|
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.
Alcohol And Drug Abuse In Mental HealthAlcohol abuse is overrated, while drug abuse is underrated. The DSM manual suggests that substance abuse there are differences in the definition of drug and alcohol use. To confuse matters worse the law has its own version of who is an alcoholic or drug addict. Some of the symptoms that help professionals determine if alcohol and drugs are a problem include, excessive drinking/drugging, problems with the law, withdrawal symptoms, shaking of the hands, and so forth.
If a person drinks everyday of the week and relies on alcohol, then you are probably dealing with an alcoholic. There are philos ..
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
Effects Of Alcohol ConsumptionShort-term effects
Even at low concentrations, alcohol can stimulate areas of the brain. The areas that get stimulated include the cortex, hippocamus and nucleus accumbens. These are responsible for the processes of thinking and pleasure seeking. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed by the stomach, especially if it is empty, and quickly enters the individuals blood stream, thus penetrating all the tissues. A variety of factors influence its effects, including age, sex , size and weight of the person consuming alcohol.
Since it stimulates the pleasure seeking areas of the brain, alcohol tends to make ..
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 author:
Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and
writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth
About Building Muscle. You can learn more by visiting his
website:
href="http://www.MuscleGainTruth.com/"> http://www.MuscleGainTruth
.com/
Sean Nalewanyj5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
|
