October 28, 2009
Alcohol & Building Muscle - The 5 Ways That Alcohol Affects Muscle Gains
There are many people that want to know if drinking alcohol negatively affects muscle gains. The answer is yes!
I promise this won’t be a speech about not drinking alcohol. I’m definitely not against alcohol. I drink myself a few times a month.
But, if you’re on a mass building regimen, drinking too much can definitely have a bad impact on your efforts.
Here are 5 ways that drinking alcohol can slow your muscle gains…
#1 It Slows Protein Synthesis
Amino acids have to band together to form proteins. This is called protein synthesis. Drinking too much can slow this process down by 20%.
Your muscles are made of water and protein, so you see how this can be a problem!
#2 It Drops Testosterone
If you want to gain muscle, testosterone is your best friend!
#3 It Dehydrates You
To help break down alcohol, your kidneys have to filter large quantities of water. This can cause major dehydration
Your muscles are about 70% water, so even slight dehydration is a problem.
#4 It Depletes Your Body Of Vitamins And Minerals
Excessive drinking causes vitamins A, C, B, calcium, and other minerals to be drained at fast rates.
This negatively impacts a lot of functions within your body, including processes that help repair and grow muscle tissue.
#5 It Causes Fat Storage
Alcohol can also be fattening. For one, the calories contain no value nutritionally. Two, alcohol interferes with the Krebs Cycle. The Krebs Cycle has a role in processes that burn fat. If you gain body fat, your muscle will be less visible.
If you want to build muscle fast, monitor your alcohol intake and drink in moderation.
Drinking alcohol sometimes won’t hurt too much. If you wanna get drunk a few times a week, please realize that it’s going to slow down your ability to build lean muscle.
Before drinking alcohol, drink loads of water, eat a meal high in protein and swallow down a good multi vitamin.
Terrence Banks has a site on how to build muscle and tips on the fastest way to build muscle.
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