Can I Drink Alcohol and Build Up Muscle?

Many bodybuilders especially amateur bodybuilders like to enjoy the occassional drink of alcohol whther it be in the form of beer, wine or spirits. Here we ask just what affect this has on our body and is it ok to drink if we want to build up muscles.

Unfortunately alcohol interferes with many chemical reactions in the body that are productive in order to build muscle up. The effects of alcohol are felt by the body for at least a couple of days as it is processed very gradually and can affect performance negatively for up to 48 hours after you drank your last glass.

Just two normal drinks of alcohol can reduce reaction time, lower strength levels, interfere with balance and hand eye co-ordination and increase fatigue. As a bodybuilder or indeed anyone seeking a decent athletic performance all of these will limit your ability to build muscle up.

Increased fatigue is mainly due to the fact that the liver which is responsible for metabolising alcohol will do so at the expense of gycogen which is a form of carbohydrate. It is this that causes increased fatigue. If the body is not using glycogen efficiently then the cellular functions of the body will not run as efficiently and muscle growth will inevitably suffer.

Alcoholic drinks interfere with the fluid and electrolytes inside the kidneys thus causing dehydration. The function of the kidneys is to regulate the body's cells with nutrients they can use for building muscles up and repair and also to remove from the body cellular waste.Attempts to build muscle and other types of athletic performance may be ruined as in order to process alcohol effectively, water from other areas of the body is required which has a dehydrating effect thus harming performance.

Tachycardia can be caused (which is an abnormally fast heart beat) when consuming alcohol as alcohol raises the individuals blood pressure. Furthermore it can significantly disrupt sleep which is a time for the body to grow and repair. It also decreases how easily the body can absorb minerals and vitamins , these of course have crucial roles in chemical reactions for muscle growth.

The bodies though processes can also be greatly affected. If the amount of glycogen that makes it to the brain is not adequate then slow dioriented thinking will of then be the result. Important in any sport particularly muscle building motivation and drive are key factors, unfortunately alcohol consumption can lead to a loss in motivation!

So bearing all this in mind, clearly if you are seriously want to build up muscle then you are going to have to lay of the alcohol. just drinking the recommended daily amount of alcohol can and will affect your body in a negative fashion! Indeed there are many more effects that alcohol has on the body but they are beyond the scope of this article.