Monday, November 3, 2008

How Alcohol Affects the Muscle Gain Process

By Ricardo d Argence

Alcohol really affects the muscle growth process and in the next few lines I am going to tell you why.

Another thing that will frustrate your efforts to build muscle is consuming too much alcohol. People underestimate the affects of alcohol and the way this drug changes their lives.

It negatively affects protein synthesis. Protein is made by the joining of amino acids to form complete proteins. The problem becomes obvious when you realize that your muscles, which are composed of mostly protein, work less when alcohol is consumed in large amounts.

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. If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get.

Alcohol 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.

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.

Alcohol can actually be quite fattening with its 7 empty calories per gram. Drinking can also mess with the Kreb's Cycle, which is critical to burning more fat.

Alcohol consumption affects the quality of your sleep, more so when you consume the alcohol during the hours you normally sleep. Obviously, a good night's sleep each night is crucial to the development of muscle mass. You must also get in enough rest and recovery or your efforts will be thwarted.

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.

By all means, keep going out and having fun, but space out your drinking nights and make sure you've had a meal to reduce the alcohol's effect. - 15683

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