Alcohol is the real enemy of all bodybuilders, as drinking alcohol
makes it easy to get distracted from your training program and your
healthy eating lifestyle. Most people like to have a few drinks at the
weekend and it is hard to say no, especially if going out with the lads
is one of your favourite pastimes.
The problem with this is that drinking alcohol will make you put on
weight, as it has a high calorie content, it will also inhibit your
ability to put on and build muscle mass. The thing you need to realise
though is that you don't have to give up your fun lifestyle; you just
need to be more responsible and disciplined with regards what you put
into your body. Trade in your pint of ale for a bottle of water, or
sugar free drink.
Alcohol is Bad...
You need to think of your body as a machine that you need to keep
well oiled. By putting alcohol (or junk food) into your body you are
clogging up your machine and reducing it's effectiveness to run
properly. Alcohol has no real nutritional value and contains a lot of
calories which have no benefit to you or your body. It is easy to
consume in excess of a thousand calories in just a few drinks.
If you are serious about getting a ripped, lean body then you
seriously need to give the booze the boot. As it doesn't matter how
healthy you eat in the day if you go and drink a days worth of calories
in liquid form on a night out. Plus alcohol actually slows down your
metabolism, which will help you grow a beer belly, and seriously limits
your muscle growth and fat loss efforts.
The Final Straw...
I'm sure you've had a hangover, I absolutely hate them and they put
me off drinking along time ago. The problem with hangovers is that they
ruin the whole of your next day, they wreck your schedule, they destroy
your motivation to do any work never mind get down the gym and train.
Even if it's your rest day, it's likely you'll skip meals, stay in bed
too long and not get the right nutrients and food. Alcohol also
dehydrates you and depletes your body of key nutrients further
exacerbating the effects.
Alcohol also lowers the natural levels of testosterone in your body,
which as a bodybuilder is a big "no no", as testosterone is a key
hormone in helping you build muscle. Also alcohol lowers your
inhibitions, thus making it more likely that you'll stop for a kebab or
pizza on the way home, which you wouldn't touch with a barge pole in
normal circumstances.
Having a beer every now and again won't do you too much harm,
especially if you are only bodybuilding for fun, however if you want to
compete in competitions then alcohol is out of the question. Sorry. If
you are going out on a night, try to position yourself as the designated
driver, you won't be able to drink and you won't get grief from your
mates for not having a beer. If you do have a drink, schedule an extra
30 minutes of cardio into your training plan to make sure you burn off
the extra calories.