Alcohol + Muscle Building
Drinking. Fitness. Maybe you love both. Maybe you are a fan of nights out, and are still searching for that sweet spot of doing both. Fear not. Knowledge is power, so let’s break down the A, B ,C’s of navigating those drinks and still making progress in the gym.
Friendly disclaimer: You can’t drink all the time and expect results. You can however play with moderation and still see results. A few nights a month of really cutting loose- is doable, just don’t eat like a dumpster too. Remember alcohol still has calories, so overdoing (food and alcohol) will create a caloric surplus, which means fat storage.
First of all it is important to understand how the body processes alcohol. We are not going to do a scientific deep dive on that. This is for clear takeaways here. What you need to know is: Your body will prioritize metabolizing alcohol before other nutrients, blocking their absorption.
When focusing on building muscle, muscle protein synthesis is KEY. This is how your body repairs, rebuilds, and gets you those gains.
Alcohol hinders this process so it is in your best interest to workout early in the morning, have optimal protein intake, then later on in the evening partake in alcohol. This will give your body time to absorb protein and start repairing. Research from Penn State shows that alcohol decreases protein synthesis by 15% to 20% after 24 hours, but not sooner.
TRACK what you drink. If you track your macros (the IIFYM approach) you will 100% want to log your alcohol. Alcohol is the 4th macronutrient, with zero nutritional value. Tracking will help you understand where you are at with your intake. Personally even if I am going over my daily macros I will still track that data to see how my body responds. I use the WAG AlcCalc in the Apple App Store. It easily allows you to track your alcohol as fats and carbs.
STAY HYDRATED. Muscles need to be properly hydrated to build and repair. Alcohol dehydrates you. Getting optimal water daily water intake will help your body bounce back quicker from a night of shenanigans. I am a big fan of utilizing Liquid IV to help replenish my electrolytes as well. Which are also affected by drinking.
Alcohol will disrupt your sleep cycle. Even a few drinks will do this. If a long night is in your future, be sure to get ample rest the days leading up and post drinking. Sleep is a non-negotiable for recovery and muscle building.
A common misconception is you should work out the next day… which it can feel good to sweat it out…(so go for it)…but do not expect your body to be in a proper state to repair/build muscle tissue, as it is still focused on detoxing your system. A lighter intensity workout would be more appropriate.
**This is the part where knowledge is power. Your body simply may benefit from an optimal recovery day, so plan your weekly workouts around that night of drinking, and drop in that recovery day to rest up.
A little supplement support
A few supplements can help your body handle alcohol better
L-Glutamine. This is one of my favorite supplements to help your muscle tissues repair. A lesser known fact is L-Glutamine is STELLAR at aiding your gut health. This is because the tissues of the gut can be damaged by alcohol. Taking L-Glutamine consistently has been shown to help repair the tissues of the intestinal lining.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). One of the stressors that alcohol places on your liver is antioxidant depletion. Metabolizing alcohol uses up glutathione, an amino acid that serves as one of the body’s strongest free-radical fighters. NAC daily can help replenish antioxidants while clearing out toxic metabolites that are generated by the liver’s breakdown of alcohol.
Magnesium. Alcohol depletes magnesium in the body. Taking a magnesium supplement can help minimize hangover symptoms. Magnesium supports the dehydrogenase enzyme found in alcohol which is responsible for the breakdown of alcohol in the body in preparation for elimination.
Takeaways
Alcohol inhibits/lowers the following, which are key to muscle building:
Muscle protein synthesis
Testosterone
Growth hormone (which is released while you sleep)
Sleep
Game Plan
If you are looking to make drastic changes in your fitness journey, it is probably best to hold off on alcohol. Alcohol does make it harder to have your body in a primed fat loss state.
If you are in a better spot with your fitness, and simply looking to maintain, or grow, while having some fun nights out….Just be sure to utilize that 80/20 rule with food and alcohol. 80% of your nutrition is locked in. That other 20% can be used for alcohol and treats. This is a lifestyle so being ultra rigid will work against you.
Peace & Love,