Alcohol

[KC410]

Can drinking hurt progess in gains???!!?!?

 

[Grendel08]

I do know alcohol can restrict blood flow, which is over all bad for PE or any othe type of fitness routine. As far as hurting gains, it might slow or hinder further progress, especially if indulged in in excess, but I haven't been doing PE LONG enough to give a definitive answer, so I'll leave it up to someone with more experience...

 

[RickBhmcsb]

Alcohol may not be the best thing to be into when in PE. I'm trying to keep stuff like that out of my system.

 

[Panther]

I have noticed an impact from drinking. My hardness factor goes down which effects your size. Less hard, less size because not as much blood in the dick.

I limit my drinking to social activities and usually only 1 or 2 drinks on Friday or Saturday. Seems to be okay with the limits.

 

[pterodactyl]

If you are getting drunk (actually drunk) 3 or more times per week then I believe it will be a problem. Overall health will decline which is bad for this business. If you are waking up with a hangover your body will take at least 3 days to recover fully.

 

[RickBhmcsb]

Whenever I am erect I try to keep it as hard as possible for as long as possible.

 

[XitemeM]

I'll let you know if I see a difference. I'm going from drinking an average of 3 drinks everyday to none (day 4 now). Bad news is I still drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I'm also drinking green tea, but I have at least 4 cups of coffee. One when I first wake up, when I get to work, one in the arvo and one when I get home. And then there's tobaccoo too. I'm lucky I've had any gains at all actually. I'll get there, just got to do it right. Festina Lente

Anyway, I have found some information that is significant to this subject from Alcohol & Muscles - AskMen Australia

You may have wondered how detrimental your drinking habits really are on your muscle-building progress. Is it really that harmful to go out with the guys and have a few beers after work on a Friday? If you’re trying to get lean, does this mean you should forgo all alcohol for the next month or two? Or, if you are really diligent with the rest of your diet, can you indulge on the weekend with a few cold ones?

Many guys would rather have a few drinks on the weekend than cheat with food that’s not a part of their diet plan. While some struggle to cut out foods, for others, cutting out drinking is the real challenge.

So, what’s the answer to the correlation between alcohol and muscles? How does alcohol affect the muscle-building process?

By understanding what happens when you drink, you can make your own judgment calls as to whether or not alcohol should be included in your workout and muscle-building plan. Here's what you need to know about alcohol and muscles.

Alcohol and growth hormones

One major issue with the consumption of alcohol has to do with its effects on the release of growth hormone. Growth hormone is the substance in the body that plays a very large role when it comes to building muscle, stimulating other cell growth and development and promoting optimal bone growth. When this hormone is low, you aren’t going to get the same amount of muscle development as you would when it’s at an optimal level.

Growth hormone is predominately secreted during the early sleeping hours of the night and because alcohol tends to disrupt natural sleep rhythms, it will decrease the amount of growth hormone released. This decrease can be up to as much as 70%, so it will really short-circuit the progress you are able to make.

Alcohol and testosterone

The next factor to consider is alcohol’s effect on testosterone. As you likely know, testosterone is another huge hormone associated with muscle growth and is the reason why men carry a great deal more muscle mass than women (since men have more testosterone flowing through their bodies).

When you consume alcohol, however, a substance is produced in the liver that is toxic to the release of testosterone. This substance decreases the concentration of testosterone in the body, resulting in lower muscle mass and definition. So, when you consider all the hard work you put in at the gym, also consider the affects derived from the combination of alcohol and muscles.

Alcohol and recovery

Another area that alcohol affects when it comes to muscle building is your ability to recover. Since alcohol is a toxin to the body, energy is going to have to be expended in order to remove it from the system and to recover from any negative effects it has had on the tissues.

Since this takes time and energy reserves, you won't have as much energy in store to recover from your workouts, therefore, you will not be as fresh when you return for your next gym session.

Alcohol and muscles don't usually get along, so consume with care...

Effects Of Alcohol On Muslces Page 2 - AskMen Australia

Alcohol and dehydration

Dehydration is another issue you have to watch out for if you choose to drink alcohol while trying to build muscle and work out. Since alcohol acts as a diuretic in the body, unless you are sure to replace the extra fluid with water or another nonalcoholic beverage that doesn’t contain caffeine, your natural water balance will be disrupted.

Dehydration has a number of negative effects on the body, from inducing feelings of fatigue to causing low physical performance, making you feel hungrier (which is especially problematic while dieting), and disrupting the ability of the muscle cells to produce ATP -- which is your primary source of muscular energy.

Alcohol and glycogen synthesis

Aside from ATP, the next source for muscular work is stored muscle glycogen. Unfortunately, though, when you consume alcoholic beverages, alcohol synthesis will take precedence over glycogen synthesis, resulting in decreased stores in the muscle cells.

