Alcohol and the effect on weight lifting

[PKimrey]

Hi! Brand new here, and I have a burning question. I work out at least 5 days a week and cardio 3 days. I enjoy a drink in the afternoons that's made of Vodka and energy drink. Been drinking like this for 2 years now and my pic here was taken this past year. It doesen't seem to have affected me to much, but how does it scientificly effect someones body while there trying to build muscle?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[PKimrey]

Nobody has any ideas or facts concerning this topic?

Scott

 

[Machine5150]

you are fine having one or two drinks a night as long as you drink enough water through out the day.. you are even alright getting hammered maybe once every other weekend.. it has little or no effect on your body other then alcohol is as useless as sugar and the dehydration factor.. but as for the average guy on here we will never notice the difference.. For me.. whats the point of being so huge if you can't go to a club and show off a bit?? anything in moderation is ok.

 

[cyto33]

I dissagree.
drink in moderation is ok every now and then.
the fact that punks drink and do roids makes them assholes when at the clubs.
but thats not the question.
Booze will affect the protien absorbtion that your muscles need to grow. while on a cycle i dont touch a drop of booze at all.
or even a couple months after.
thats all you need is to get jacked up and get into a fight next thing you are blaming the roids when you know for a fact it was the booze.

 

[Greybeard]

I'll chime in with my current experience. For the most part, drink in MODERATION has been the majority advice.

BUT...

I'm blasting on Test E & Tren E.

I love a good whiskey.

Since starting my current blast there are 2 things I have noticed and the only factor is the Tren E.

I can not stand the taste of whiskey, beer or any alcohol except for an occasional glass of Merlot.

I don't know what the fuck happened...

Any one else experience this?

 

[CHIP WADOWSKI]

First and foremost, alcohol is a poison and your body must fight to get it out of your system. It directly impairs liver function thus severely hampering your metabolism of fat. If fat loss is your main goal moderation is a key.
When your liver is processing alcohol it will stop all other metabolic functions. It will do so until it rids your body of ethanol toxicity which is the by product of alcoholic consumption. This process leads many times to stubborn fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and syndrome X.

Drinking in excess will also contribute to fat gain not loss. If you think you are going to gain muscle mass while drinking think again! Your liver is too busy doing something it does not want to do, process alcohol instead of amino acids. In addition, alcohol reduces testosterone.

Think about how much you consume and the caloric value of each drink. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. This is almost twice that of carbohydrates and protein and just under the 9 grams per calorie for fat. Here is an example: consuming 2-3 drinks a day can add up to over 400 calories extra each and every day. Multiply that by one week and you are over 2700 calories extra. That is over a half a pound.

According to studies drinking alcohol increases visceral adipose tissue. This is the fat around your body organs. NOT HEALTHY! Other studies suggest alcohol consumption increases and stimulates appetite.

Consuming alcohol again stops all fat burning, adds extra calories, increases estrogen level (stubborn fat), increases appetite and makes you more easily persuaded to eat that entire cheese cake.

There are some simple guidelines you can follow that will not only help you stay on the fat burning path, but will encourage better overall health.

Drinking red wine is much better for you then drinking beer. Red wine contains some good things that can benefit your health. On the other hand consuming beer, which contains hops and are highly estrogenic, will lead to more fat gain and harder fat loss.

Try to stay away from extra sweet drinks with added sugars. This will keep your blood sugar from a massive spike while having a drink.
The more food you have in your belly the slower the absorption. It also aids in insulin regulation. Avoid high carbohydrates snack with alcohol. It carries many metabolic problems like insulin elevation and high fat levels in your blood stream.

Below is a list of good to bad:

Alcohol
1. Red wine - Best
2. White wine
3. Champagne
4. Vodka
5. Gin
6. Rum
7. Whiskey
8. Cognac
9. Sweet wines
10. Sweet mixed drinks
11. Liqueurs
12. BEER! Worst

Some common problems with alcohol consumption are:

Reduced testosterone
Increased estrogen
Increased hydration
Inability to absorb vital nutrients
In summary, I would suggest eating an anti-estrogenic, well- balanced diet and minimize alcohol consumption until you reach your fat loss goals. This will also aid in your quest for a set of six pack abs.

ALL HAIL MAXIMUS!!!!!!

