Fitness expert reveals why drinking alcohol is ruining your workout efforts — and the shocking impact it has on your body and overall health
- A fitness expert has revealed how alcohol destroys your fitness progress
- Mackenzie Blakey said alcohol reduces performance and stunts muscle growth
- It can also lead to injury if exercise is performed while dehydrated or hungover
- So this slows your progress towards your fitness goals
A fitness expert has revealed how to drink alcohol destroys your efforts and progress after a workout when Dry July is halfway through Australia.
Mackenzie Blakey, program and research leader for Body fit training in Sydneytold Daily Mail Australia that drinking alcohol reduces performance, affects muscle development and increases the risk of injury during exercise.
Alcohol not only dehydrates the body, it also increases heart rate, impairs sleep and cognitive function, and hinders muscle growth.
This ultimately hinders progress towards your fitness goals by making it more difficult to lose weight or build muscle mass.
Mackenzie Blakey, program and research leader for Body Fit Training in Sydney, told the Daily Mail that drinking alcohol has been proven to reduce performance, affect muscle development and increase the risk of injury during exercise.
The effects of alcohol ultimately hinder the progress of your fitness goals and almost return what you are trying to achieve during a workout
How does alcohol affect your body and delay fitness goals?
Ms Blakey said alcohol impairs the efficient use and processing of energy during exercise, forcing your body to work harder to achieve a lesser result.
“Alcohol consumption changes your energy source used by working skeletal muscle, reducing energy supply and impeding metabolic processes,” she said.
“It also reduces the rate of protein production and muscle fiber recruitment.”
Because these bodily functions and this system are not working optimally, you will feel worse when you exercise after drinking alcohol and you will probably achieve very little after a training session.
Thousands of Australians sign up every year to raise money for cancer research by dropping the booze for ‘Dry July’
How does alcohol affect muscle growth?
Whether you’re trying to burn fat, build muscle, or train to stay fit, alcohol essentially prolongs the time it takes to reach your fitness goals.
“Muscle growth depends on both hypertrophy training and adequate nutrition, including adequate protein intake – alcohol consumption affects both,” said Ms. Blakey.
She added that on a night out, alcohol is often accompanied by fast food, which is high in fats and carbohydrates and low in protein.
“A big night of drinking is also generally associated with little sleep and dehydration,” she said.
“Hydration and sleep are important aspects of hypertrophy training, as adaptations take place at rest, prior to the training session.”
“Alcohol therefore has a negative effect not only on performance and the ability to train efficiently, but also on the resulting gain.”
Whether you’re trying to burn fat, build muscle, or train to stay fit, alcohol essentially prolongs the time it takes to reach your fitness goals.
Why is it important not to exercise if you are dehydrated or have a hangover?
You should avoid exercising if you are dehydrated or have a hangover as it can lead to injuries.
Ms. Blakey said that dehydration puts a strain on several body systems, increasing your heart rate and increasing the risk of fatalities.
“Dehydration impairs cognitive function, increases cardiovascular load, alters metabolic function and causes changes in central nervous system functions,” she said.
“This causes your heart rate to rise faster during exercise and impairs your body’s ability to regulate homeostasis, putting body systems under a greater level of stress.”