Bodybuilding Health : Does Alcohol Affects Strength?

Alcohol is a carbohydrate, but doesn't convert to glucose like most carbs do, but is converted into a fatty acid and is consequently more likely to store as fat. So if you drink alcohol and exercise, it puts fat metabolism on "hold".

The caloric content of alcohol is seven calories per gram. A shot of gin contains around 110 cals, while an average 12-oz beer contains 146 cals, 13 gms of carb, and some vitamins and minerals.

Being the most abused drug in the United States, alcohol affects many people's lives out there. It is a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant and it has the lowest effective dose:lethal dose ratio. This means that there is very little difference in the amount of alcohol that will get you drunk and the amount that will kill you. The reason more don't die from alcohol, is because the stomach begins to reject it by vomiting (yum!).

Acute alcohol intoxication results in tremor, anxiety and irritability, nausea, decreased mental function, and vertigo (all of which makes you so attractive to the opposite sex). Chronic alcohol use leads to internal destruction of the liver, heart, brain, muscle (!) and cancer in any or all of them.

Research has shown that small amounts of alcohol may benefit the body. This means 12 oz of beer or a small glass of wine. However, to get the most out of the drink, going with a darker, less processed product is best. Darker beers and wines offer more nutrients.

When it comes to your workouts or athletic competition, alcohol impairs balance and coordination since it affects that CNS. Strength and power are also affected since it dehydrates the body, making muscle and other tissue unable to work optimally.


In conclusion, if you're spending your hard earned money on supplements here at Bodybuilding.com - don't just piss them all out by drinking all night. When you're spending hours lifting, conditioning and practicing for athletics-don't throw it all out the window because you want to party with some friends. Identify your goal and do all things that will help you achieve that goal. If your goal is to get trashed, go for it! I recommend Budweiser. Oh, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Keep on training hard and doing your best! Life is short, lift big.