Alcoholic bodybuilders?
JustinAnimal
Posts: 1,335 Member
Anyone here engage in serious resistance training who also drinks, like... you know... just about every night?
I am both curious about how many of us are out there, and to pick the brains of those who have attempted this lifestyle.
No need to shame. I understand that excessive drink, or maybe even any, is not conducive to health and fitness.
I am both curious about how many of us are out there, and to pick the brains of those who have attempted this lifestyle.
No need to shame. I understand that excessive drink, or maybe even any, is not conducive to health and fitness.
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Replies
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My ex husband is a former competitive body builder who drank significant amounts most nights. He managed to keep a reasonable physique (especially for his age) despite going through a pony keg or so a week, but did it by living on chicken and broccoli and 2-3 hour a day workouts. One of the few people I’ve seen who could put lift his pint glass. No idea about truly ongoing sustainability though. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in years.1
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Well, it's good to see few responses. Way to be healthy, responsible lifters. I agree that it isn't sustainable. I'm working through the psychology of cutting way back, not just for calories but for the fact that it's poison and will probably kill me or aid something else in doing so.
Gypsy, appreciate the response. I'm like him with the eating, but no 2-3 hour workouts and I'm not even attempting bodybuilding.1 -
A glass of wine most nights with dinner sometimes more on weekends, but I mean not to the point where I would say I have an alcohol problem. I have seen no negative effects for myself in terms of workout performance and body composition. Mind you I do not compete so if I was trying to get stage lean my wine would probably have to go.6
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I used to drink about a six pack of 8% crafts a night. Some nights I'd go through the equivalent or more of good scotch or rum. For me at least, it really caused some issues with my lifting progress. If there were gains during this time they were minuscule. I was maintaining but that's about the extent of it. That much liquor made it hard to get my macros in balance and in many cases instead of eating food like I should of been doing I was just drinking. I quit the excessive alcohol and my progress exploded. I still drink occasionally - sometimes to excess... but they are rare occasions.2
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I drink a couple of glasses of wine almost every night and confess that some days I use it to reach my calorie goal. I'm by no means doing serious body building so am probably not typical but I definitely feel it impacts on my performance, quality of sleep and hydration even with the light workouts I do. If I were serious about making gains, I would cut back0
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Probably not the best combination; habitual/regular drinking already induces your liver enzymes (AST, ALT more so than Alk Phosphatase) & people who bodybuild/weight lift fairly religiously already tend to have slightly higher values of said liver enzymes show up in blood work (muscle damage/rebuilding process). Best explain yourself if you ever get blood work evaluated lest you want your MD to incorrectly label/assume you as possibly an alcoholic/have substance abuse issues you are not being honest about.
Not to mention the double whammy on the liver and high first pass metabolism of certain oral PEDs if were are talking about those type of bodybuilders13 -
At 35 I was diagnosed with alcoholic fatty liver disease. 6+ beers a night 365 days a year. 240 pounds and maybe 30 % bf. Dr said I would die sooner then later at that pace. Fast forward 3 years , I rarely drink, train and track everything and look at me now. I’ll never combine these two lifestyles. Could someone. Maybe. But not me11
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I drink every Fri Sat & Sun nights I’d say it’s at least a six pax of beer or 12 sometimes more , I workout and track my macros mon-fri and eat what I want at the weekend including fast foods and chocolate etc , my workouts can be 90min of intense cardio and weights , I’m not a bodybuilder I’m 18-19% body fat and have definition, so I’m in good shape , but the question has always been to myself am I really damaging myself and what would that be or am I doing ok because of the results I see ? Any answers welcome.0
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Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?6 -
I didn't woo you, but I have been biting my tongue so to speak. I was simply going to point out that drinking excessively doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic, which adds a whole other layer of pain on top of the physical damage done.JustinAnimal wrote: »Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?
Just as an n=1 try not drinking for one month, and not dwelling on it either during that month. Oh, I am one by the way lol, sober a good number of years though.
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I use to drink a couple of times a week. Beer. Tequila. Whatever. I have not had a drink in the last 20 days when I started counting Macros. Baz, I hope I can get to the point where I can have a couple of drinks and not gain weight. That is my goal.0
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I drink every Fri Sat & Sun nights I’d say it’s at least a six pax of beer or 12 sometimes more , I workout and track my macros mon-fri and eat what I want at the weekend including fast foods and chocolate etc , my workouts can be 90min of intense cardio and weights , I’m not a bodybuilder I’m 18-19% body fat and have definition, so I’m in good shape , but the question has always been to myself am I really damaging myself and what would that be or am I doing ok because of the results I see ? Any answers welcome.
