Does alcohol have a negative effect on body composition other than simply having calories?
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cbohling1987
Posts: 99 Member
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'm skinnyfat and trying to improve body composition through the normal means (bulk/cut cycling, progressive lifting program).
A lot of people in the bodybuilding community seem to push the idea that you should have little to no alcohol if you want to get really cut - I see people saying stuff like "you have to cut out beer COMPLETELY." But does that really make any sense? Basically, what I'm asking is, if we assume alcohol consumption is within healthy limits from a liver health/addiction perspective, does alcohol actually hurt your body composition outside of being "empty" calories?
In other words, if I drink an imperial stout every Saturday (but don't drink otherwise) and it's within my calories and my protein is on-point, is that really going to throw me off?
A lot of people in the bodybuilding community seem to push the idea that you should have little to no alcohol if you want to get really cut - I see people saying stuff like "you have to cut out beer COMPLETELY." But does that really make any sense? Basically, what I'm asking is, if we assume alcohol consumption is within healthy limits from a liver health/addiction perspective, does alcohol actually hurt your body composition outside of being "empty" calories?
In other words, if I drink an imperial stout every Saturday (but don't drink otherwise) and it's within my calories and my protein is on-point, is that really going to throw me off?
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Replies
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My n=1...when you get down to lower BF%s things get pretty difficult. I can maintain pretty easily around 180 and 15% BF...I look fit and reasonably defined, but I'm certainly not ripped. I can cut down to about 12% without too much issue as well, but after that I start having to be a lot more strict with some things...alcohol would be one of them. If I wanted to be ripped and have 6 pack abs popping, I don't think I could drink much...which is why I don't really aspire to be that lean. I like being healthy and fit and enjoying my brew too.
I doubt having one beer a week would have any impact on anything though...
As a side note, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat a whole chicken and wash it down with a pitcher of beer after his workouts...something tells me he might be an outlier though...4 -
I don't think the choices made by enhanced athletes apply to naturals.3
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cwolfman13 wrote: »My n=1...when you get down to lower BF%s things get pretty difficult. I can maintain pretty easily around 180 and 15% BF...I look fit and reasonably defined, but I'm certainly not ripped. I can cut down to about 12% without too much issue as well, but after that I start having to be a lot more strict with some things...alcohol would be one of them. If I wanted to be ripped and have 6 pack abs popping, I don't think I could drink much...which is why I don't really aspire to be that lean. I like being healthy and fit and enjoying my brew too.
I doubt having one beer a week would have any impact on anything though...
As a side note, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat a whole chicken and wash it down with a pitcher of beer after his workouts...something tells me he might be an outlier though...
Within the bodybuilding community.
two observations
1. lot's of Broscience
2. Things that are only .5% begin having a huge effect. Because it's no longer majoring on the minors. Things like alcohol consumption or meal timing that have no observable/measurable effect on someone with 18-25% BF have meaningful impact because everything else is so tightly tuned.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »My n=1...when you get down to lower BF%s things get pretty difficult. I can maintain pretty easily around 180 and 15% BF...I look fit and reasonably defined, but I'm certainly not ripped. I can cut down to about 12% without too much issue as well, but after that I start having to be a lot more strict with some things...alcohol would be one of them. If I wanted to be ripped and have 6 pack abs popping, I don't think I could drink much...which is why I don't really aspire to be that lean. I like being healthy and fit and enjoying my brew too.
I doubt having one beer a week would have any impact on anything though...
As a side note, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat a whole chicken and wash it down with a pitcher of beer after his workouts...something tells me he might be an outlier though...
If I could maintain at 15% that would be ideal, I'm probably around 20% right now and all I really want to do is just lose that last bit of belly fat (and get stronger etc.)
I've just been struggling with feeling super guilty if I drink alcohol, even though I know that my 1-2 beers a week habit is not really a huge health problem.0 -
Problem with alcohol is it has no nutrition so when you start getting down to 10% and cutting and trying to maintain muscle your macros start coming in to play a lot more and trying to hit protein and fat goals on a calorie restriction when you introduce 200kcal of alcohol is difficult.
In the beginning though as long as you hit calories the odd drink don’t get in the way2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »My n=1...when you get down to lower BF%s things get pretty difficult. I can maintain pretty easily around 180 and 15% BF...I look fit and reasonably defined, but I'm certainly not ripped. I can cut down to about 12% without too much issue as well, but after that I start having to be a lot more strict with some things...alcohol would be one of them. If I wanted to be ripped and have 6 pack abs popping, I don't think I could drink much...which is why I don't really aspire to be that lean. I like being healthy and fit and enjoying my brew too.
I doubt having one beer a week would have any impact on anything though...
As a side note, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat a whole chicken and wash it down with a pitcher of beer after his workouts...something tells me he might be an outlier though...
Within the bodybuilding community.
two observations
1. lot's of Broscience
2. Things that are only .5% begin having a huge effect. Because it's no longer majoring on the minors. Things like alcohol consumption or meal timing that have no observable/measurable effect on someone with 18-25% BF have meaningful impact because everything else is so tightly tuned.
Yeah, I have no real desire to get that particular, I'll never be a competition bodybuilder lol. I just want to lose some flab.0 -
cbohling1987 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »My n=1...when you get down to lower BF%s things get pretty difficult. I can maintain pretty easily around 180 and 15% BF...I look fit and reasonably defined, but I'm certainly not ripped. I can cut down to about 12% without too much issue as well, but after that I start having to be a lot more strict with some things...alcohol would be one of them. If I wanted to be ripped and have 6 pack abs popping, I don't think I could drink much...which is why I don't really aspire to be that lean. I like being healthy and fit and enjoying my brew too.
I doubt having one beer a week would have any impact on anything though...
