Alcohol and Lifting (Can they coexist?) Reps!

[Gavin07]

I've been lifting for over a year now and have drank pretty heavily over the last 6 months. I promote a few bars so it's my source of income to drink an average of 4 nights a week. My strength continues to increase, although it is harder to put on weight. My question is, what can you do to lessen the effect of alcohol on your muscle growth. I drink a half gallon of water before going to the bar and drink the other half in the morning. I also eat a full meal before going out and stick to the darker beers. Seems to work pretty well but if there some kind of strategy out there that I'm missing? An all natural supplement of some kind?

[Cser]

Um is this a serious thread? Just cut down on your drinking.

[Maxwell1995]

Just cut down on your drinking.

This. Just try to drink a little less.
And yes, the can coexist, but as the alcohol increases, the harder it is to do so.

[O_Discordia]

Alcohol will effect your gains. However, in moderation, it wont effect you to any noticeable degree. My advice would be if you have to go out drinking 4 nights a week, limit it to 1-2 beers 3 of the nights, and let yourself have 2-3 or so 1 night. Even though you are promoting, there is no reason you have to drink more than a beer or 2 max each night. In fact most promoters I know don't drink at all most nights, and save it for weekends/when there are a lot of hot girls for them to party with.

[rugbyman87]

I persoanally don't drink at all during the week anymore. With having to be at work at 6:30 and then going and lifting after work, it just always seems to mess me up when i drink the night before.
Whenever i do drink i have to down a ton of water the next day in the morning. So i don't feel like going to the rec is a waste.
I guess it varies by person, but i don't like to drink then lift the next day, usually just does'nt feel right.
I don't see harm in it as long as your not still hungover and you have rehydrated by the time when you get to the gym, except for all the carbs and calories....

[Gavin07]

I'm averaging 8 beers a night now. What about liquor? Which effects the body worse? I don't really intend to lower my consumption by much. I'm content with where my bodies at and am having the most fun I've ever had, just looking for ways to lessen the effect on my body.

[O_Discordia]

8 beers a night...notsureifserious.jpg

If you are content with where your body is at...why ask us how to improve?

Sorry dude, but 8 beers a night x 4 nights a week is a lot. You are drinking about 1680 almost completely useless calories a night. 6720 a week. Drink less, you will see better gains, and you will be much healthier overall. Simple as that.

Changing from beer to liquor wont help either.

[NetworkPro]

I've been lifting for over a year now and have drank pretty heavily over the last 6 months. I promote a few bars so it's my source of income to drink an average of 4 nights a week. My strength continues to increase, although it is harder to put on weight. My question is, what can you do to lessen the effect of alcohol on your muscle growth. I drink a half gallon of water before going to the bar and drink the other half in the morning. I also eat a full meal before going out and stick to the darker beers. Seems to work pretty well but if there some kind of strategy out there that I'm missing? An all natural supplement of some kind?

Good question -- I have been working with a couple of bodybuilders and here is the down low on drinking. Drinking will significantly affect your lifting. The way in which our bodies process alcohol it treats it as poison – why do you think you have teh sh*ts the morning after? Our bodies are trying to get the drug out of our body. Even more so - alcohol can stay in your body for up to 48 hours afterwords -- which means that your gains can be affected for that long.

When this occurs, we also lose all of our amino acids in our muscles, as we are trying to expell this drug from our body so we will be sore as **** after a heavy lifting day + drinking night.

Serious body builders don't drink -- people who are looking at staying shape can drink, however stay with the vodka and away from beer....

[henry222]

You gotta cut down, bro. Like NetworkPro said, alcohol is practically poison and will inversely affect your gains.

[Matt1231231]

Good question -- I have been working with a couple of bodybuilders and here is the down low on drinking. Drinking will significantly affect your lifting. The way in which our bodies process alcohol it treats it as poison – why do you think you have teh sh*ts the morning after? Our bodies are trying to get the drug out of our body. Even more so - alcohol can stay in your body for up to 48 hours afterwords -- which means that your gains can be affected for that long.

When this occurs, we also lose all of our amino acids in our muscles, as we are trying to expell this drug from our body so we will be sore as **** after a heavy lifting day + drinking night.

Serious body builders don't drink -- people who are looking at staying shape can drink, however stay with the vodka and away from beer....

I've always wondered why you can be fine after lifting then drink and then be sore as hell in the morning, personally i havn't drunk in two years and i feel amazing for it, it alters your whole lifestyle plus the money you waste on drinking can go towards a new car, holiday etc. People just make tits of themselves when they've had too many.

[tendy39]

Well the only advice i could give is instead of having 8 all four nights, cut it to 4 one or 2 nights. ahah your 21 if your happy with your progress then who cares.

[Apachhe2]

if you're drinking heavily, you're gonna sacrifice some gains. it's that simple. i phase in and out of heavy drinking (4ish nights/week, and i drink a lot) and everything is much smoother when i'm not drinking like that. you may not notice it until you lay off the drinking a bit though. for me, it's one of those things i notice after i chill out on the alcohol for a few weeks...kinda like taking joint supplements.

[Gavin07]

Thanks for the input, the amino acid thing is sooooo true. I've been taking a couple scoops of Xtend at night and I've really noticed a difference. Another cool thing that my friend just told me about is Prickly Pare Cactus Juice. It reduces hangover symptoms by lowering blood glucose by decreasing the absorption of sugar in the stomach and intestine. Some articles suggest that it might also decrease cholesterol levels, and kill viruses in the body. Here's a pretty straight forward write up about it.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Hangover-P...ven!&id=120849

[Lifted21]

If ur ever really drunk try and do some pushups it like impossible lol

[Kcabo]

Alcohol will effect your gains. However, in moderation, it wont effect you to any noticeable degree. My advice would be if you have to go out drinking 4 nights a week, limit it to 1-2 beers 3 of the nights, and let yourself have 2-3 or so 1 night. Even though you are promoting, there is no reason you have to drink more than a beer or 2 max each night. In fact most promoters I know don't drink at all most nights, and save it for weekends/when there are a lot of hot girls for them to party with.

lol limit yourself to 1-2 beers a night.

kid, have you ever partied in your life?.... nerd

edit: i guess i see what you're saying but i'd rather not drink at all than limit myself to 1-4 beers a night

[bgb1990]

im in college and i just stick with hard liquor. it has more alcohol so calorie wise you drink slightly less because if youre drinking 8 beers and changed that to just like 3 shots you would have the same level of buzz. saves some there.

[pdxpumped]

They can definitely coexist, but at certain point there is going to be a trade-off. It all depends on how much you value your partying compared to how much you value your gains. Also be aware that drinking more than a couple drinks daily is going to have negative effects on your overall health outside of weight training.

[pdxpumped]

Oh, and I believe somewhere on this site Layne Norton has an article about using supplements to control the damages of drinking.