This is a question for your doctor. I can't imagine that drinking a six pack three days a week is doing good things to, among other things, your liver. Alcoholism or not (I'll leave that up to you and your doctor(s)/mental health care providers to decide), what you're doing is binge drinking. Mind you I'm assuming by "it's at least a six pack of beer or 12 sometimes more" you mean a six pack a night through the weekend.
Here's a handy factsheet from the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm1 -
I drink every Fri Sat & Sun nights I’d say it’s at least a six pax of beer or 12 sometimes more , I workout and track my macros mon-fri and eat what I want at the weekend including fast foods and chocolate etc , my workouts can be 90min of intense cardio and weights , I’m not a bodybuilder I’m 18-19% body fat and have definition, so I’m in good shape , but the question has always been to myself am I really damaging myself and what would that be or am I doing ok because of the results I see ? Any answers welcome.
As I understand it, binge drinking a couple of nights a week can do more damage than drinking smaller amounts every day
UK guidelines are 14 units per week for women, used to be more for men but I believe it's been reduced. The fact that you look and feel OK is probably irrelevant as liver damage isn't felt straightaway.
I'm not lecturing - as I said in an earlier comment, I know I drink more than is good for me, but you asked if it's damaging you and I'd guess that the answer is, yes, probably, in the longer term.2 -
Here's something interesting I learned in my EMT class: you can kill most of your liver (2/3-3/4, if memory serves) before feeling any of the effects, and damage is cumulative. It is VERY good at compensating. Once you tear it down that far though, they said it doesn't heal back up. You're strapped to a machine until you get a new liver, if you are lucky enough to get one that your body doesn't reject. On top of that one of my aunts was lucky enough to get a transplant, but the medications she had to take to prevent organ rejection were really hard on her. So protect what you've got, you might live longer than you think.
Not trying to give you "the talk," I drink too- I thought it was interesting and it scared the heck out of me. So. Feel free to take a good EMT class if you never want to sleep again.9 -
Drinking has no place in serious bodybuilding. But if you just want to look better/be healthier then a sensible amount can be ok.6
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I didn't woo you, but I have been biting my tongue so to speak. I was simply going to point out that drinking excessively doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic, which adds a whole other layer of pain on top of the physical damage done.JustinAnimal wrote: »Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?
Just as an n=1 try not drinking for one month, and not dwelling on it either during that month. Oh, I am one by the way lol, sober a good number of years though.
No offense was intended. I tend to speak in hyperbole. No, I haven't hidden alcohol from my family or drank at work or do many of the things I was taught it took to be a true alcoholic. I apologize if the terminology was offensive. I am truly not one, although I believe I have some serious tendencies.
Again, I didn't mean to diminish your experience or make light of an actual disease. I have done sober months, but there is always a lot of dwelling and usually a cheat evening or two. I guess that's one of the reasons I feel I have a problem.3 -
JustinAnimal wrote: »
I didn't woo you, but I have been biting my tongue so to speak. I was simply going to point out that drinking excessively doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic, which adds a whole other layer of pain on top of the physical damage done.JustinAnimal wrote: »Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?
Just as an n=1 try not drinking for one month, and not dwelling on it either during that month. Oh, I am one by the way lol, sober a good number of years though.
No offense was intended. I tend to speak in hyperbole. No, I haven't hidden alcohol from my family or drank at work or do many of the things I was taught it took to be a true alcoholic. I apologize if the terminology was offensive. I am truly not one, although I believe I have some serious tendencies.
Again, I didn't mean to diminish your experience or make light of an actual disease. I have done sober months, but there is always a lot of dwelling and usually a cheat evening or two. I guess that's one of the reasons I feel I have a problem.
@JustinAnimal Ah man, I didn't mean to come across like I was offended, not at all! Thanks for being thoughtful though...I always approach the topic cautiously because I never know if I'm giving someone something to think about, or if I'm going to just piss them off
No, no offense taken at all..I just know that for me personally...all it took was someone unexpected saying something to me about my drinking and it changed everything, so I tend to try to pass that along, that's all.
I hope all goes well for you on your journey, and thanks again for simply being thoughtful about it.
