Alcohol and muscle growth: 5 effects of alcohol on muscle growth

So, are you curious about what the effects of alcohol are on your muscle growth? That is a logical question that deserves an answer. Alcohol can definitely play a role in your muscle building journey.

People ask me all the time about alcohol and muscle growth and what it does. Does it have negative effects? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.

When it comes to drinking, there are negative effects and positive effects. Most of the positive effects are social and fun, but it’s not about drinking. It’s about what the drink does to muscle growth.

There are 5 main ways it affects muscle building:

1. It has a negative effect on protein synthesis.

Your muscles are made of protein, and protein synthesis is the process in which amino acids form complete proteins. This process can be slowed down by up to twenty percent by excessive alcohol consumption.

2. Causes dehydration.

Your muscles are made up of mostly water, just like your entire body. Drinking a lot of alcohol forces the kidneys to do excessive work filtering water, which can lead to severe dehydration. Water plays an important role in muscle growth and should not be underestimated.

3. It drains the body of essential vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins and minerals are obviously important for all functions of the body, muscle building being one of them. Alcohol consumption causes depletion of vitamins A, C, B, zinc, phosphorus and calcium.

4. Increases estrogen levels and lowers testosterone.

The most important hormone when it comes to building muscle is testosterone. A person’s gains are highly dependent on their testosterone levels, so keep them high! Estrogen will also put your body in a less anabolic state, the state where your body is building muscle.

5. It makes you fat.

Alcohol has 7 empty calories per gram. Which adds up to quite a few empty calories. The increase in estrogen plays an important role in fat storage. Excess estrogen is what gives men “man boobs” and the infamous beer belly. This fat tends to be the hard-to-get-removed “stubborn fat” that people talk about.

Now, I’m not saying to give up alcohol completely, it can be a lot of fun and a great way to relax. But if you’re serious about gaining muscle, it’s a good idea to cut back on drinking for a while while you focus your efforts elsewhere.