 

[MALACHIMC]

Alcohole brakes down muscle tissue and increases estrogen levels in your body and has a high calorie rate and has heaps of sugar/yeast etc.
if your doin a serious cycle and focusing on a strict diet why Fuck! it up with alcohole. stay away from the shit!

 

[BimmerDude]

There will always be conflicting opinions about this, and mine is that its better for a BB to consume as little ETOH as possible or avoid the stuff completely. A drink or two now and then won't hurt, but I personally wouldn't go beyond that. And "now and then" means occasionally, not every day or every weekend. I agree that one (and only one) glass of red or white wine with dinner is ok. I get bad cluster headaches from wine so I don't drink it. In my clinical experience, what I have observed is that people who drink a glass of wine with dinner generally don't have any problems with it. BUT, if you're a person who drinks most other types of alcohol on a regular basis (especially beer and the hard liquors) and you drink more than one each time, it may eventually become a problem.

I used to love drinking beer and scotch, but now I don't touch them. I could chug the stuff with no problems back in my 20s, but not now. These days, just one drink is enough to give me a buzz. If I drink any more than that I will feel it and see it the next day. Drinking disrupts my sleep pattern. I'll fall asleep then wake up a couple hours later and then have trouble falling asleep again. Then when I get up later I feel too tired to work out. No amount of visine or caffeine reverses the blood shot eyes and shitty feeling, and I go through most of the rest of the day feeling like crap. I suppose this may be an individual thing since PK's doing it without any problems. But then, he's chasing down the vodka with an energy drink and he didn't say exactly how much vodka he put in it.

Too much alcohol is dehydrating, and it breaks down to extra calories that can throw off your diet considerably---especially beer and especially if you're a guy who's over 30. True that our metabolism slows down as we age and we tend to get fat if we don't train regularly to stay in shape, but if you're the type of guy who gets together with his buddies and chug huge amounts of alcohol every week and on the weekends while you're watching the games or out in the clubs you may have to work harder to burn it off otherwise you could end up with a gut and flank handles.

Chip is right, that alcohol will only give your liver more work to do as it tries to break it down. Not a great idea when you're running gear that also puts stress on your liver. Do both together enough and long enough and you may end up with fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.

 

[PKimrey]

Folks, thanks a heap for the replies! This is such an educational site. Chip, that is some great information, I've always wounderd how it really affected the body. I drink the 4th on your list, Vodka. BimmerDude, I drink about a half gallon a week of Vodka. I know its way to much! and I wounder how much bigger I could be if I didn't drink at all. I don't drink it all at once, I'm usually a daily drinker or every other day. I drink a ton of water and I never feel the effects like a hangover. Might be a sign that I drink a bit to much LOL. Been thinking about laying off of it for 6 months and see if I see any results. Thanks again for all the replies!

Scott

 

[dialtone]

I say take a break from it and see how your progress goes. This is one of the oldest debates bodybuilders have. I believe it comes down to an individual case. If you're ok with drinking, cool, do it. If you are not, don't.

I for one, love a drink(s) at night. I also enjoy a good experiment. I ran one of my diets one time for four weeks without drinking and recorded my results. I then, loosened up on my diet as I tend to do and got right back up to the weight I was before I dieted. I decided to run the exact same diet but this time, I was going to have a couple vodka drinks every night. I recorded my results....turned out I lost weight faster when I was drinking. I don't understand it, but thats the truth

 

[RJ]

I say take a break from it and see how your progress goes. This is one of the oldest debates bodybuilders have. I believe it comes down to an individual case. If you're ok with drinking, cool, do it. If you are not, don't.

I for one, love a drink(s) at night. I also enjoy a good experiment. I ran one of my diets one time for four weeks without drinking and recorded my results. I then, loosened up on my diet as I tend to do and got right back up to the weight I was before I dieted. I decided to run the exact same diet but this time, I was going to have a couple vodka drinks every night. I recorded my results....turned out I lost weight faster when I was drinking. I don't understand it, but thats the truth

once again, this is why studies don't mean shit and personal experience is everything.

You have to do what works FOR YOU. If you can drink and gain/lose whatever, great. If not, and its more important to gain/lose than don't drink.

As for the pic you posted, i wouldn't say its NOT having any effect as your looking a little sloppy, especially around the waistline. This could be attributed to alcohol, or it could be something else.

