Why don’t whiskey and weightlifting mix?

Whiskey and weightlifting don’t mix, and that doesn’t just mean you don’t have a few drinks before hitting the gym for your next workout… It means weightlifters and bodybuilders looking to live a healthy lifestyle they should avoid alcohol in general. rule.

First, let’s look at why people lift weights. Weightlifters go to the gym regularly to get stronger, fitter, and healthier. Bodybuilders go to the gym to build muscle, burn body fat, and present the best physique that their genetics allow.

Now let’s examine how alcohol prevents both scenarios. First, and most important for both weightlifters and bodybuilders, alcohol suppresses the body’s production of testosterone. Testosterone is a vital hormone produced by your body and is probably the most important natural trigger when it comes to gaining lean mass and building muscle in both men and women. Natural testosterone levels are much higher in men than women, which is one of the reasons why men build much bigger muscles than women. Would you like to effectively turn off the spigot of such a strong muscle building hormone? Of course not, or you wouldn’t be lifting weights at the gym several times a week.

Second, drinking alcohol shuts down the fat burning mechanisms in your body. The sugars in alcoholic beverages are much more available for your body to use for energy, so as long as the alcohol is in your system, your body has no need to burn body fat. For most bodybuilders, it’s hard enough for most bodybuilders to miss the potential fat burning time for a few hours at a time.

Third, spirits, liqueurs, and beer can contribute a significant number of calories to your daily intake with little to no health benefits. Spirits like gin, rum, tequila, or vodka contain up to 82 calories PER OUNCE, while a regular 12-ounce beer has 146 calories. Mixed drinks have even more calories because the mixer is added; for example, piña coladas can contain 450 calories each. When you consider that an hour of steady cardio, say running on a treadmill, only burns 500 calories, having 4 or 5 drinks with friends on Saturday night could easily wipe out the hours you spent on the treadmill or elliptical for the entire week. !

This doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time when your friends go to the bars: offer to always be the designated driver and see how often they invite you over, often at their own expense. And keep your drinks healthy, for example, order sparkling water and cranberry juice for a nice non-alcoholic carbonated drink or opt for a ‘virgin screwdriver’, aka a glass of orange juice. Weightlifters and bodybuilders can still party with friends and have a good time, just leave alcohol out of your personal equation!