Muscle building and alcohol – do they go together?

Yes, you read that right, this blog post is about the topic of muscle building and alcohol consumption. How can they fit together? First of all, the conclusion of this article will not be that alcohol and muscle building complement each other perfectly and that alcohol does not harm your performance. Still, strength athletes are only human and might enjoy a drink or two at a birthday party or a glass of wine with the girls on the weekend. That’s why we want to take a closer look at the topic of alcohol consumption and muscle building.

When does the body build muscle mass?

To assess the effects of alcohol consumption on muscle building, it must first be clear what the body actually needs to build muscle. One factor is an appropriate workload during training. The workload is calculated by multiplying the number of repetitions by the number of sets and the weight moved for each exercise, then summing this for all exercises in the entire training session. It thus represents the total weight moved during a workout.

Your workload should logically increase over time if you are building muscle, which is only possible if regular stimuli are applied to the muscles. When both factors are met, this is called progressive training. It’s probably no news to you that not only training is crucial for success in muscle building, but also sufficient recovery phases, during which the muscles can grow and adapt to the new demands placed on them. Recovery, in turn, depends on factors such as sleep quality and quantity as well as nutrient intake. Regarding nutrition for muscle building, two aspects are particularly important: that the body receives more calories through food than it burns and that enough protein is consumed. You can follow a guideline of 1.6 - 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you want more detailed information on nutrition for muscle building, check out our blog article on this topic!

What happens in the body when we drink alcohol?

Alcohol, or more precisely ethanol, is its own macronutrient alongside proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. One gram of alcohol contains 7 kilocalories. For comparison: one gram of protein or carbohydrates provides about 4 kilocalories, and one gram of fat provides 9 kilocalories. What mainly distinguishes alcohol from the other macronutrients, besides its nutrient density, is that it contains only “empty calories” that provide the body with no essential micronutrients. Alcoholic beverages are therefore quite calorie-dense. Moreover, a party night rarely involves just the calories from alcohol alone; often many sugary drinks like soft drinks and juices are consumed as well. Additionally, alcohol stimulates our appetite and can quickly lead us to abandon our nutritional principles, so we eagerly reach for the snacks at the party or stop by our favorite kebab shop after the club. Once you consume alcohol and it enters your bloodstream, the body’s goal is to break it down. This happens stepwise through breakdown processes that mainly take place in the liver. In the end, the remnants of alcohol are excreted as carbon dioxide and water or used for the synthesis of energy-rich compounds like fatty acids or cholesterol. Since the body perceives any alcohol as a toxin and prioritizes its breakdown above all else, other processes in the body, including fat burning, are slowed down by alcohol consumption. This also affects muscle protein synthesis, which is normally particularly high right after training. Recovery of muscles stressed during training also occurs significantly slower when the body is first busy returning to a sober state. Therefore, if you consume alcohol, you should never do so immediately after a workout. Another negative effect of alcohol consumption lies in its impact on the hormones testosterone and cortisol. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, testosterone levels drop. Muscle growth, which depends significantly on this hormone, can thus be impaired. At the same time, alcohol increases cortisol levels in the blood. Cortisol is a stress hormone that acts catabolically, meaning it breaks down muscle, and can also weaken the immune system. Alcohol consumption also negatively affects nutrient absorption. Since ethanol depletes the body of water and important electrolytes, muscle fibers can absorb fewer nutrients when alcohol has been consumed and are therefore not optimally supplied, which can have a counterproductive effect on recovery. Do you know the feeling of falling tired into bed after a party night and immediately falling into a deep sleep? The sensation of sleeping especially deeply after alcohol consumption is deceptive. On the contrary, our sleep is much less restorative when we have drunk alcohol, which usually shows the next morning: fatigue, headaches, and nausea are often the price paid for the alcohol binge. Training is out of the question on that day. The reduced performance of the body can even be noticeable for several days after alcohol consumption in everyday life and training.

Conclusion

Admittedly, alcohol has not fared well in this article so far. If your weekend generally consists of two nights of heavy partying that you still feel in your bones by midweek, you should reconsider this behavior (by the way, regardless of strength training), as you are really not doing your body any favors and serious long-term health consequences can occur. However, in moderation, even as a strength athlete with a very high awareness of healthy nutrition, you can occasionally enjoy a beer or glass of wine, plan a cocktail evening with friends, or party through the night with a drink or two at the club. The important thing is to be aware of what happens in your body when you drink alcohol and to plan your training sessions accordingly so that your body can recover sufficiently after alcohol consumption. As the saying goes, exceptions prove the rule—and there is definitely some truth to that when it comes to muscle building and alcohol consumption.