5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle
Gains
I receive emails every single day from aspiring
muscle-builders all over the world, and one of
the most common questions I'm asked is "does drinking
really affect the muscle growth process?" I'm
sorry to say it, but yes, too much alcohol will
almost definitely have a significant negative
impact on your muscle-building results. Alcohol
is far more harmful than most people think, and
it's very important that you understand how this
drug (yes, alcohol is a drug) is affecting your
progress. This is not an anti-drug speech, but
if you're serious about achieving a truly impressive
physique, you should definitely be aware of the
5 main ways that alcohol is slowing down your
gains. 1) It negatively affects protein synthesis.
Protein synthesis is the process where amino
acids are joined together to form complete proteins.
Excessive alcohol consumption slows this process
down by up to 20%, and since your muscles are
made up of protein, you can see how this is a
problem. 2) It lowers testosterone levels and increases
estrogen.Testosterone is the most important muscle-building
hormone in your body. One of the limiting factors
that determines how much muscle a person can gain
is their level of free-flowing testosterone. 3)
It causes dehydration.The kidneys must filter
very large amounts of water in order to break
down the alcohol, and this can result in severe
dehydration within the body. Water plays an absolutely
crucial role in the muscle-building process, and
being even slightly dehydrated is a recipe for
disaster. The muscles alone are comprised of 70%
water. 4) It depletes the body of vitamins and
minerals.Alcohol consumption causes vitamins A,
C, the B's, calcium, zinc and phosphorus to all
be drained at rapid rates. Vitamins and minerals
keep every little process in your body functioning
properly, and many of these processes involve
muscle growth and maintenance. 5) It increases
fat storage.
With 7 empty calories per gram, alcohol can actually
be quite fattening. Alcohol also disrupts the
Kreb's Cycle, which plays an important role in
fat burning.It's important to have fun in life,
but too much fun can lead to problems. If you're
serious about achieving significant muscle-building
results, you definitely need to monitor your intake
of alcohol and make sure that you are consuming
it in moderation. A few drinks here and there
shouldn't be a problem, but if you find yourself
drinking every weekend you can almost certainly
kiss your muscle gains goodbye.If you do decide
to go out and party, make sure to drink plenty
of water and to properly nourish yourself with
vitamins/minerals and a protein rich meal.
I don't recommend revolving your entire life
around your muscle-building program, so don't
be afraid to go out and have a good time once
in a while. Just make sure to keep your drinking
nights infrequent (no more than once a month)
and properly nourish yourself to lessen its effects.
As long as you monitor what you're doing you can
achieve an impressive physique and have a social
life at the same time.About The AuthorSean Nalewanyj
is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer
of top-selling Internet.
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