When you go to do your next workout, your body will have less energy to run on, causing fatigue to set in early.

When your workouts end prematurely, you don’t derive as many benefits in terms of increases in strength since the necessary overloading stimulus (which is partly defined through volume of weights lifted) will not be increased.

Alcohol and aerobic ability

If you aren’t as concerned with your strength levels and figure this means alcohol is a safe bet for you, you may want to think again. Even when it comes to aerobic activities, alcohol affects performance.

In this scenario, alcohol can cause an increase in blood pressure throughout the body and a corresponding increase in heart rate.

Since your heart will already be working at an increased rate during aerobic activities, the additional stress from the alcohol will only amplify the heart rate and make the exercise feel harder than it should.

Alcohol and body fat

Finally, the last issue surrounding alcohol consumption is that it contains calories, and these do add up quickly. Typically, you’ll likely find yourself drinking beer, wine or hard liquors, which do contain fewer calories than the fancier, sweeter-tasting cocktails that women often drink, so at least that's an advantage.

Still, at seven calories per gram, after three or four drinks, these calories would equal a good-sized meal. Unless you are going to cut down on food intake in order to make room for these calories (which is rare, as usually you’ll actually find yourself snacking on high-calorie items such as nuts, pizza, wings or nachos), fat gain will result.

booze builds bellies

So, next time you’re contemplating whether or not you should have that drink, keep these factors in mind. Definitely, alcohol and muscle building are not a good pair, as stated by all these points, but if you aren’t training for any major athletic event or getting ready to step on stage for a bodybuilding competition, chances are that you can afford yourself one or two drinks once in a while without having to worry too much.

Just keep moderation in mind and try your best to consume extra water with the alcohol, eat more vegetables during the rest of the day (to increase nutrient content in your diet while decreasing calories) and allow for a little extra sleep time if you can after you’ve had a few drinks.
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[RickBhmcsb]

I sip on coffee throughout the day, so I understand what it can do to the penis. I just don't drink it that strong, even then I still add water to it when I do pour a cup.

 

[XitemeM]

Yeah I don't have strong coffees either, so at least that's something. I think caffeine can restrict blood flow but I haven't researched that specifically.

I was given a bottle of wine yesterday by a business partner, but I'm not taking it home. It's going well, sleeping better, but I have a headache. Withdrawals? Don't know..

 

[someone_like_u]

Good for you, X

 

[RickBhmcsb]

Yeah I don't have strong coffees either, so at least that's something. I think caffeine can restrict blood flow but I haven't researched that specifically.

I was given a bottle of wine yesterday by a business partner, but I'm not taking it home. It's going well, sleeping better, but I have a headache. Withdrawals? Don't know..

In my case I don't think caffeine is an issue. I'm not entirely sure I buy into that theory. I can still get it up at the drop of a hat with good blood flow. I don't drink alcohol of any kind. Might be some withdrawal for you.

 

[Rockitman]

The golden rule is, 'all things in moderation..' They say that one beer or glass of wine, preferable red, is good for you.

 

[RickBhmcsb]

The golden rule is, 'all things in moderation..' They say that one beer or glass of wine, preferable red, is good for you.

Yes. My motto exactly! I think there is something to that with regards to red wine. It reduces the fat if I recall correctly.

 

[XitemeM]

I was thinking that a glass of grapefruit juice would have the same benefit as a glass of red wine in terms of anti-oxidants, and green tea even more so probably. Plus green tea has the added benefit of increasing testosterone rather than decreasing it like alcohol. If you can enjoy one on it's own than good for you, but if I have one drink I wouldn't be satisfied until I've had several. Last week I polished off a bottle of white wine in one evening way too easily.

 

[BigO]

I dont drink, at least no more than one beer a week aftr my Sunday night hockey game, thats it. Just one with the guys. I drink coffe like a fiend and I have gained well. Some things affect people differently. I do believe that drinking in excess will definately affect your gains both in PE and when working to build muscle.
Nice post X, liked that info on alcohol.

 

[XitemeM]

Thanks BigO and SomeoneLikeU. I don't really have a new years resolution as such, but I'm really building motivation to get a lot healthier in the year to come. You're very disciplined BigO, and I'm sure that single beer you have is well earned after your hockey games, and it's good to know that caffeine didn't hamper your gains.

I've also found some more information related to alcohol, specifically beer and hops. I think I've seen this posted before, but I think it's worth posting it in this thread.

