Effects of alcohol on muscle growth
Imagine you’ve just finished an intense workout session and now you want to give yourself a little treat by drinking a couple of beers. What will happen? How does this little harmless treat effect your body and your muscle growth? Today, we’re here to find out!
You see, while an occasional drink might seem harmless, understanding the effects of alcohol on muscle growth can be a total game-changer for you by helping you reach your bodybuilding goals a lot faster. In this passage we’re going to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and muscle growth, offering you more insight, so that maybe you’ll start re-thinking your whole post-workout diet habits and behaviors. So, without further ado let’s get started.
A basic understanding of muscle growth
Before examining the effects of alcohol on muscle growth, first we need to better understand the process itself! Muscle hypertrophy, or as many of you might mention “muscle growth”, is a process through which muscles increase in size. It is mainly driven by exercise specially resistance training and adequate protein consumption. A lot of different factors such as exercise intensity, muscle damage and recovery, hormonal balance, nutrition and so on play a crucial role in this process and achieving muscle growth demands a perfect balance between all of these factors. Now, as you can see, this is a very delicate and serious process and it can easily be disturbed by external factors such as -take a guess!- alcohol.
Alcohol metabolism and its effects on your body
When you consume alcohol (no matter how much) your body prioritizes its metabolism over other things in order to clear itself from toxins as fast as possible. This metabolic shift can actually effect the way your body performs and its absorption of nutrients. That is why alcohol consumption can effect muscle growth. On the other hand, alcohol diuretic effect can lead to dehydration, furthermore affecting muscle recovery and growth.
Alcohol’s impact on protein synthesis
Another way in which alcohol’s effect on muscles can show itself is by impacting protein synthesis. Protein is the main source of muscle growth and repair and if it’s synthesis is affected even the slightest bit, the whole process can be disrupted. Alcohol consumption can inhibit the process of protein synthesis and therefor reduce the rate at which your muscles repair themselves. This can directly affect your overall muscle growth.
Alcohol’s impact on your hormones
But wait! That’s not the end of story! Alcohol can also affect your hormonal balance. By decreasing your testosterone levels and increasing cortisol, alcohol can negatively impact muscle growth process.
Effects of alcohol on muscle growth and recovery after exercise
Recovery is an important part of muscle hypertrophy. In fact, intense exercise causes micro tears in muscle fibers and the repair of these micro tears leads to muscle growth. So the recovery phase holds great importance in reaching your goals. Alcohol consumption can increase inflammation and oxidative stress resulting in a delay in muscle recovery process.
On the other hand, as you might already know, sleep plays a crucial role in muscle recovery and the major part of muscle growth and recovery happens during the time you’re sleeping. Alcohol can disrupt your sleep pattern and quality leafing to further more negative effects on muscle growth.
Long-term effects of alcohol on muscle growth
Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to serious muscle health issues in Ling term such as muscle atrophy and weakness. Regular heavy drinking can cause ever-lasting damage to muscle tissue and various studies have proven that post exercise alcohol consumption can impair muscle recovery.
But, what can be done?
Some tips to remember
As we’ve seen, alcohol’s effects on muscle growth can actually turn into a big deal and while some occasional drinks here and there cant be of great harm, cutting down on alcohol generally can help you reach your bodybuilding goals faster and more efficiently. So, here are some tips that might come in handy:
- Set clear goals:
Having clear goals and doing things for good reasons can give you the motivation to get them done. So instead of just listening to stereotypes ask yourself why you’re trying to cut down on alcohol. Write down your reasons and then set clear, measurable and realistic goals
- Track your progress:
Keeping a journal or using an app to track your progress can give you the motivation to move forward with your goals. Tracking your alcohol intake and weekly progress can give you a clear vision on how far you’ve actually came.
- Find alternatives:
Another helpful tip is to replace alcoholic drinks with other beverages such as sparkling water, natural juices, protein shakes, milk and any other type of non-alcoholic drinks. By doing this you will reduce temptations and stay on the right track. It is also by far the healthier option.
- Stay hydrated:
Unlike the negative effects of alcohol on muscle growth, water consumption and staying hydrated is rule number one of muscle hypertrophy and recovery. Drink as much water as possible. If you forger to drink water, use your alarm or apps to remind you to stay hydrated at certain times. Don’t forget that thirst can often be misunderstood as the need to drink alcohol.
- Reward yourself:
After reaching specific milestones it’s best to reward yourself with a little treat. It can be a new set of workout clothes, a cheat meal, hanging out with friends or whatever you feel comfortable with.
- Gym is your second home:
Instead of letting the intrusive thoughts win, hit the gym. Workout and steak to your routine. You can also schedule social gatherings that don’t revolve around drinks with your gym buddies, things such as hiking, cycling, swimming specially on Active Recovery days can be extremely helpful.
- Avoid triggers:
Another useful tip is to identify the places, people or situations that tend to make you drink more and avoid them.
- Be patient:
Remember that you’re going through a journey. Keep reminding yourself that you’re doing a good job. Reducing alcohol consumption is a gradual process and things don’t happen overnight. So never lose hope.
Conclusion
Understanding the impact of alcohol on muscle growth is truly important for making informed decisions for your bodybuilding journey. By understanding the possible negative effects of alcohol on muscle growth and the way it can disrupt your journey towards reaching your goals and learning effective ways for moderate consumption of alcohol, you can better align your lifestyle with your fitness goals. That is why we’ve provided you with information about alcohol’s effect on muscles and we’ve come up with some useful practical tips to cut down on your alcohol consumption. Hope this passage is useful in giving you a better insight and motivation throughout your fitness journey.
