It’s been my experience that people who freak out over a couple of drinks are the least accomplished.
I’m more than willing to bet if that the next “Test Fest” or whatever they are called, you lined up the “health freaks” who never drink, and the guys that do, the bigger guys would be on the “drinker’s side.”
(BTW, UFC middleweight champion GSP drinks pina coladas when he’s not traing for a fight. If only he’d give up drinking alltogether, he might be really something, huh? It’s also a damned shame Schwarzenegger had that parachute holding him back. I wonder what greatness he would have achived if he hadn’t ever drank?)
Fact is, for many, moderate alcohol consumpton (or even going all out once in a while) is a great way to unwind and relax. Which, as we know, is helpful to performance.
Sitting around stressing over everything elevates cortisol. So we might say that those of you worried about alochol are harming your body more than if you’d relax and have a couple of drinks.
Drinking is one’s personal choice. However, if you want the most out of your training program, you should rarely drink at all. Alcohol does lower test levels regardless of the amount consumed. As stated above, it slows down your cns because its a depressant.
So, is it really optimal to drink if your serious about training? The answer is no.
However, if your a person who does not want to give up drinking due to it being part of your social life, then just limit the amount of alcohol you consume!!!
When I look back on my life, especially in my 20’s, I will remember most the times out with my buddies drinking. Of course I will remember putting up PR’s in the gym and such, but I am not about to deny myself the pleasure of drinking and all the parties and nightlife at the expense of putting up a couple more pounds or having a body fat % slightly lower. I work out so hard so I can go out, enjoy myself, and not worry about it
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
It’s been my experience that people who freak out over a couple of drinks are the least accomplished.
I’m more than willing to bet if that the next “Test Fest” or whatever they are called, you lined up the “health freaks” who never drink, and the guys that do, the bigger guys would be on the “drinker’s side.”
(BTW, UFC middleweight champion GSP drinks pina coladas when he’s not traing for a fight. If only he’d give up drinking alltogether, he might be really something, huh? It’s also a damned shame Schwarzenegger had that parachute holding him back. I wonder what greatness he would have achived if he hadn’t ever drank?)
Fact is, for many, moderate alcohol consumpton (or even going all out once in a while) is a great way to unwind and relax. Which, as we know, is helpful to performance.
Sitting around stressing over everything elevates cortisol. So we might say that those of you worried about alochol are harming your body more than if you’d relax and have a couple of drinks.[/quote]
Good post. In wrestling the kids that don’t drink during the season cause they think it will hinder their performance aren’t, the good ones are confident enough in what they do every day of the week. I have spoken to several state champions about this and they all drink on the weekends during the season and don’t think twice about it.
I think you’ll find that most athletes drink and let loose to some degree. That was my experience. And that was what I saw with almost all of my fellow athletes both in high school and also at the college level.
In my opinion, the effects are negligble IF you’re not getting soused to the degree that your performance suffers in training the next day. Your T levels definitely take a hit, but I haven’t found this to make any difference in training at all.
Maybe it would for an older lifter whose T-levels have declined somewhat and really needs T-boosters like Alpha Male to be running on all cylinders. As a FORMER athlete, I find it to be a body composition issue more than anything.
Training at the level I did, I burned tons of calories, and alcohol and some junk didn’t make much of a dent. Now most of my training consists of lifting with some 400 meter intervals thrown in and a little less intensive steady state cardio.
I have to watch myself more. Drinking makes it harder to cut. And it makes it harder to minimize fat gain when bulking. But I haven’t found it to limit strength or muscle gains. But I don’t go overboard. And everyone is different anyhow.
[quote]KombatAthlete wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
It’s been my experience that people who freak out over a couple of drinks are the least accomplished.
I’m more than willing to bet if that the next “Test Fest” or whatever they are called, you lined up the “health freaks” who never drink, and the guys that do, the bigger guys would be on the “drinker’s side.”
(BTW, UFC middleweight champion GSP drinks pina coladas when he’s not traing for a fight. If only he’d give up drinking alltogether, he might be really something, huh? It’s also a damned shame Schwarzenegger had that parachute holding him back. I wonder what greatness he would have achived if he hadn’t ever drank?)
Fact is, for many, moderate alcohol consumpton (or even going all out once in a while) is a great way to unwind and relax. Which, as we know, is helpful to performance.
Sitting around stressing over everything elevates cortisol. So we might say that those of you worried about alochol are harming your body more than if you’d relax and have a couple of drinks.
Good post. In wrestling the kids that don’t drink during the season cause they think it will hinder their performance aren’t, the good ones are confident enough in what they do every day of the week. I have spoken to several state champions about this and they all drink on the weekends during the season and don’t think twice about it.
[/quote]
I had many friends who wrestled at a high level. This was actually the sport where people drank the least and for some good reason. My friends that didn’t drink or drank very little during the season didn’t do so out of fear for performance but because making weight is damn hard enough already.
Alcohol can temporarily nock out the limits that your brain puts on your muscles. That’s why you are stronger when drunk, you brain has lost all control over them.
You also lose control of your bladder, your emotions, and sometimes your stomach.
[quote]jsbrook wrote:
KombatAthlete wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:
It’s been my experience that people who freak out over a couple of drinks are the least accomplished.
I’m more than willing to bet if that the next “Test Fest” or whatever they are called, you lined up the “health freaks” who never drink, and the guys that do, the bigger guys would be on the “drinker’s side.”
