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5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
A question often asked about muscle building is "Does drinking really affect the muscle growth process?”
The truth is that, 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.
So, 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.
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 only in moderation...
Or not at all. However, if you do, make sure to drink plenty of water and to properly nourish yourself with vitamins/minerals and a protein rich meal.
Bottom Line: Alcohol consumption is seriously bad for your overall health, and especially your hard-earned muscle gains.
5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains
A question often asked about muscle building is "Does drinking really affect the muscle growth process?”
The truth is that, 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.
So, 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.
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 only in moderation...
Or not at all. However, if you do, make sure to drink plenty of water and to properly nourish yourself with vitamins/minerals and a protein rich meal.
Bottom Line: Alcohol consumption is seriously bad for your overall health, and especially your hard-earned muscle gains.