Alcohol and sports are incompatible things. In Australia everyone knows this. However, due to the circumstances, we live in a real world, in which there are such events as birthdays, new year, corporate parties, all kinds of feasts and parties. The question that arises in training people how to behave with alcohol: to afford a few sips of wine or once a week you can "go into oblivion"? And how will all this affect sports achievements?
The properties of alcohol
Alcohol (alcohol) - is a solution which contains ethyl alcohol (ethanol). In their impact ethanol has a strong psychoactive effect, inhibiting the action of the central nervous system.
Getting into our body, alcohol is very quickly switched to the intracellular metabolism and processed to produce energy. Oxidation liberates 1 g ethanol 7 kcal energy. This is greater than that of protein and carbohydrates (about 4 kcal), and slightly less than that of fat (about 9 kcal). Ingested alcohol does not contain any nutrients, being essentially "empty" source of calories.
Disintegration alcohol (his disposal) occurs in the liver cells of 75 to 98% of the total volume. That is why excessive amounts of alcohol so much damage the liver. Our organism is capable of producing ethanol for their own needs. The enzyme system per day produces from 1 to 9 g of ethyl alcohol, which is a natural product of the metabolism and is readily oxidized, releasing energy.
Reception from the alcohol - is another matter. Oxidative enzymes are unlikely to cope . There will be the accumulation of ethanol, causing the symptoms of intoxication (nausea, pain in the head, a violation of the cardiovascular system).
The effects of alcohol on muscle
Any trainee one must understand that alcohol, adopted in excessive amounts will have a negative impact on muscle growth and strength gains. About doses of alcohol have a minimal effect on the body and athletic performance will be discussed below, and now briefly go over the major factors that have alcohol on the muscles.
A decrease in muscle protein synthesis.
The process of building new muscle structures slows by 20% due to the release into the blood cortisol hormone. Study underwent 8 males (Valimaki, MJ, Harkonen, M., Eriksson, CJ, & Ylikahri, RH, 1984). After a single dose of 1.75 g of alcohol per 1 kg of body weight, elevated cortisol was found even after hours after the experiment.
Reducing the level of growth hormone.
Significant inhibition of muscle growth occurs due to suppression of growth hormone secretion. The level of this important hormone is reduced during the next few days after the alcohol in excess dose of 35 g for males weighing 70 kg.
Reduced levels of testosterone and increase estrogen levels.
There are several reasons:
- increasing the number of proteins that bind testosterone,
- increase testosterone conversion to estrogen,
- beer directly contains estrogen compound
- alcohol and foods stimulate estrogen receptors, adding signs of a woman's body drinking men (the presence of fat in the waist, chest, thighs).
Dehydration of the body.
Disposal of alcohol accompanied by an increased release of fluid from our body. Together with alcohol organism loses valuable water, risking dehydrated. The process of constructing muscles occurs only in the presence of water, with its lack of tissue growth ceases. Your recovery rate decreases.
Alcohol reduces the reserves of vitamins and minerals.
Drinking alcohol washes away from the body vitamins C, A, group B, as well as calcium, zinc and phosphates. All these elements are necessary not only for building muscle, but also for the synthesis of anabolic hormones.
Increasing the percentage of body fat.
Apart from the fact that alcohol itself is high-energy compound which causes even stronger appetite, among other things it violates the processes of fat oxidation. Those. most of the incoming energy (eaten and drunk during a party) goes into fat.
Permitted blood alcohol
With the influence of alcohol on the body sorted out, left to figure out how much and how often you can use alcohol for a minimum of harm to health and sporting success.
Doses of less than 25 g of pure alcohol per 70 kg body weight.
Drinking at these doses has a slight tonic effect. Manifest inhibition of thyroid function and activation of the adrenal medulla. It is going soft braking of the nervous system. The collapse of the fat slows down catabolism of muscle tissue is not inhibited. The ratio of fat and muscle changes are not the better for athletes.
Doses from 25 to 35 g of pure alcohol per 70 kg body weight.
Thus dose corresponds wine or 65-90 g of vodka. Increases the release of the blood of the catabolic hormone cortisol. Tonic effect of alcohol decreases. The process of synthesis of new cell structures and the collapse of the old balanced.
Doses over 35 g of pure alcohol per 70 kg body weight.
At such doses, the secretion of growth hormone is blocked, which significantly reduces the intensity of the anabolic processes. Reduction of growth hormone also leads to a slowing of natural fat loss. The tendency to accumulate fat and decrease in muscle mass with constant use of alcohol at these doses will only increase.
Summary conclusions
Despite the fact that the positive arguments in favor of alcohol almost no talk about the global negative effects of alcohol on muscle mass is not true. Small doses of alcohol can become thereby a compromise when you have a dead-end situation - the need to "drink to the brotherhood," or when a failure could cost you the job, position, etc.
- For men suitably 25-30 g of pure alcohol per 70 kg body weight,
- For women, the 15-20
How often can I drink alcohol, causing the minimum possible harm to health? Liver enzymes and proteins involved in the disposal of alcohol updated about 1 time in 4 days. Focus on this period, taking the safe dose indicated above.
Conclusion
Alcohol and bodybuilding in Australia - not friends, go hand in hand. Ethanol will not help you in solving problems of sports. If so it was necessary to accept alcohol, then follow the above doses (about a glass of vodka or a glass of wine) and not often - once a week will secure a break.
Alcohol does increase the pain threshold. However, sports such as boxing or any other types of struggle, which imply some kind of painful violations, also imply clarity of movements, coordination. Therefore, alcohol simply does not make sense. The fact that the athlete does not feel the pain will not make him the winner of the competition.