5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
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5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
This article outlines the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption in relation to building muscle mass and strength.
5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
Getting drunk is more harmful than you think.I receive emails every week from aspiring muscle-builders 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.
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.
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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 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.
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Lance Watt
May 22, 2012 @ 10:04 am | delete
- Those are good physiological reasons, however psychological reasons are just as important. Large quantities of alcohol creates a great deal of stress, lowering testosterone. Energy levels are decreased by a great deal, cardiovascular performance is decreased, and I'm sure many other things all have a counterproductive effect on getting BIG! :D
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infiniti99 Mar 23, 2012 @ 6:56 pm | delete
- Great lens thank you for sharing.
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wstrauss73
Mar 23, 2012 @ 8:22 pm | delete
- Thanks Steven !
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mandarock
Feb 1, 2012 @ 3:39 am | delete
- Great Article :D
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LDWorld Dec 15, 2011 @ 11:21 pm | delete
- Great info, thank you.
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KeenanSteel
Aug 19, 2011 @ 11:34 am | delete
- Sure, too many drinks are bad for you, but modern research indicates a u-shaped curve for total benefits of alcohol. In other words, 1 drink is better than none for your health, while 3+ is worse than none.
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george sowerby
May 14, 2012 @ 6:01 am | delete
- What the man says is true. Two drinks (either two shots of liquor, two beers, or two glasses of [preferably red] wine) tend to increase "good cholesterol" (HDL) and decrease "bad cholesterol" (LDL), while decreasing total cholesterol and, to some extent, triglycerides. That's two drinks daily for men, and one drink daily for women. Drinking in excess of that amount is bad for your health in a variety of ways (such as increasing your risk of esophageal, bladder and liver cancer, increasing your risk of alcoholic cirrhosis, and other bad things) and elevating LDL levels and total cholesterol levels, while lowering HDL levels (that's the "good cholesterol") and greatly elevating triglyceride levels. This is common knowledge and is in no way to be construed as medical advice. You should always discuss these factors with your physician before acting on them. Salut! --george sowerby, m.d.
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griffinhenderson21 Jul 19, 2011 @ 9:00 pm | delete
- Hey awesome job on this! I liked your page! Can you come over and check out my lense and post what you think of it? Much appreciated if you are able to.
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HomeGym
May 13, 2011 @ 5:23 pm | delete
- Id agree with you on this topic. A great lens and very true two.
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mattseefood
Apr 28, 2011 @ 8:54 pm | delete
- This one HIT me big time :)
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rdgubaten
Apr 14, 2011 @ 2:51 am | delete
- Excellent health and fitness lens.
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Mar 17, 2011 @ 7:30 am | delete
- Wow excellent lens I have not seen any other lens on bad effect of alcohol on gaining muscle mass and to have funto build lean muscle to build lean muscle
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Psycho-Gamer Mar 15, 2011 @ 12:57 pm | delete
- Although I knew all this stuff it doesnt hurt to be reminded every now and then....this a nice lens. a suggestion of mine would be to add some more informational and useful content ....there are of people (and some of them consider themselves athletes) drinking much much more than they should be...maybe this lens could help them stay away from the bottles
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FitnessUncovered
Mar 13, 2011 @ 9:14 am | delete
- Not to mention it is rather hard to train and stick to a decent diet whilst you are nursing a killer hang over!
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SvenFletch
Dec 8, 2010 @ 5:38 am | delete
- Good lens. What's strange is that I've never seen fat alcoholics :D. Most of them are quite skiny
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Fit_Over_40_Buzz
Sep 18, 2010 @ 10:43 pm | delete
- Very cool lens. Informative and fun. Thanks for sharing. Thumbs Up given.
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ericscholes
Dec 12, 2009 @ 1:31 am | delete
- I recently came across your lens and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice lens. I will keep visiting your lens very often.
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wstrauss73
Jan 14, 2010 @ 8:43 am | delete
- Thanks Eric, I'm glad you liked this one.