Too many variables. Only scientific thing that i know for a fact is that alcohol breaks down proteins in the body, but even that is relevant.

 

[CHIP WADOWSKI]

USUALLY SAFE STICKING TO STRAIGHT PUSSY JUICE.

 

[RJ]

USUALLY SAFE STICKING TO STRAIGHT PUSSY JUICE.

god damn right... unfortunately it tends to cost more than a bottle of Vodka.

 

[CHIP WADOWSKI]

god damn right... unfortunately it tends to cost more than a bottle of Vodka.

STICKIER TOO... AND SOMETIMES STINKY.......

I'M SO CONFUSED...

 

[alexenvalencia]

I stopped drinking a couple of years ago and would never go back - recently had two coctails on an empty stomach and vomitted them out half an hour later - it almost feels like poison going down my throat.

I will have the odd glass of red wine but thats about it.

 

[BimmerDude]

STICKIER TOO... AND SOMETIMES STINKY.......

Depends on the source, and we all know you can't always trust even the ones you think you know. LOL.

 

[tjkita]

question

My question would be, are you on AAS right now? How many cycles have you done? No offense but you don't seem too developed yet. Everyone will tell you it's all about the diet too and to eat a lot of food and protein to build strong muscles while on cycle. (sounds like a milk commercial I know) Either way, if it's working for you and your seeing results then keep it up!!

 

[Abner]

I disagree with you because alcohol reduces the body muscles growth. So body builders must avoid to use alcoholic drinks. It is not suitable for body builders.

 

[dfeaton]

I know old post but

12. BEER! Worst


NOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[barrysanders]

First and foremost, alcohol is a poison and your body must fight to get it out of your system. It directly impairs liver function thus severely hampering your metabolism of fat. If fat loss is your main goal moderation is a key.
When your liver is processing alcohol it will stop all other metabolic functions. It will do so until it rids your body of ethanol toxicity which is the by product of alcoholic consumption. This process leads many times to stubborn fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and syndrome X.

Drinking in excess will also contribute to fat gain not loss. If you think you are going to gain muscle mass while drinking think again! Your liver is too busy doing something it does not want to do, process alcohol instead of amino acids. In addition, alcohol reduces testosterone.

Think about how much you consume and the caloric value of each drink. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. This is almost twice that of carbohydrates and protein and just under the 9 grams per calorie for fat. Here is an example: consuming 2-3 drinks a day can add up to over 400 calories extra each and every day. Multiply that by one week and you are over 2700 calories extra. That is over a half a pound.

According to studies drinking alcohol increases visceral adipose tissue. This is the fat around your body organs. NOT HEALTHY! Other studies suggest alcohol consumption increases and stimulates appetite.

Consuming alcohol again stops all fat burning, adds extra calories, increases estrogen level (stubborn fat), increases appetite and makes you more easily persuaded to eat that entire cheese cake.

There are some simple guidelines you can follow that will not only help you stay on the fat burning path, but will encourage better overall health.

Drinking red wine is much better for you then drinking beer. Red wine contains some good things that can benefit your health. On the other hand consuming beer, which contains hops and are highly estrogenic, will lead to more fat gain and harder fat loss.

Try to stay away from extra sweet drinks with added sugars. This will keep your blood sugar from a massive spike while having a drink.
The more food you have in your belly the slower the absorption. It also aids in insulin regulation. Avoid high carbohydrates snack with alcohol. It carries many metabolic problems like insulin elevation and high fat levels in your blood stream.

Below is a list of good to bad:

Alcohol
1. Red wine - Best
2. White wine
3. Champagne
4. Vodka
5. Gin
6. Rum
7. Whiskey
8. Cognac
9. Sweet wines
10. Sweet mixed drinks
11. Liqueurs
12. BEER! Worst

Some common problems with alcohol consumption are:

Reduced testosterone
Increased estrogen
Increased hydration
Inability to absorb vital nutrients
In summary, I would suggest eating an anti-estrogenic, well- balanced diet and minimize alcohol consumption until you reach your fat loss goals. This will also aid in your quest for a set of six pack abs.

ALL HAIL MAXIMUS!!!!!!

Good read. I was actually thinking about this topic the other day when going out. Thanks for saving me some time doing the research