Can Alcohol Hurt Muscle Growth?

If your main goal in working out is to gain muscle mass, you may have heard that alcohol can impede your goals. Some believe that is simply a myth contrived by certain anti-alcohol individuals. However, you must understand the true effects alcohol has on the body and the muscles.

Not only is alcohol potentially addictive, but it could also negatively affect the growth of your muscles. Therefore, many bodybuilders and strength trainers limit or even steer clear of alcoholic beverages. While drinking alcohol will not completely deter your muscles from enhancing, overindulgence can harm you if you are in a muscle strength-training program.

How can alcohol hinder muscle growth? Testosterone levels decrease when consuming a lot of alcohol. In order to increase muscle mass, you must preserve or boost the levels of testosterone within the body. This hormone is essential in muscle expansion.

Alcohol also increases fat storage within the body. While the fat stores, muscle mass likely reduces, and the fat becomes more apparent, especially in the abdominal area. This contributes to what many refer to as a "beer belly".

Regular consumption can decelerate protein synthesis, which would negatively affect our muscle growth. Protein is perhaps one of the most crucial nutrients a muscle requires in order to strengthen. When protein synthesis is affected, it is not properly circulated through the body and muscles.

Because alcohol acts as a diuretic when consumed, it often causes an increase in loss of minerals and vitamins that may be vital to our bodies. In many cases, drinking increases the amount of times we urinate, therefore, you could be losing some key minerals your muscles needs. Not only will your muscles suffer, but also your entire body will feel the effects of the lack of vitamins and minerals. Increased alcohol intake may rid the body of important vitamins and minerals such as zinc, calcium, Vitamin C, and others. It can also trigger dehydration. Our bodies and muscles require certain amount of water, therefore, if we are even slightly dehydrated, our bodies and muscles will not function to its full potential.

Drinking alcohol in moderation will not stunt muscle growth. Most adults enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and then. Unless you are serious bodybuilder or just totally anti-alcohol, there is nothing wrong a few drinks. In fact, some experts state a small glass of wine is good for you. However, if you spend a lot of time in the gym working your muscles, and then go out and drink a 12-pack of Budweiser, or a liter of Jack Daniel's, you will not see the desired results.