(BTW, UFC middleweight champion GSP drinks pina coladas when he’s not traing for a fight. If only he’d give up drinking alltogether, he might be really something, huh? It’s also a damned shame Schwarzenegger had that parachute holding him back. I wonder what greatness he would have achived if he hadn’t ever drank?)
Fact is, for many, moderate alcohol consumpton (or even going all out once in a while) is a great way to unwind and relax. Which, as we know, is helpful to performance.
Sitting around stressing over everything elevates cortisol. So we might say that those of you worried about alochol are harming your body more than if you’d relax and have a couple of drinks.
Good post. In wrestling the kids that don’t drink during the season cause they think it will hinder their performance aren’t, the good ones are confident enough in what they do every day of the week. I have spoken to several state champions about this and they all drink on the weekends during the season and don’t think twice about it.
I had many friends who wrestled at a high level. This was actually the sport where people drank the least and for some good reason. My friends that didn’t drink or drank very little during the season didn’t do so out of fear for performance but because making weight is damn hard enough already.[/quote]
True about making weight, most drink on Saturdays after tournaments when they don’t have to make weight for a while.
[quote]TrainerinDC wrote:
I disagree that alcohol and lifting don’t mix. They mix perfectly well for me. I train hard. I live well. If the guys are going out for beers, I’m going and I’m drinking some beers. When my best friend got married, I raised the toast. My brothers 21st birthday, we had a limo and we got completely twisted. They mix well in who I am, I don’t intend to lay either of them down. I will drink, I will train.
Sure I could perform better in the gym without alcohol. But in the gym performance is not the end all and be all secret of life. Lifting is a part of lives that we do to improve our lives. I refuse to live a life where I won’t drink a beer with my friends. When I go to Spain, I’m drinking the sangria.
Most of you when you say drinking, you mean binge drinking. Binge drinking will ruin a physique and have all those negative effects. Normal drinking will not. I’m gonna break the entire T code on this one, I smoke an occasional cigar as well. [/quote]
Has anyone else had problems with drinking and inflammation? I’m only 22 and am dumb enough to have torn my ACL twice in my left knee. I graduate college this month and pretty much stopped drinking about a month ago. During the past couple years I tried rehabbing and training while getting trashed once or twice or three times a week sometimes.
Not only did drinking set me back at least a week of training, but it caused an aching sensation; like I would lie in bed thinking about tearing off my lower limb. I would have long stretches of sobriety, but would always eventually give in to peer pressure. It just wasn’t cool to not drink. Enough about intolerant college kids, does anyone know if alcohol can cause irritation or inflammation?
[quote]horsepuss wrote:
I read in mens health that beer actually does not effect T levels but all the alcohol turns to suger in youre blood and that effects insulin and T.Not to mention it dehydrates you.I drink on the wknds.Not allways but sometimes more than other times.
[/quote]
Not quite how it works, though a common misunderstanding. Essentially, alcohol causes the body to overproduce cofactors that leads to storing available calories as fat rather than using glycogen while impairing the use of fats for fuel. This leaves you glycogen depleted (and fatter), which is one of the things that causes you to be tired (among other things) the morning after a bender.
Upshot, pizza and a lot of beer are a deadly fat combo (and boy do I love them), and smoking makes the effect worse.
From the BMJ:
Two mechanisms dispose of excess alcohol in drinkers and account for “tolerance” in established drinkers. Firstly, normal metabolism increases, as shown by high blood concentrations of acetate. Secondly, the microsomal ethanol oxidising system is brought into play; this is dependent on cytochrome P450, which is normally responsible for drug metabolism, and other cofactors. This process is called enzyme induction, and the effect is also produced by other drugs that are metabolised by the liver and by smoking.
The two mechanisms lead to a redox state, in which free hydrogen ions build up and have to be disposed of by several different pathways. Some of the resultant metabolic aberrations can have clinical consequences: hepatic gluconeogenesis is inhibited, the citric acid cycle is reduced, and oxidation of fatty acids is impaired. Glucose production is thus reduced, with the risk of hypoglycaemia; overproduction of lactic acid blocks uric acid excretion by the kidneys; and accumulated fatty acids are converted into ketones and lipids.
I know a bunch of rugby players in my gym, and they’ve got some decent physiques. However, in terms of progress over the last year or so, I’ve absolutely tanked all of them. I attribute this to the fact that they get drunk and train hard (at rugby). This makes it pretty much impossible for them to gain in the on season.
I think the effects of alcohol vary from person to person. I know a huge 40 year old guy who’s been getting pissed every week for the past 25 years except for three months of every year. He claims that his performance drops if anything when he isn’t drinking. I on the other hand noticed a massive difference when I stopped drinking.
I have cut back because I was seriously beating the crap out of myself and the hangovers are getting tough… but I will go out on the weekends, and maybe once during the week.
I would likely be a bit leaner if I never drank… but then there are lots of good stories I would never have also. I’ll take the stories, being as I have the rest of my life to lean out a little.
In moderation it doesn’t kill you. For some reason I remember hearing something about Dan John and a love of Scotch…
Being happy with a rich set of life experience and thus able to bust your ass in the gym is worth a lot of gains. Drink moderately if you want to, and even get shithoused once in a while if it’s worth it. As long as it doesn’t interfere with your goals. There are no firm rules here, only responsibility.
