a successful vegan bodybuilder? Andra Purba shares her tips to win in a bikini competition, her vegetarian bikini competition meal plan and what exercises she does when preparing for bikini competition.


Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


“PUTTING ALCOHOL DOWN WAS THE BIGGEST PART OF MY SUCCESS.”

Bikini competitions aren’t something I ever thought I would ever do, but I’ve done two shows now and placed Top 3 in both.”

Name: Andra Purba
Occupation: Food and Beverage
City/State/Country: Las Vegas, NV USA
Age: 33
Height: 5’8”
Type: Bikini Competition
Weight/Competition Weight: 136lb. / 130lb.
Instagram: Andra604_702

What was your childhood like?

I was raised in Vancouver, BC. It is a beautiful place with so many outdoor activities.

We did a lot of camping in our beautiful mountains as well as water sports on the lakes.

I’ve always been outgoing and like to have fun; sometimes getting myself into a little trouble.

I was raised with an amazing group of friends that I still have to this day. Im lucky to come from such a supportive family and circle of friends.

Did you have mentors growing up?

My older sister and mom definitely played a role in planting the fitness seed for me. Growing up, my mom went to the gym daily and was/ is an avid runner.

You will still find my mother in the gym every day and has aged gracefully, so it’s definitely a great incentive to stay on track. She has shown me that we don’t need to minimize our fitness goals just because we get older.

Seeing the shape that my mom is in tells me a lot of people just use age as an excuse. She can still outrun me! My sister was an accomplished competitive swimmer and swim coach growing up. She loved to try different different types of physical activities even as an adult, from Taekwondo to Kayaking.

I’ve learned not to be afraid to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself by trying new things. As we get older we lack new experiences and that can make life monotonous. My sister is now in her mid 30’s with a young son and is vegan, and a double Ironman. She continues to raise the bar for herself, which makes her still my number one role model.

What is one of your personal passions outside of fitness?

I love to travel. I once took a one-way trip to the UK when I was 19 and traveled most of Western Europe. In the past few years I did a road trip through New Zealand, traveled Fiji, and I’m actually heading to Maui at the end of the month.

What uncommon activity do you schedule into your daily routine?

I was recently introduced to guided meditations on YouTube and I LOVE it! I’m addicted. I do it throughout the day. If I’m feeling anxious I’ll do one in the middle of the day.

At night if I’m having problems sleeping, I’ll do a guided meditation for sleep. They have been so beneficial and I’m pretty sure I’ve turned into that annoying person that won’t stop talking about their new favorite activity.

When did you first hear about vegetarian bodybuilding?

I can’t say that the actual niche was something I was introduced to. I’ve been vegetarian for eight years and got serious about the gym scene about two years ago.

I started working out with a trainer who trains a lot of competitors. She herself was actually in the Olympia this year and took 7th in her division.

With that, the idea of competing was introduced to me.

Bikini competitions aren’t something I ever thought I would ever do, but I’ve done two shows now and placed Top 3 in both.

I guess I’m also a “Vegetarian Bodybuilder” lol.

Vegetarian bikini competition meal plan:

What does your diet look like while preparing for a bikini competition?

Really cutting back on the carbs and fat and eliminating all the sugars.

Favorite post-workout meal at the moment?

I love my chocolate peanut butter protein shakes! After many years it’s still my favorite post-workout meal.

Describe your training regimen (favorite exercises, weekly training schedule, etc) and do you ever overtrain?

Right now I’m lifting four days a week:

  • Back
  • Arms
  • Shoulders
  • Legs

Not necessarily in that order. I always try to do shoulders and legs with my trainer. I do Yoga once a week, usually after leg day and cardio five times a week 20-30 minutes.

My favorite exercise to do are pull-ups. It just makes all the muscles pop in such a great way and is really empowering. When it comes time to cut for my next show the cardio will double. I’m convinced that’s overtraining, but my trainer tells me otherwise.

How much sleep do you get?

I sleep seven hours a night. If I sleep too long I feel just as sluggish as if I didn't sleep enough.

Do you meditate?

I do guided meditations and I love it! Morning, noon, night, whenever I want to feel rejuvenated.

What do you do to relax?

I like getting massages. I try to go twice a month. If I can get myself to sit still long enough I’ll do a movie marathon on my comfortable couch with a blanket and tea.

What tips can you share that have led to your success?

Putting alcohol down was the biggest part of my success. It is such a distraction and can hinder your next day workouts. Also extra sugars and calories. Aside from that, always having food prepped and ready for your next meal.

I take a lunch to work everyday, even though we have a free cafeteria. If I know I’ll be out during my meal times I’ll make sure I have food with me. My purse is also a very convenient lunch bag!

Do you think plant-based fitness is a fad or will it continue to build credibility? Who are some people leading the way?

I think there are a lot of fitness fads out there. Being on a “diet” is not sustainable. Making a lifestyle change is something different. It’s an overhaul of everything with an intent for permanent change, leading to lasting results. Being a fitness enthusiast with a plant-based diet is the opposite of a fad to me.

People in the gym are constantly trying to tell me that I won’t get results unless I eat meat and I’m always having to justify myself and my dietary choices. If I have to work twice as hard to be a meat-free athlete then so be it! This is the only way we will be able to prove our credibility.

I know through personal experience in competing that I have changed the opinions of many people that once believed steak, chicken, and turkey were the only way you would ever be successful in this lifestyle.

What are your near-term goals at the moment?

Well I qualified for the USA’s at my last show (July 24). So right now I’m working hard at making some gains and I’ll start the process of cutting 12 weeks before my show. I am on a 6-month training regimen for this one! Its a biggie! Here’s an article worth reading if you’re thinking about entering a vegetarian bikini competition (has a meal plan).

For more ideas on how to be a successful vegan bodybuilder, watch this video - How to Gain Muscle on a Vegan Diet | Vegan Muscle Building Meals & Gym Routine

 


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 – How to be a Successful Vegan Bodybuilder

 


ALCOHOL AND BODYBUILDING – Is Alcohol Bad for Building Muscle?

 

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.

Click HERE to Find Out How You Can Build Muscle & Lose Fat By Eating Plants


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:

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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