"Extracted from The Natural Testosterone Plan by Stephen Harrod Buhner"

Hops is best known for its use in beer. The majority of physicians and men overlook its potent chemicals and do not realize that beer itself can significantly alter the male androgen levels. German beer makers noticed long ago that the young women who picked hops in the fields commonly experienced early menstrual periods. Eventually, researchers discovered the reason – hops is perhaps one of the most powerfully estrogenic plants on Earth. Just 100 grams of hops (about 3.5 ounces) contains anywhere from thirty thousand to three hundred thousand IUs of estrogen, depending on the type of hops. Most of it is the very potent estrogen estradiol. Estradiol, as it is taken into the male body, causes a direct lowering of testosterone levels in the testes and an increase in SHBG levels, which then binds up even more free testosterone in the bloodstream. The estradiol in hops has also been found to directly interfere with the ability of the testes Leydig cells to produce testosterone. The presence of this highly estrogenic substance in beer is not an accident.

Prior to the German Beer Purity Act of 1516, beer almost never contained hops. In fact, more than one hundred different plants were used in brewing beer for at least ten thousand years prior to the introduction of hops in the middle ages. For the last thousand years of that period, the most dominant form of “beer” was called gruit, which contained a mixture of yarrow, bog myrtle, and marsh rosemary. These herbs, especially in beer, are sexually and mentally stimulating. (It is rare to become sleepy when drinking un-hopped beers.) The Catholic Church had a monopoly on the production of gruit, but competing merchants and the Protestants worked together to break their monopoly and force the removal of all sexually stimulating herbs from beer. They replaced them with an herb that puts the drinker to sleep and dulls sexual drive in the male. The legislative arguments of the day all hinged on the issue of the stimulating effects of other herbs that were used in beer. A pilsner, for example, was originally a henbane beer (pilsen means “henbane”), which is an incredibly strong, psychoactive beer, used earlier in history by German berserkers before battle. The German Beer Purity Act was, in effect, the first drug control law ever enacted.

Beer, so highly touted as sexy in television commercials, in actuality can powerfully inhibit sexual strength in men. There is a well known condition in England – Brewer’s Droop – that occurs from middle-aged brewers’ extensive handling of hops plants. The plant chemistries readily transmit through the men’s skin just as they did in the young women in the fields. Very few physicians have looked at any correlation between beer drinking and androgen levels or erectile dysfunction problems in their patients. (How many men on Viagra are heavy beer drinkers?) However, the physician Eugene Shippen in The Testosterone Syndrome comments that one of his patients undergoing pharmaceutical testosterone replacement therapy, showed no response to the testosterone until he reduced his beer intake to one or two beers a night from six to seven. Hops is extremely potent and its consumption should be limited if not completely excluded during all androgen replacement therapy. These effects can be exacerbated if the beers you buy also contain licorice (see Licorice section at beginning of chapter), a fact that will not be noted the beer label.

It is possible to buy beer that does not interfere with androgen levels, although it can be somewhat hard to find. Some microbreweries and brew pubs are now making traditional gruits. Check the brew pubs in your town. However, the best source is Bruce Williams, a Scottish Brewer who is bringing back the traditional ales of Europe and especially Scotland (i.e., pre-hopped European beers). He has five in production and they can often be found in larger American cities at any store that carries a wide selection of unusual beers. The heather ale is excellent but perhaps more useful would be the traditional pine ale made from the Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris, whose pollen contains testosterone.

It is also best to buy beers that are bottle-conditioned. Bottle-conditioned beers are carbonated in the bottle and as such contain live yeasts. These yeasts (most commonly Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are highly nutritive. They are extremely high in protein, glucose tolerance factor, and B vitamins – especially niacin and B1. Glucose tolerance factor, because it helps regulate blood sugar levels, can help with many of the problems associated with diabetes. Brewer’s yeast contains the highest levels of glucose tolerance factor of any food. It also has been found to reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and newer research has indicated that S. cerevisiae yeasts may have direct enhancement impacts on androgen activity in the body.

If I ever miss drinking beer and want to get back into home brewing again, I'll be making a bottle conditioned gruit beer!

 

[Padawan787]

Surprised that beer is so bad for you, I will definitely look into gruit beers!

But I tend to drink whisky and gin, do malt (barley) and sloe berries, the respective main ingredients, have a negative affective on testosterone as well?

 

[XitemeM]

mmmmm whiskey. No I haven't seen anything about negative effects from those ingredients. As far as scotch whiskey goes, I think it would be just the various impacts from the alcohol itself, as described on the previous page. And obviously the more alcohol you consume the more pronounced those effects would be, so as advised by others on this thread, everything in moderation.

The beer I was consuming didn't stop me from getting erections, so I still had a good supply of T, but I'm a little curious to find out if I experience an increase after stopping. We'll see. Just need these headaches to go away first.

 

[Padawan787]

2 whiskys or G & T's a night would be fine then? That is only 2 units of alcohol, maybe a bit more because I free pour lol, so the liver should be able to break that down in about 2 hours

1 unit = 1 hour I think

 

[KC410]

Thanks guys. I haven't had a drink in the last month.