Lifting & Alcohol: Choose Your Difficult

Recovery. More recovery = More progress. Less recovery = Less progress. This may seem simple but I'll just flat out say it - if you're drinking and trying to be a world champion then you're basically trying to sprint with your shoes untied. Yeah you might be making progress but you could be making more progress and faster and safer by not drinking! I think the best way to start off such a sensitive topic is what happens when you have a drank.

1. Alcohol is not digested like food When alcohol reaches your stomach it either gets absorbed into food in your gut or hits the stomach lining and rapidly is absorbed into your bloodstream - and any alcohol that slips past the stomach and into the small intestine gets into your blood stream even faster. Once alcohol hits your bloodstream it travels across your entire body within just a couple of minutes.

2. Breaking down alcohol Alcohol is classified as toxic, a Group 1 Carcinogen (the highest/worst group), a CNS Depressant, and high risk for the body with even one drink. Nearly all of your tissues will break down alcohol and as such can impact nearly every part of your body. The liver acts as the primary location for alcohol metabolism. Elsewhere, about 10% exits the body through breathing, sweat, heat, and urine. The byproducts of alcohol metabolism are passed throughout the body and stunts many cellular processes through oxidative stress, dehydration, and more. Oxidative stress specifically is a point of concern in the long term because once free radicals derange DNA, cell membranes, proteins, etc. there is no going back.

3. It'S nOt ThAt BaD It actually is very much that bad. When you drink 3 or more drinks in a day, the risks are equal to an equated number of cigarettes. Not to mention, studies show that drinking has a profound impact on cancer risk. Both alcohol and smoking are classified as Group 1 Carcinogens - this is the same classification as asbestos and radiation. ~5% of light drinkers, ~10% of moderate drinkers, and ~15% of heavy drinkers will get cancer from alcohol. When you include other lifestyle factors typically connected with alcohol use, the number only goes up.

Now we've outlined some pretty cringe outcomes from drinking, let's talk about how/why alcohol leads to turbulent recovery and havoc on training.

1. Hydration/Dehydration

Alcohol is a diuretic and leads to dehydration. Even after consuming just one beer, you may experience slight dehydration, which can impair muscle recovery. Hydration is extremely important for recovery, especially in powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting, where repairing and performance are key. Dehydration can hinder muscle function, delay recovery, slow down reaction, contribute to fatigue, and has strong significance to connective tissue (yo what up tendons) function & injury.

2. Impact on Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process through which your tissue repairs and grows. Alcohol can decrease muscle protein synthesis, although the effect may be small with just one beer. But, if you're trying to be the best, that small effect could be a gamechanger for whether you can handle the next training day or not and whether you're able to handle necessary volume on that day that will subsequently later lead to more gains (but you could miss out on from not being able to keep up with that big squat volume day). Not to mention your muscles may not recover as efficiently after your lifting session - then stacked up over time you might have a blunted outcome in the long term (measurably less gains).

3. Sleep

Alcohol can initially make you feel relaxed and drowsy, but it disrupts sleep quality, particularly REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is crucial for muscle recovery, hormone regulation, and brain/CNS health. Even one beer can interfere with the depth and quality of your sleep, meaning you might not experience the optimal recovery benefits that occur during deep sleep after heavy lifting.

4. Hormones

Testosterone and growth hormone (GH) are both essential for muscle growth and recovery, and alcohol consumption suppresses both. Testosterone levels can dip with even one beer and consistent alcohol intake can mean more sustained low levels of T. Alcohol also increases cortisol - the stress hormone - further impeding muscle repair and recovery (cortisol & stress deserves their own article!).

5. Strength, Coordination, and Performance

Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to a temporary decline in motor coordination and reaction time, which might affect performance in the gym if you train again the same day or the next day. Alcohol has huge effects on the body and more common knowledge (which is still backed up by research) shows body compositions leaning more towards higher body fat percentage. If you are aiming to be your best, a leaner frame at the same bodyweight (more muscle/less fat) then alcohol is only standing in your way. More muscle means a higher propensity for strength compared to less muscle and more fat. Performance itself is ultimately affected by alcohol because the CNS (literally what sends signals to your muscle) is shifted into a depressed state. Literally, it slows down your brain activity and function which is the last thing you want if you're trying to peak to pull 700lb off the ground.

Full recovery from strength training takes good hydration, nutrition, and sleep. Don't stand in your own way by accepting even light alcohol intake as acceptable. Even though social circles on a larger scale are very accepting of alcohol, the risks are obviously and factually not worth it. Alcohol and cigarettes go in the same bucket together and although they both may help you temporarily "feel" better... the piper collects his dues. Choose your difficult. The difficult of discipline or the difficult of health issues, poor performance, and we haven't even started to talk about the psychological impact a DEPRESSANT has on you (yo what up anxiety & depression, let's not). So again, choose your difficult. Get stronger.