Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Results
      • Mr. Olympia 2022
      • 2022 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Food Facts
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
    • Deals
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • Results
      • Mr. Olympia 2022
      • 2022 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Food Facts
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
    • Deals
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Natural Bodybuilding

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Alcohol

Justin Robertson

Written by Justin Robertson

Last Updated onFebruary 25, 2013

I live in a college town, so alcohol is a large part of the youth culture around these parts. There are bars galore and liquor stores on most major corners. Even gas stations and pharmacies stock enough booze to be considered liquor stores. We also have two major national liquor stores, Binny’s and Friar Tuck.

No matter what gym you go to here in town, Friday evening will be deserted. The few that do workout on Friday evenings occupy their time talking about how they need to hurry and get out of there so they can go drinking. As if putting in their time at the gym will cancel out the hours of alcohol consumption that will follow. In contrast, Monday evenings are the busiest at the gym – with many patrons sharing stories of their weekend exploits, trying to burn away the evils of the weekend. These are the same people you will see in the gym the week before spring break doing nothing but cardio and ab exercises.

Most of the people who approach me for advice are actually college students. Sadly, very few are actually willing to listen to the advice I offer. What they really want is that magic pill or secret to success that will allow them to maintain their poor diets and infrequent gym visits. I’m not judging and I’m not stereotyping. I was a college student once (just 8 years ago), and I have lived the same lifestyle. All I did was smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and sleep. I ate once or twice per day, and then I would eat again when I was loaded at 2:00am. I had a gym membership that I used infrequently. When I did workout it was the usual misguided workout that involved chest and arm exercises. Like many, I thought I worked so hard in the gym, but just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t seeing results. I was drinking whey – why wasn’t I getting big?

When someone approaches me and asks how to get ripped, I have to ask, “How much do you drink?” They almost always laugh or smirk, as if I would be amazed by the actual consumption. I don’t ask because I want to know. I ask because I already know. I then tell them that the reduction or elimination of alcohol consumption alone will most likely yield results. Not surprisingly, many admit that they are not willing to make such a “sacrifice.”

There are several ways in which alcohol can harm your hard work in the gym. Unknown-1Chronic intake of alcohol is linked to suppressed protein synthesis (up to 20%) and myopathy. Myopathy is a condition characterized by muscle weakness and atrophy. Alcohol also affects the release of testosterone and growth hormone. Studies have shown that even casual drinkers of 2-3 beers per day showed a decrease in testosterone of over 6%. Alcohol consumption causes your liver to release substances that virtually cancel out the effects of testosterone in your body. Although moderate alcohol consumption is safe and can provide health benefits, such as the heart benefits from red wine, in terms of muscle growth the opposite is true.

Additionally, alcohol will dehydrate you and slows your ability to grow after a workout. Alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram. These are “empty” calories, meaning they are void of any nutritional value. In addition to loading your body with a bunch of excess calories, the consumption of alcohol also causes important vitamins and mineral to be drained from the body.

Since my adoption of the bodybuilding lifestyle, I have virtually eliminated alcohol from my life. Until my recent decision to take some time off, I had practically been in prep for two years. I can honestly say that from January 2011 to January 2013, I consumed alcohol maybe half a dozen times, usually as a single glass of wine or a beer at a family gathering. Even then that would only be if I was in ‘down time’ between shows – which was rare. In my earlier misguided days, I used to work out and then celebrate with a couple of beers and a bag of chips in front of the TV.

As with everything, moderation is important. Will the odd drink here and there hurt you? Probably not. If you are going to drink, you want to choose lower calories drinks with mixers such as tonic water or diet soda. These are the lesser of the evils when compared to the sugary cocktails out there. Light beer versus regular beer also provides some relief from calories, but the overall effect is the same.

Here are some calorie guidelines for alcohol:

1.5 oz 80 proof liquor = ~97 calories
12 oz beer = ~153 calories
12 oz light beer = ~103 calories
5 oz red wine = ~125 calories
5 oz white wine = ~121 calories

Happy Lifting!

For the latest news and updates please follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Natural Bodybuilding
Previous Post

Lighter Side: Gym Time Is Good For More Than Just Physical Fitness

Next Post

Pre, Intra And Post Training Nutrition: Muscle-Building

Justin Robertson

Justin Robertson

Recommended For You

Bulking And Cutting Jigsaw

The Missing Piece of The Bulking and Cutting Jigsaw

An aesthetic physique requires a blend of well-proportioned muscle mass at a low level of body fat. Combining wide shoulders,...

How Often Should You Train To Failure?

How Often Should You Train To Failure?

Welcome back to the series going over all things related to muscle-building. In the first article, we kicked off this...

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Meal Frequency

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Meal Frequency

The topic of meal frequency for the fitness enthusiast is one in high debate. There are many schools of thought...

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Bodybuilding Organizations

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Bodybuilding Organizations

When it comes to preparing for a competitive bodybuilding or figure event, probably the last thing to cross any novice’s...

Natural Bodybuilding With JC: Bigorexia

Wow dude, your arms are crazy big! What – these things. Yeah, I’ve been working on them for ages but...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Reducing Body Fat

Ripped: How to Get Down to 10% Body Fat

Bulgarian Split Squat Variations

The 10 Best Bulgarian Split Squat Variations for Muscular, Athletic Legs

Iranian Hulk Vs Kazakh Titan

Iranian Hulk Agrees To a Boxing Match vs Kazakh Titan

Recent Reviews

Best Cacao Nibs

10 Best Cacao Nibs of 2022

Ghost Legend Pre-Workout Review

Ghost Legend Pre-Workout Review

Best Vitamin C Supplements 1

10 Best Vitamin C Supplements of 2022

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workouts
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Mr. Olympia
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • 2022 WSM
    • Diet
    • News
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Deals
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.