The be all to end all alcohol and how it effects gains thread.

[ChrisCollins91]

Hello, new to the board.

Alcohol as we all know effects gains.

The question that is at hand is......... How much?

Explain this protein synthesis to me. They say protein synthesis is effected up to 20 % if you consume alcohol. When they say 20 %, that is on tests of people who binge drink and have consumed 11 drinks or more in some studies. Remember up to means up to. That means it has a "chance" to be effected 20 %. Most times that means it will be effected less than that number.

So 20 % is 20 %, that means that 80 % of protein synthesis is still working. That means that even if someone drinks, their protein synthesis is still working at 80 % , which is quite a bit. And that is even after they are drunk off their ass.

If that is the case, how come people stay away from drinking altogether? Now I can understand why a person would not drink everyday, but is one day a week of drinking really gonna mess someones protein synthesis up enough to stop good gains? If someone drinks and that means if they get hammered, their bodies protein synthesis is still working a 80 % level. Which means they are still building muscle at a pretty solid rate.

Thoughts?

By the way I dont' consume alcohol but always wondered about this.

[TailEnd]

If you're not a professional bodybuilder, then why does it matter to you? If you're drinking alcohol once a week, it's not going to make a significant impact on your long term results, as long as your OVERALL diet is in check.

Drink alcohol if you want to drink alcohol.

[ChrisCollins91]

If you're not a professional bodybuilder, then why does it matter to you? If you're drinking alcohol once a week, it's not going to make a significant impact on your long term results, as long as your OVERALL diet is in check.

Drink alcohol if you want to drink alcohol.

Interesting. So just because a person is not a professional means they have justification to drink? Explain to me how big a difference 20 % would make on a guy during the course of a full year. How much muscle could he take the chance on losing if he drank once a week? 1-2 pounds? Is that why Pro Bodybuilders stay away from booze? Cause they know its such a fine line between winning a title and losing one? 1 pound of muscle could be the difference? Maybe even half a pound of new muscle. Correct?

[TailEnd]

Interesting. So just because a person is not a professional means they have justification to drink? Explain to me how big a difference 20 % would make on a guy during the course of a full year. How much muscle could he take the chance on losing if he drank once a week? 1-2 pounds? Is that why Pro Bodybuilders stay away from booze? Cause they know its such a fine line between winning a title and losing one? 1 pound of muscle could be the difference? Maybe even half a pound of new muscle. Correct?

If your livelihood doesn't depend on bodybuilding, why would you sacrifice something you enjoy for it? There's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy alcohol in moderation if it's something you enjoy.

Where are you getting this 20% from?

[bambam601]

Where are you getting this 20% from?

^this.
threads like these should come with sources attached.

[ChrisCollins91]

If your livelihood doesn't depend on bodybuilding, why would you sacrifice something you enjoy for it? There's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy alcohol in moderation if it's something you enjoy.

Where are you getting this 20% from?

Ive read that on average Alcohol effects Protein synthesis up to 20 %. My livelihood does not depend on bodybuilding, but if Im involved in something which I am when it comes to lifting, I want my gains to be the greatest they can possibly be. If I know something could keep that from happening, Im not going to do it and I won't enjoy doing it. How could I enjoy sitting at a bar, getting drunk or even drinking knowing that it could hold me back? No way, I will not lose sleep over that.

[TailEnd]

Ive read that on average Alcohol effects Protein synthesis up to 20 %. My livelihood does not depend on bodybuilding, but if Im involved in something which I am when it comes to lifting, I want my gains to be the greatest they can possibly be. If I know something could keep that from happening, Im not going to do it and I won't enjoy doing it. How could I enjoy sitting at a bar, getting drunk or even drinking knowing that it could hold me back? No way, I will not lose sleep over that.

I thought you said you don't consume alcohol anyway, so why does it matter?

The issue I'm getting at is that little details like this won't make a significant impact on your long term goals IF it's in moderation.

Do you have a basic understanding of nutrition? Read the sticky called "counting calories and macronutrients".

[ChrisCollins91]

I thought you said you don't consume alcohol anyway, so why does it matter?

The issue I'm getting at is that little details like this won't make a significant impact on your long term goals IF it's in moderation.

Do you have a basic understanding of nutrition? Read the sticky called "counting calories and macronutrients".

Yes I don't consume alcohol for a few reasons. Most importantly because of my lifestyle change that I made for myself.

I was just always curious about this topic though because I do have friends who lift and do drink and I have wondered if they are making the best gains possible.

[TailEnd]

Yes I don't consume alcohol for a few reasons. Most importantly because of my lifestyle change that I made for myself.

I was just always curious about this topic though because I do have friends who lift and do drink and I have wondered if they are making the best gains possible.

You shouldn't necessarily question whether alcohol is affecting their "gains", question whether their diet in it's entirety is suitable for making "gains".

