Fitness, bodybuilding and alcohol - is such a symbiosis real?

We all, and, unfortunately, not by hearsay, have long known what alcohol is. Once again, we will not dwell on the question: “the harm of alcohol in general” is a very well-known and deeply studied topic. Today we’ll talk specifically about the effect of alcohol on an athlete’s body and, in general, about the combination of drinking alcohol with fitness and bodybuilding. Are bodybuilding and alcohol compatible? Is it harmful? And, if harmful, then how critical?

Let's not beat around the bush and straight away dot the t's: fitness and bodybuilding are not compatible with drinking alcoholic beverages. Since this poison only causes a negative effect on the athlete’s body. And first of all, on the muscular system. Therefore, every bodybuilder must know a simple rule:

If you take alcohol, no matter what dose, it will immediately have a detrimental effect on changes in your strength and muscle growth.

You must clearly understand and always be aware that:

1. if you drank very little - “purely symbolically” and feel quite sober - you can consider this as missing one full workout,
2. If you “succumbed too much”, immediately write off a week of training, or even more.
3. If you drink regularly, even just a little, and perhaps even weak alcoholic drinks (for example, wine or beer), get ready for the fact that your strength indicators will begin to fall, and sooner or later you will hit stagnation.

Alcohol intake affects a decrease in protein synthesis, which is the most important step in the construction of muscle cells. Alcohol, even in the smallest doses, inhibits this synthesis, which is due to an increase in the production of the catabolic hormone - cortisol.

Drinking alcoholic beverages inhibits the production of so-called growth hormones. Alcohol reduces the level of the male hormone: testosterone and, at the same time, increases the level of the female hormone: estrogen. In addition, some drinks, such as beer, initially contain estrogens. Due to this reason, most drunkards showed external signs of gynecomastia - the formation of breasts according to the female type of constitution.

Alcohol also leads to a decrease in the reserves of minerals and vitamins in our body - the reserves of vitamins A, C, B, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus and most other microelements are depleted. But minerals, vitamins and trace elements significantly influence most of the processes in our body that are responsible for muscle growth, health and immunity in general.

It is also a long-known fact that alcohol leads to obesity. Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of so-called “empty calories” that absolutely do not fit into a proper and rational diet.



In addition, alcohol slows down the fat burning process. Strong drinks are very high in calories; 1 g of alcohol usually contains 7 calories, which is significantly higher than that of proteins and carbohydrates.

Alcohol also has a detrimental effect on sleep and recovery processes. There can be no talk of any proper rest. There is a disruption and disorder of sleep, disturbances in the order of the slow and fast phases, which also has a detrimental effect on the recovery processes of our muscular system.

Another problem is addiction. We all know how the green serpent sneaks up unnoticed, every day coming closer and closer, and then, having grabbed the victim, it never lets go. And you need to have impressive willpower to get rid of it in a neglected state. This is especially acute for the fair half of the population. By regularly consuming seemingly harmless cocktails, you allow the serpent to sneak up on you unnoticed. And treating female alcoholism is, alas, not an easy task. Therefore, low-alcohol drinks pose an even greater threat than 40-proof drinks.