Bodybuilding and Alcohol

The Effects of Alcohol on Building Muscle Mass

You’ve been out for a few drinks with the lads and it’s come to their notice that you’ve been putting on a few pounds.  You’re developing a gut and it looks like you’ve eaten all the pies.  You decide that today is when you’re going to start building muscle mass and losing fat.  But, does bodybuilding and alcohol go together?  Will you still be able to enjoy a drink or two?

There’s a good reason why today may not be a good day to start.  Alcohol and body building do not mix.  That doesn’t mean to say that you have to give up drinking completely.  It just means that you need to regulate your drinking and plan your weightlifting exercise training sessions at times when you will not have alcohol in your system.  If you are going to drink, you should do it in moderation and not straight after a muscle mass workout session.

Alcohol has a specific effect on muscles.  It doesn’t reduce them but it prevents the muscles from getting the necessary support from the body which help them to recover from small tears and pulls.  The blood system carries oxygen and other natural resources to the muscles to fix injuries.  If the blood contains alcohol (which is a toxin) this system becomes less efficient.  Oxygen carriage is impeded so that you take longer to recover and your training, therefore, becomes less effective.  If you are returning to weight training without having totally recovered, you are more likely to injure yourself.

These small tears often occur without your even noticing.  The body, given the right conditions, is constantly repairing itself.  Alcohol in the system upsets the balance and will slow down the recovery process.  If you are going to have a drink, plan it just as you would plan your exercise regime.  For example, if you have a block of three days off in a row, day 2 is the best time to go for a drink or two so that you do not mix bodybuilding and alcohol.

Take a Break from Your Muscle Mass Workout Programme

For many bodybuilders, getting into the gym and working up a sweat can be the highlight of the week. Your time in the gym gives you time to clear your mind, a time to re-focus on the important things, an opportunity to forget about work and all it entails.   However, you do need to take a break from your muscle mass workout programme every so often.

Your weightlifting exercises are doing your body good; you’re using up fat, you’re building up muscle mass and you’re making your body into a more efficient working machine.  To be effective, however, you must consider pacing yourself properly.  It’s easy to overdo it, and if you don’t take proper breaks and rest periods, your exercise workout will be inefficient and you will not be building muscle mass as quickly as you would like. 

The benefits of regular exercise are obvious.  You feel better, you look better, your body works more efficiently and you live longer, but it is important to make sure that your exercise regime includes time to have a break and relax.  Working flat out can be very detrimental to your health, especially at the outset of a training programme.  You can ‘burn yourself out’, both physically and mentally, so be prepared to be aware of how your body feels and make sure that you have regular relaxation breaks to allow your body to recover.  Overdoing exercise can do you more harm than not exercising at all. 

If you make the mistake of letting your exercise take over your life, you are missing out on all the other things that you need to be happy and healthy.  It’s like having a balanced diet.  We all get a lot of pleasure out of eating fatty foods, but you can’t live off them for a long time without them having an adverse effect. 

When the body is relaxed and happy it releases chemicals which help to maintain a good mental balance.  Without this mental wellbeing, an exercise regime will do you no good.  If you feel mentally unsettled, frustrated or angry, you won’t feel the benefit.  It’s to do with thinking of the body and mind as a whole.  They both need to be working efficiently for you to feel good and to enjoy life.

Bodybuilding Beginners-Body Building Tips for Beginners

Start with Small Weights

You’re one of the many bodybuilding beginners who are looking for body building tips for beginners.  You’ve read all the books and watched all the videos and spent way too much time looking at pictures of muscle men.  You’ve finally decide to go down to the gym and get stuck in.  What’s the first thing you see?  The place is full of big, bronzed men doing serious pumping.  You can’t help but be intimidated.  They may not even notice you.  You long to be one of them.  You want to chat about bench-pressing three hundred pounds.  You want to be accepted.  However, you must take small steps and start with small weights.

It takes time, dedication, knowledge and skill to build muscle mass.  If you go off half-cocked and start overdoing things at the beginning of your training. you’ll injure yourself and may be put off body building into the bargain.  These men may have been at it for years.  You must be patient.  Take your time and start small.   So, start with the smaller weights.  They all did.  Work for shorter stints than the others.  Give yourself longer rest periods.  Don’t let yourself get dragged into any competition.  You’ll end up making a fool of yourself and doing yourself an injury.  Use your common sense.

These experienced bodybuilders all started off by taking small steps and using small weights.  They’ve probably been at it for years, and they know the mistakes a body building beginner can make.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  A tip from an experienced body builder can prevent serious injury.  Listen to them.  They know what they’re talking about. 

In the early days you may consider employing a trainer.  He will get you off to a good start and make sure that you adopt good habits at the outset.  He can advise you about warming up, set sensible targets for you, recommend the right kind of food and make sure that you don’t do yourself serious injury.  Alternatively, you could buy one of the courses recommended by us; it will certainly be a lot cheaper than a personal trainer, which will help when you’re first getting started. My preference would be No Nonsense Muscle Building but Turbulence Training is also very good and slightly cheaper.

Whatever you do, make sure that you seek good advice about muscle mass workouts.  One of the most important body building tips for beginners is that bodybuilding beginners should start small, i.e. use small weights, don’t do too many repetitions and take frequent breaks.  It will stop you getting discouraged, help to prevent injuring and allow you to enjoy your exercise sessions.

The Start of Your Muscle Mass Diet

If you’re really serious about developing a muscle mass workout routine and getting your body to look and feel good, you not only have to do the right exercise, but you also need to adopt the right muscle mass diet.  Think of your body as a machine.  It can’t do the work efficiently if it isn’t fuelled and maintained correctly. 

When you think of your body, think of all of it, focussing on how all the different parts and systems work together.  Consider how you can work to make these systems be more efficient.  How can you help them to run more smoothly?

If you’re serious about body building you need to think about what’s going into your body.  It needs the right nutrients, which will not be provided by burgers, fries and coke.  An exercise regime based on such a diet is asking for trouble.  Your body will not respond favourably and, before you know it, you’ll be tired, your body will be less efficient and you’ll find that you are more prone to injury.  So lose the ice-cream and greasy food and cut back on the alcohol, which has an adverse effect on muscle recovery. 

Don’t forget to make sure that your body gets sufficient rest.  A good night’s sleep is just as important as a rest-break in your muscle mass workout exercise routine, especially at the beginning.  Work hard but don’t overdo it and stick to your muscle mass diet if you want to lose fat and create that ripped look.