Alcohol may or may not have its place in one's weekly diet. It all depends on the overall picture.

[ChrisCollins91]

You shouldn't necessarily question whether alcohol is affecting their "gains", question whether their diet in it's entirety is suitable for making "gains".

Alcohol may or may not have its place in one's weekly diet. It all depends on the overall picture.

I understand. Depends on how they eat. Im sure if a person was very strict with their macros per day , it would be justified for them to treat themselves to a beer or glass of wine here and there.

[TailEnd]

I understand. Depends on how they eat. Im sure if a person was very strict with their macros per day , it would be justified for them to treat themselves to a beer or glass of wine here and there.

I'd hesitate to use the word "treat", but you're starting to see where I'm coming from.

[Caezar07]

Ive read that on average Alcohol effects Protein synthesis up to 20 %. My livelihood does not depend on bodybuilding, but if Im involved in something which I am when it comes to lifting, I want my gains to be the greatest they can possibly be. If I know something could keep that from happening, Im not going to do it and I won't enjoy doing it. How could I enjoy sitting at a bar, getting drunk or even drinking knowing that it could hold me back? No way, I will not lose sleep over that.

I can enjoy it because beer and alcohol can taste good especially paired with food. It can be a fun time getting a little buzz going with a couple friends during a summer BBQ, or while having dinner with a lady. I'm not saying that a person needs to get drunk just to have fun, but if a person has some self control and can fit some beer into their day's worth of calories, then why not? Beer and wine actually have some health benefits in moderate amounts. Having a couple beers every now and then will not have much, if any effect on protein synthesis.

If you can't handle drinking and have no self control or something then that's a personal issue. Being able to enjoy drinking is a worthwhile tradeoff for whatever miniscule effect it may have on protein synthesis.

I don't understand some people's need to do everything 110% correct when they aren't a professional bodybuilder. Why the hell would someone do something ridiculous like not drink alcohol just to maybe make a fraction of a percentage more in gains over the course of a bulking cycle. Why would someone else waste money and eat food they don't want to, to get in 300g of protein daily to maybe make a fraction of a percentage more in gains over the course of their bulking cycle. Or why would someone else cut everything out of their diet besides bodybuilding staples like chicken, broccoli, and rice, to maybe lose a fraction of a percentage more fat over the course of their cut. Having they best physique ever isn't the most important thing in life.

Hit your calorie target, get your protein minimum, eat a variety of whole foods when possible, avoid industrial trans fat, stay active and at a healthy weight, and that's all you need to do to be healthy and achieve your fitness goals.

[gansi1]

Hello, new to the board.

Alcohol as we all know effects gains.

The question that is at hand is......... How much?

Explain this protein synthesis to me. They say protein synthesis is effected up to 20 % if you consume alcohol. When they say 20 %, that is on tests of people who binge drink and have consumed 11 drinks or more in some studies. Remember up to means up to. That means it has a "chance" to be effected 20 %. Most times that means it will be effected less than that number.

So 20 % is 20 %, that means that 80 % of protein synthesis is still working. That means that even if someone drinks, their protein synthesis is still working at 80 % , which is quite a bit. And that is even after they are drunk off their ass.

If that is the case, how come people stay away from drinking altogether? Now I can understand why a person would not drink everyday, but is one day a week of drinking really gonna mess someones protein synthesis up enough to stop good gains? If someone drinks and that means if they get hammered, their bodies protein synthesis is still working a 80 % level. Which means they are still building muscle at a pretty solid rate.

Thoughts?

By the way I dont' consume alcohol but always wondered about this.

The big flaw in your analysis is that you are looking at the effect of alcohol on protein synthesis in isolation, i.e. without other metabolic effects of alcohol (significant or not) that have been reported in the scientific literature. This is incorrect as it leads to the misguided conclusions that alcohol "slows down protein synthesis by only 20% and that's that." Protein synthesis is not the only metabolic process that our body is involved in at any given time.

What about another study that reported that alcohol consumption decreases fat oxidation by over 70%? Other studies, elsewhere, have shown that effects, on the other hand, are minimal.

(Moreover, the original study that cites the data you mention was done in vitro, meaning in petri dishes with cells, and was done in 2001).

Secondly, you are looking at it without the context of one's diet.

Whether alcohol and how alcohol affects the body is a more complex issue than just looking at a single study in isolation. Research may or may not be right, but when analyzing scientific studies, you need to be careful.

[dbman4]

I'm normally not one to recommend t nation articles (mainly there nutrition related articles ). But this might be worth looking a top. If they are somewhat forgiving on alcohol consumption then you can be confident that alcohol in moderation is going to have very insignificant detriment towards you reaching your goals
http://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-los...ide-to-alcohol

[PBateman2]

http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/tru...nd-muscle.html