Why Muscle Building and Alcohol Don't Mix

So you want to be like He-Man.  You want to be hunky and so you hit the gym and pump some iron so you can have the body that your male friends envy and women look at with hungry eyes.  Then, on your way home, you decide to go to a bar or a tavern to get drunk.  Bad move.  Why?  Here are the reasons why you shouldn't have gotten drunk:

1) Alcohol increases estrogen and decreases testosterone levels.

Alcohol converts testosterone into estrogen, a female hormone.  It decreases muscle mass, which means the hours you spent in the gym are simply wasted.  Estrogen brings about female characteristics.  It can cause a man to have gynecomastia or male breast enlargement (man boobs), testicular atrophy (shrunken balls) and erectile dysfunction (can't get a rise).  Indeed, getting drunk is un-sexy and it certainly won't make you any manlier.

2) Alcohol slows down protein synthesis.

Protein builds muscle mass.  Protein is formed when amino acids join together in a process called protein synthesis.  Alcohol slows this process and thus reduces muscle gain.

3) Alcohol strips the body of minerals and vitamins.

Alcohol has a diuretic effect.  It increases the rate of urine excretion, which is why you often find yourself in and out of the restroom when you drink.  Remember that every time you flush the toilet after peeing, you flush down the vitamins and minerals that have been drained out of your body via your urine.  Your body needs sufficient amounts of these nutrients in order to perform functions including muscle tissue building. When these nutrients are washed out of your body, their normal levels are compromised and so your body's ability to build muscle tissue is impaired.

4) Alcohol dehydrates the body

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, alcohol has a diuretic effect.  Your kidneys break down alcohol by filtering large amounts of water.  This water finds its way to your bladder.  So when you drink, your body loses water.  Water makes up 60% to 70% of your muscle mass.  It plays a crucial role in muscle building.  When you are trying to build your muscles, even being only slightly dehydrated has disastrous consequences.

5) Alcohol makes you fatter.

Men who like to drink have the so-called beer bellies.  This is because alcohol makes your body store fats by disrupting the Kreb's Cycle which plays an important role in burning fats.  Alcohol also contains about seven calories per gram.

To sum up, alcohol decreases testosterone, reduces muscle gain by slowing down protein synthesis, robs your body of important nutrients that support muscle building, dehydrates your body and makes your body store fat.  If you are an occasional drinker and know your limits, you do not have anything to worry about.  The adverse effects of alcohol on muscle building only affect those whose drinking habits are out of control.  If you are one of those who find it hard to stop drinking once they start, then you can forget about gaining muscle mass because alcohol is one of the enemies of muscle building.  The point is simple — if you want to gain muscle mass, don't get drunk.

Comments

[sun agee]

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[J-RoCK!]

Thank You! I appreciate the support!

[Jeane]

I agree. There are no health benefits associated with alcohol. So body builders stay away from them and instead drinks protein shakes from supplements canada.