As a side note, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat a whole chicken and wash it down with a pitcher of beer after his workouts...something tells me he might be an outlier though...
Within the bodybuilding community.
two observations
1. lot's of Broscience
2. Things that are only .5% begin having a huge effect. Because it's no longer majoring on the minors. Things like alcohol consumption or meal timing that have no observable/measurable effect on someone with 18-25% BF have meaningful impact because everything else is so tightly tuned.
Yeah, I have no real desire to get that particular, I'll never be a competition bodybuilder lol. I just want to lose some flab.
work harder than you drink and you should be okay- but rescuplting your body is probably a 3-5 year process- so no- giving up booze for that long usually isn't in anyone's realistic goal sets- But I know guys who train for shows- and it's pretty much one beer after the season- so they are pretty strict about it. But it's not THAT necessary.0 -
Yes, it’s more than just the calories.
Alcohol is a toxin to your body. It dehydrateds you, it’s poisonous to you and it’s been shown to be counterproductive to enzyme and hormone regulation/production. I’m sure there are more reason as well, but all in all alcohol is quite counter productive to your physique.
I love beer as much as the next guy but when I want to perfect my physique, usually for a bodybuilding show, I will cut out alcohol entirely.
I’m sure you could set some realistic “cheats” for yourself and still be happy with your physique. Maybe try to only drink once per month. And go for the healthier alternatives with less calories like vodka/water10 -
Based on the things I've read, alcohol effects can be tricky and highly individualized. Besides the calories, there's how your body processes it and how it can impact your workouts. One of the latest studies I read was that drinking after a workout (5 drinks) reduced the muscle building process much more in men than women. But it was better than drinking 5 drinks without having lifted at all.
They didn't say anything about 1 beer.0 -
Based on the things I've read, alcohol effects can be tricky and highly individualized. Besides the calories, there's how your body processes it and how it can impact your workouts. One of the latest studies I read was that drinking after a workout (5 drinks) reduced the muscle building process much more in men than women. But it was better than drinking 5 drinks without having lifted at all.
They didn't say anything about 1 beer.
holy crap- who works out and goes and drinks 5 beers regularly?
I do that on super special occasions (Christmas/thanksgiving)- but at most I'm like a 2 a night when I DO drink kind of person.4 -
I never had an issue with drinking in moderation and physique goals. But I never drink to the point where it affects my calorie goals and workout performance regularly.4
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24533082
"CONCLUSION: We provide novel data demonstrating that alcohol consumption reduces rates of MPS following a bout of concurrent exercise, even when co-ingested with protein. We conclude that alcohol ingestion suppresses the anabolic response in skeletal muscle and may therefore impair recovery and adaptation to training and/or subsequent performance."
While exercise can offset the negative effects of alcohol shown in this study http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/8/651
Personal opinion here but I would not have made as much progress in last year if I drank at the same rate as I did before. Not only does it mess with protein synthesis, it adds calories, demotivates me to continue exercise, and increase blood sugar levels that can lead to other issues. I still drink a beer once or twice a month but those are more special now.3 -
Based on the things I've read, alcohol effects can be tricky and highly individualized. Besides the calories, there's how your body processes it and how it can impact your workouts. One of the latest studies I read was that drinking after a workout (5 drinks) reduced the muscle building process much more in men than women. But it was better than drinking 5 drinks without having lifted at all.
They didn't say anything about 1 beer.
holy crap- who works out and goes and drinks 5 beers regularly?
I do that on super special occasions (Christmas/thanksgiving)- but at most I'm like a 2 a night when I DO drink kind of person.
I know! That was one of the comments that was made about the study is that they took the alcohol consumption to excess. I can't have more than 1-2 after a tough workout or it hits me quick.
I probably drink 1-3 beers a week if that.1 -
I was gonna say lol, 5 beers right after a workout sounds like a recipe for feelin' bad0
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I think the US average drinks per week for male 25 year old is around 14. Women drink far less. I knew guys when I was younger that lifted before going out for a pump.
I agree that it’s stupid but we are not a gifted species in term of common sense at times.0 -
cbohling1987 wrote: »
I've just been struggling with feeling super guilty if I drink alcohol, even though I know that my 1-2 beers a week habit is not really a huge health problem.
1-2 beers a week is nothing. Just include it your calories.
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BULL *kitten*!, I drink every weekend. I work it off. EASY!0
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I don't drink that often. When I do I want a slight warm fuzzy buzz. It does have a negative impact on my lifting performance.
It usually only lasts a day or 2.
I can not comment on my physique because my body fat is not low enough where it would have that kind of impact. I do gain a few pounds of water weight and it takes about 6-10 days for it to come off. If I just had a higher sodium/carb day I also gain a little water weight and that seems to come off faster than alcohol weight.0 -
If you really only have one or two beers a week then it's fine.
However you have to be honest yourself, if you are getting drunk 2/3 times a week drinking beer / wine then it will probably have an impact.
For myself I know that alcohol massively impacts the composition of my body. I can drink a lot, so I can consume a lot of calories from Alcohol, but that's only one part of it.
When I'm drinking of an evening I'm not in the gym, when I'm suffering a hangover - I'm not working out.
Therefore when I am drinking it impacts the amount of exercise I do.
I have to say though that I find it possible to gain muscle and get stronger when I am drinking, but it happens a lot faster when I am drinking nothing.
As for fat loss, it's night and day I tell you. I stopped drinking after New Year's eve this year and I've dropped 10lbs since then as of today - and feel a lot better. I've also put on muscle and have got stronger.
I don't know enough of the science but I think given that given the stresses alcohol puts your body under when you get drunk, it makes sense that cutting it out has a positive impact.
In short then I find I get body recomp results a LOT faster when I cut out alcohol altogether.
Your mileage may vary, but this is my experience.1
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