If you’re after the goal to build more lean muscle mass, one thing that you must be thinking about is the influence that alcohol will have on your progress. Many people often wonder whether they’ll have to give up having an ice cold pint every so often if they want to see results with their program, or whether it can be safely added to their routine.
The fact of the matter is that if you’re serious about building muscle, you need to be serious about giving alcohol the boot. As much as it may pain you to do this, you have to weigh the pros and cons of every decision you make. Alcohol will have a large influence on your progress, so if you’re not taking this into account and proceed to make unwise decisions, it is going to influence the rate of success you see.
Let’s have a look at what you need to know about alcohol and your muscle building progress.
Alcohol And Testosterone
The very first thing to note is that if you’re drinking alcohol, this is going to cause a drop in your overall testosterone levels. Testosterone is the largest muscle building hormone in the body, so with it at lower concentration levels, you’re going to be building muscle at a much slower rate.
Even just a few drinks a week can have a significant influence on your testosterone level, so this isn’t something to take lightly.
Alcohol And Calorie Intake
Another major issue that revolves around your alcohol intake is the fact that it’s also going to cause you to take in unwanted calories. Not only will you take in the seven calories per gram that’s found in alcohol, but you’ll take in all the calories with whatever mixer you choose to use as well.
Then in addition to this, your will power will also be reduced to say no to foods you really shouldn’t be eating such as wings, pizza, or nuts by the handful, so those calories can really add up as well.
Alcohol And Energy Level
Finally, the third negative aspect of consuming alcohol is the influence it will have on your energy level. If you’re downing a few drinks on any given night, chances are you aren’t going to be performing optimally in the gym the next few days.
This then slows down your rate of progress, making it harder to reach your muscle building goals. If you want to see best results, you need to give 110% each and every session.
Making The Choice
So I’d highly suggest that you make the choice today – how committed are you? Do you want to see the absolute best results possible or are you okay with mediocre results?
Use the following table below as a guideline that illustrates your commitment level and how many drinks would be tolerable per week.
Your Level: General Fitness Improvements
Drink Tolerance per Week: 2 nights/week, 6 drinks per night
Your Level: Weight Loss/Mass Building
Drink Tolerance per Week: 2 nights/week, 1-2 drinks per night
Your Level: Want To Get Lean (sub 10% males, sub 15% females)
Drink Tolerance per Week: 1 night/week, 1-2 drinks per night
Your Level: Want To Be Shredded (attain a bodybuilder-like physique)
Drink Tolerance per Week: Avoid alcohol entirely
So there you have the facts about alcohol consumption and your progress. If you’re really serious about reaching your goals, this is one beverage that you may want to do without.
Don’t get me wrong, I do drink occasionally, I like a good glass of red wine or even an ice cold beer sometimes…especially when you want to socialize with friends, having a glass with friends sometimes is something you really catn avoid, so I keep it in moderation, relax and enjoy…no stressing
This is what I usually do, I stay within the last two levels which is 1 or 2 drinks once a week MAX when I am off season, however when I diet for a show and I want to get shredded I just avoid drinking entirely.
Oh and by the way, if you consider yourself similar to the guy with the tie on his head above, I would strongly reconsider a new hobby other that body transformation, haha. How serious are you in your training?
http://www.greatestmuscle.com/
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