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Posts Tagged ‘alcohol and muscle growth’

Many people want to know if drinking alcohol can impact muscle growth. The answer is a big yes!

This will not be a speech against alcohol. I’m not anti alcohol at all. I drink myself a few times a month.

If you’re on a muscle building program, consuming too much alcohol will have a bad impact.

Here are 5 ways that excessive drinking can slow your muscle gains…

#1 It Slows Protein Synthesis

Amino acids have to band together to form proteins. This is protein synthesis. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can slow this process down by about 20%.

Your muscles are mostly water and protein, so you see how this might be a problem!

#2 It Lowers Testosterone

If you want to gain muscle, testosterone is your best friend!

#3 It Dehydrates You

To break down the alcohol, your kidneys must filter a lot 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 thing, the calories are empty and contain no nutritional value. Two, alcohol disrupts your body’s Krebs Cycle. The Krebs Cycle plays a role in fat burning processes. Gaining body fat means your muscle will be covered up.

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 get drunk every weekend, do realize that it’s going to slow down your muscle gaining ability.

Before you start to drink, have lots of water and eat a high protein meal.

Terrence Banks has a site on how to build muscle and tips on the fastest way to build muscle.