To visit all the other ones, you can bookmark these 2 main indexing lenses:
http://www.squidoo.com/bigger-stronger-muscles
http://www.squidoo.com/Lean-Fat-Burning-Machine
Any questions just ask :)
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Ladymermaid
Dec 6, 2009 @ 2:14 pm | delete
- I just stopped by to wish you, and those who surround you with love, a very merry holiday season. Many blessings in the New Year.
Ladymermaid
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wstrauss73
Jan 14, 2010 @ 8:45 am | delete
- Thanks Lady-Mermaid, Best wishes for you as well. Let's make it another awesome year !
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hysterectomy-weightgainer
Jun 21, 2009 @ 2:01 pm | delete
- Good Info, thanks!
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FitSteph
Apr 22, 2009 @ 1:39 pm | delete
- Wow what a great lens! If anyone is looking to chat about exercise, working out, health, fitness, or anything else, these fitness forums ?, are my favorite. It's absolutely one of the best websites if you are looking to track food, plan meals, build workouts, and count calories!
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Chris79 Apr 21, 2009 @ 3:51 pm | delete
- Nice lens 5* HERES MINE
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Chris79 Apr 21, 2009 @ 3:27 pm | delete
- Nice lens 5* a>
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MuscleGain
Feb 5, 2009 @ 3:12 pm | delete
- Great lens, it's sad how alcohol effects so many aspects of our lives, but if you can at all follow a fitness plan you will be surprised how the rest of your life feels better too,
My two cents anyways
Check this out if you would like a free healthy smoothie recipe book
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hardgainerkid
Oct 5, 2008 @ 9:03 pm | delete
- This is a Great article I appreciate you sharing. I have actually read Sean Nalewanyj's book it is a great read, I recommend people checking it out. Also here is a cool site that has alot of great tips for gaining weight as a hardgainer, The info on the site is free so make sure to check it out here.
Once gain thanks for the good info.
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JziE Sep 3, 2008 @ 9:00 pm | delete
- it is better to stop drinking alcohol. it is not good for your mind body & soul :)
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Serenity_Prayer_Gifts Aug 28, 2008 @ 1:32 pm | delete
- Interesting info. Thanks for sharing! :-)
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Art Gonzalez
May 14, 2008 @ 11:58 am | delete
- Excellent recommendations. I would emphasize though the importance of proper hydration. A technique I was taught about a year ago is to drink six glasses of water (it's difficult when you are starting!) first thing in the morning. Then wait about 45 minutes or an hour (while you are getting ready) to eat or drink anything else. Then continue drinking clean pure water the rest of the day as normal. This technique stimulates all the internal organs and brings them rapidly to prime condition. You will feel the difference in a few days. Also another tip is to take ice cold showers. It will feel you with super energy and also make you sleep better at night.
Art Gonzalez
Check my Squidoo Lens at: Quantum Knights
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May 2, 2008 @ 6:15 pm | delete
- Another Fantastic Lens Bill! If anyone has the time please check out The Fat Loss Troubleshoot.com
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Gabriel
Dec 4, 2007 @ 8:22 am | delete
- Great lens! Do visit my site on steroids too.
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xcvcxv
Oct 19, 2007 @ 8:39 am | delete
- Hi wstrauss73 ,Great Lens. I have also created a lens in same niche . Hope u like it Here’s a brief intro:
click here
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Metroflex
Sep 12, 2007 @ 11:57 am | delete
- Good lens as it focuses on facts rather than judgements about the character of one who uses (or abuses) alcohol.
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sdfds
Sep 5, 2007 @ 11:50 am | delete
- Hi,wstrauss73 Great Lens . I have also created a lens in the same niche.Hope u like it ……….
ClickHere!
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denman4 May 9, 2007 @ 4:03 am | delete
- Great lens! I'm building a lens about Alcoholics Anonymous Information - Take a look at this lens and rate it for me! Thanks, denman4
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