Part of my goal in sharing articles with you guys is to simply inform, or sometimes remind, you guys of things that can effect your performance in and out of the gym.
This article was shared with my by Trish O’Donnell (Coach and friend at Alpine CrossFit) and as soon as I read it, I thought… “Great, some of my teammates on Team CrossFit Lakewood are going to be mad at me after reading this.” But you know what, most of us already know this stuff.
The reason I’m sharing it with everyone, is that some of us may NOT know this, and this information is critical to performance, recovery and muscle growth. So read the quotes I have pasted below, and then go read the full article here. Knowledge is power.
Alcohol Will Make You Suck ~ by Zeke
“Research overwhelmingly suggests that alcohol use and athleticism do not go hand in hand. Although it might not be realistic for some of you to quit drinking altogether – if you want to thrive in the athletic environment you should take steps to limit and eventually eliminate it because…”
“While dehydrated, you are greater risk for many injuries including: cramps, muscle pulls, and muscle strains. Also, dehydration can lead to severe brain impairment and even death when coupled with extreme temperatures and intense practices. Dehydration also leads to muscle loss – muscle which you are working so hard to gain.”
“Alcohol, when consumed in amounts typical with most college aged drinkers, will dramatically decrease testosterone levels. Less testosterone = less aggressiveness in workouts, loss of motivation, weakness, & once again muscle loss.”
“Aside from messing with your coordination, endurance, & judgement (not just when you’re drunk, but afterwards too). Alcohol also interferes with lactic acid breakdown, which means you stay sore longer.”
“So, here’s the deal on alcohol & “leaning out for the summer”… Aside from taking in over 1,000 calories on a conservative night of drinking…alcohol is stored much like fat in the body. More importantly alcohol destroys amino acids and stores them as fat.”
“(Alcohol use) will disrupt and fragment two stages of your sleep, where your body produces the most human growth hormone. Bottom line is that if you’re not getting enough sleep – your body will not recover, you won’t grow stronger, and your energy levels, mood, & performance will suffer.”
Then, Zeke ends the piece with a Zinger. I lot of the time, people want to blame others for their lack of progress, fat loss, strength gains, etc. Check out the last two lines of the article. Very well said.
“Ultimately, the decision is yours – you know the facts. This has been my personal testimony and I hope it encourages you to make changes. If not, don’t come bitching to me on why you’re getting weaker – it’s not our programming – it’s YOU.”
Smashby's Training Blog 
Uh oh… I think my favorite part was the last line from Zeke’s article. That sort of honesty is so useful… sugar coating does very little for me!
Duke, me too. The good news, is that I’m much better now in my life at taking accountability for MY OWN actions. So it didn’t come as a shock to me, since I tell myself things like that all the time.
Now to someone who can’t handle that, a likely first reaction is: “Don’t blame ME for… me deciding to drink. It’s the gym that isn’t changing me enough.”
I agree, very good stuff.