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Well I never understood from where do people get the willpower to get into the gym hungover. Yet alone do it on daily basis. I always think of this when I'm hungover, how the flying *kitten* do people survive this daily.
My take on this is what Carlin said, its like being a paraplegic lap dancer: you CAN do it, but ...)
There are better stuff in life you can do bro. Take care.
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JustinAnimal wrote: »
I didn't woo you, but I have been biting my tongue so to speak. I was simply going to point out that drinking excessively doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic, which adds a whole other layer of pain on top of the physical damage done.JustinAnimal wrote: »Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?
Just as an n=1 try not drinking for one month, and not dwelling on it either during that month. Oh, I am one by the way lol, sober a good number of years though.
No offense was intended. I tend to speak in hyperbole. No, I haven't hidden alcohol from my family or drank at work or do many of the things I was taught it took to be a true alcoholic. I apologize if the terminology was offensive. I am truly not one, although I believe I have some serious tendencies.
Again, I didn't mean to diminish your experience or make light of an actual disease. I have done sober months, but there is always a lot of dwelling and usually a cheat evening or two. I guess that's one of the reasons I feel I have a problem.
@JustinAnimal Ah man, I didn't mean to come across like I was offended, not at all! Thanks for being thoughtful though...I always approach the topic cautiously because I never know if I'm giving someone something to think about, or if I'm going to just piss them off
No, no offense taken at all..I just know that for me personally...all it took was someone unexpected saying something to me about my drinking and it changed everything, so I tend to try to pass that along, that's all.
I hope all goes well for you on your journey, and thanks again for simply being thoughtful about it.
You're good, didn't come across as offended. I just like to be careful. I've spoken too freely in the past, assuming people know when I'm joking or not, and it's gotten me into trouble. Better safe than sorry, which is probably my liver's mantra at this point, hoping the sentiment will leak into my subconscious.1 -
JustinAnimal wrote: »JustinAnimal wrote: »
I didn't woo you, but I have been biting my tongue so to speak. I was simply going to point out that drinking excessively doesn't automatically make you an alcoholic, which adds a whole other layer of pain on top of the physical damage done.JustinAnimal wrote: »Baz, that's my new revelation. I guess I may have already said this. I just turned 36 and need to bear in mind it isn't just the excess calories, it's the damage.
Anyway, I got wooed five times for my original post? Por que?
Just as an n=1 try not drinking for one month, and not dwelling on it either during that month. Oh, I am one by the way lol, sober a good number of years though.
No offense was intended. I tend to speak in hyperbole. No, I haven't hidden alcohol from my family or drank at work or do many of the things I was taught it took to be a true alcoholic. I apologize if the terminology was offensive. I am truly not one, although I believe I have some serious tendencies.
Again, I didn't mean to diminish your experience or make light of an actual disease. I have done sober months, but there is always a lot of dwelling and usually a cheat evening or two. I guess that's one of the reasons I feel I have a problem.
@JustinAnimal Ah man, I didn't mean to come across like I was offended, not at all! Thanks for being thoughtful though...I always approach the topic cautiously because I never know if I'm giving someone something to think about, or if I'm going to just piss them off
No, no offense taken at all..I just know that for me personally...all it took was someone unexpected saying something to me about my drinking and it changed everything, so I tend to try to pass that along, that's all.
I hope all goes well for you on your journey, and thanks again for simply being thoughtful about it.
You're good, didn't come across as offended. I just like to be careful. I've spoken too freely in the past, assuming people know when I'm joking or not, and it's gotten me into trouble. Better safe than sorry, which is probably my liver's mantra at this point, hoping the sentiment will leak into my subconscious.
Hoping for the best for ya 1 -
I havent contributed to this post thus far but i have been following it. Interesting topic and some good points of view. So I thank you all1
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manowarrule2003 wrote: »I havent contributed to this post thus far but i have been following it. Interesting topic and some good points of view. So I thank you all
Agreed - interesting topic.
And yes - the Kings of Metal do rule \m/ \m/1 -
I drink once a week or so but it's usually a few gin and diet tonics that I nurse slowly. I've never had a problem with it but I do feel peer pressure to drink sometimes.
I guess one of the issues is say you're eating maintenence calories but 500 of those are beer calories, it might make it harder to meet macro and micro nutrient goals with the remaining calories.
I second the suggestion to take a sober month and see if your lifting etc improves.0
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