As you might guess, drinking alcohol and working out don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

So does that mean you have to give up drinking all together? What about all of the benefits we hear about drinking a glass of red wine per day? Is that okay to do?

Most things is life can be okay in moderation. Everything of course depends on the situation, but in truth a drink once in a while is not going to really harm you. Of course this is not medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about these things.

For example, if you are in a serious training competition you are probably not going to want to go out with the guys for beers a few nights before your big day. On the other hand, if it is off season and you want to kick back for an evening, it should be okay to go out and have a few. It is just important to remember your goals and especially how you and your body will feel the next day.

Alcohol is a depressant. It slows things down which is obviously not what we want if we are trying to work out and build muscle. Alcohol also disrupts our sleep. If we don’t get proper rest our workouts will suffer.

You have to ask yourself if this is a risk or a sacrifice that you want to take. When we rest is when our muscles repair and grow from when we workout. If our rest is disturbed then this growth and healing time is also disturbed.

Ok so all of that said, what about the question asked earlier about drinking a glass of red wine every day? Experts do say that there are certain health and heart benefits from drinking a glass of wine. There are elements in wine that interact with the body in positive ways just like some foods do.

It is red wine in particular that is advocated. Red wine has more of the health benefit over white wine. Some of the benefits include decreasing the bad cholesterol in your body while increasing the good.

As mentioned earlier, most things in moderation seem to be okay. Something to keep in mind here though is the fact that the experts recommend a glass of red wine, not an entire bottle. In reality a serving of wine is not much at all. They do say that bigger guys may be able to have 2 servings, but you

Alcohol and Working Out Don’t Always Mix

start to lose the benefit if you go beyond that.

So basically, a serving of red wine with dinner might be okay. Or even a glass as you read a book in the evening (or watch TV if you aren’t a reader) should be fine.

But again remember that it all depends on your situation. When you are in serious training they you might want to stay away from all alcohol beverages. Also after consulting with your doctor he might think you should abstain. There are some people who can’t drink alcohol. That is maybe they have a health condition that makes it bad for them or they can’t have just one serving.

The bottom line again is to know your goals and what you want out of your trainings. Alcohol does effect testosterone levels so that is another thing to keep in mind.

My suggestion is that if you don’t really like alcohol to begin with then just stay away from it.

Check out some other research here.