Alcohol Abuse Advice

Is It Possible To Build Up Muscles And Drink Alcohol

Many bodybuilders especially amateur bodybuilders like to enjoy the occassional drink of alcohol whther it be in the form of beer, wine or spirits. Here we ask just what affect this has on our body and is it ok to drink if we want to build up muscles.

Unfortunately alcohol interferes with many chemical reactions in the body that are productive in order to build muscle up. The effects of alcohol are felt by the body for at least a couple of days as it is processed very gradually and can affect performance negatively for up to 48 hours after you drank your last glass. 

Just two normal drinks of alcohol can reduce reaction time, lower strength levels, interfere with balance and hand eye co-ordination and increase fatigue. Clearly as a sportsmen all of these will directly affect your performance and as a bodybuilder these will only inhibit your ability to build muscle up.

The liver will metabolise alcohol at the expense of glycogen (carbohydrate) which is the fuel for the body therefore this is why fatigue is caused. Fatigue is increased by this. If the body is not using glycogen efficiently then the cellular functions of the body will not run as efficiently and muscle growth will inevitably suffer.

Alcoholic drinks interfere with the fluid and electrolytes inside the kidneys thus causing dehydration. The kidneys function is to regulate the body’s cells with nutrients they can use for muscle growth and repair and also to take out of the body cellular waste. In order to breakdown alcohol effectively the kidneys filter water from parts of the body such as the brain, this can therefore dehydrate the body and ruin attempts at athletic performance and workouts that build up muscle.

Tachycardia an abnormally fast heartbeat may be caused by alcohol consumption which also causes high blood pressure in some people. Whats more sleep is a time for the body to grow but this is disrupted by alcohol consumption. It also decreases how easily the body can absorb minerals and vitamins , these of course have crucial roles in chemical reactions for muscle growth.

Affected greatly will also be the brains thought processes. If not enough glycogen reaches the brain due to alcohol then slow disoriented thinking will be the result. Unfortunately alcohol may cause a reduction in your motivation and drive which of course is essential for success in any field!

So bearing all this in mind, clearly if you are seriously want to build up muscle then you are going to have to lay of the alcohol. Even the recommended daily amount effects the body adversely! Indeed there are many more effects that alcohol has on the body but they are beyond the scope of this article.

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