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.
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