How much does drinking and smoking cannabis set back a body building routine?

theWorldWithin

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
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So I have read numerous places that smoking cannabis can reduce levels of testosterone, how severe is this? Is this phenomenon only an issue with daily smokers or will the weekend toker also have his lifting affected negatively?

I have read the same goes for alcohol, how much drinking before a BB routine is really set back? I know it varies alot depending on individual and routine but can someone chime in on some general guidelines or experience?

Also I am a swimmer but want to gain muscle, I have uped my protein intake dramatically but am only gaining fat while swimming 2 hours a day (5'6" and 120 Lbs)! What is my problem here? Do I have to stop swimming to make any muscle gains? My body seriously looks more flabby and less cut since I started the new diet and I am doing massive amounts of cardio.
 
They are detrimental, but I have known a few people into bodybuilding who get stoned and drunk all the time and still stay relatively fit (though, not necessarily big, if that's your goal you need a lot of discipline).

Cut the cardio out of your routine (or reduce the amount to no more than 10 minutes a day) if you wanna start losing fat quickly.. Cardio has the tendency to burn a lot of muscle and negate any gains made previously working out. The other thing about gaining muscle is that initially it starts to push out fat and builds itself beneath it, so it can seem like you're gaining fat when you're mostly gaining muscle.. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks of working out to see any significant fat loss, but from there on out it goes pretty quick.

I'm sure others know more about this though, I'm not very hardcore when it comes to working out..
 
wArEhOuSePuNk said:
I'd rather get high than be a fuckin muscle-head anyway.....:)


ya word, until you see that hot asian chick in the bikini at the beach.....
 
wArEhOuSePuNk said:
I'd rather get high than be a fuckin muscle-head anyway.....:)

You can do both you know. Especially if you have the right genes.

If your not boozing alot and your not serious about lifting I don't think it should be a problem at this stage.

What's your diet? Do you lift? It sounds like you may be just swimming.
 
For breakfast I usually have peanut butter beagles (17gm's protein) plus skim milk and bananas (about 12 -14 gm protein). I will have cheese and banans for a mid day snack. Eat shrimp and rice or shrimp and pizza for dinner. Swim for two house. Crush a protein shake, eat more shrimp or banans and more bagles and cheese plus break untill I go to bed.

I am not a heavy smoker anymore since I swim, usually one or two times a week and its not very heavy smoking. I drink 3 days a week, usually 4-8 beers. Not enough to get a bad hangover, still functional in the gym the next day. I have tried to cut back as much as possible but the weekends get very very lonely for me and without being fucked up I will just snap and do something irrational (I am 22 and have never been with anyone despite being very outgoing and fit but skinny). I honestly do not think I can go completely clean so long as I am alone but I would really like to.

Sadly I am sure its fat because I can see it in my abdominals, I am normally very cut and this is definitely flab on top on the muscle I have. I used to rock climb heavily and often but I think my lack of gains was due to poor diet. I am not lifting heavy right now because I am trying to ease my body into a routine without injuring myself too much to swim. I concentrate on calisthenics right now untill I start to see some minor results, then I plan to move to free weights. Do I need to jump right in? And is there really no chance of me making quality gains while swimming heavily? I would hate to lose my cardio fitness that I have worked for so many years to get.
 
And btw, just because you lift that does not make you a muscle head. It makes you a well rounded athlete (assuming you also do cardio). Honestly smoking is a pretty pointless and self destructive activity which I would never otherwise do besides it being the last way I have of dealing with some serious emotional turmoil.
 
Unfortunately, to make any serious gains you'll likely have to cut out some of the cardio. You'd probably have to cut out a lot of the simple sugars in your diet as well, eg, non-multigrain wheat products, fruits in large amounts, milk sugars can be bad too. The only time you should really be consuming sugars for the most part is post work out (when you should also get a lot of whey protein), and only dextrose at that, as fructose can fuck up your metabolism.

Instead of drinking beer, which is also full of simple sugars which'll fuck with your metabolism and make you gain weight, try something else, like a 40%+ liquor chased with something, or diluted in a little bit of juice and water. It's very rare that I'll ever drink beer anymore. Pot isn't so bad, it's a mild stimulant and you'll never reach complete lung capacity if you use it, but it shouldn't keep you from looking cut.

I would go right to free weights at a gym personally, it's the fastest and easiest way to gain muscle and reduce fat.
 
Thanks nuke, I never really thought of the sugar issue with beer (or just in general as I have always been a high sugar and high carb eater before trying to lift). I recently switched to beer because I though it would hurt my gains less but now I will definitely just go back to vodka and gin mixed with club soda and hope I dont get out of hand with the liquor and drink too much (which happens often, or at least more so than with beer). You are right about lung capacity but with how much cardio I do I am still way ahead of even the most fit body builder when it comes to lung capacity. My main concern was its ability to reduce testosterone levels. On the up shot I usually smoke less than 6 times per month anymore and its not a very large amount so maybe I am overly concerned. I just think I need every bit of help I can get in order to make worthwhile gains.

I am thinking that I should take my normal 2 hours of swimming and half it M/W/F using the second hour to lift legs/back/chest & arms. but maybe that is still too much cardio, is there no way to maintain cardio fitness and gain muscle? I am going to start using swim paddles more so that at there is a significant amount of resistance during my cardio and it will contribute to muscle growth (or at least hurt it less).

Is there any way I can keep the cardio and make gains? I just don't understand how the military has people doing miles and miles or running every day combined with only calisthenics (never lifting any free weights) yet they have soldiers getting absolutely huge from the time of basic to the end of their first year of enlistment. Probably the food is loaded with steroids and other supplements but it is still confusing as to why civilians can not do this as well?
 
I wouldn't worry that much about your testosterone levels from drinking. They should normalize pretty fast afterwards, and you may lose a little muscle, but on the whole I don't think it's much to worry about (the reductions caused by alcohol aren't that much unless you're drunk 24/7). And I don't think there's much to worry about with pot either, the reductions shown in studies are often mild and non-significant.

Well, if you're always up and on the move and doing something, it's hard to really gain a lot of fat in the first place because your metabolism is so elevated (eg, cyclists, persons in the military). You can get pretty ripped, lose most all of your body fat, and still look hot, but you won't get as BIG as some of the more professional body builders (which for a lot of people is fine). It sounds like if you just made sure you're not eating a ton of simple sugars, you'll be fine.
 
Alcohol is one of the most catabolic substances in regards to muscle...

It reduces protein synthesis.. it dehydrates you, it drops test levels and raises estrogen... plus its straight empty calories.
 
The Cartel said:
ya word, until you see that hot asian chick in the bikini at the beach.....
You really think you have to be a meat-hed to land hot chicks. its all about confidence buddy boy. im living proof. I lift occasionally & do push ups & sit ups occasionally. so im not some Ethiopian fuck by any means.
I eat what I want & drink , smoke , & pop what I want.
Im doin jus fine:)

EDIT: Do you really think pot decreases testosterone? does that even make sense? come on now
 
i used to be borderline alcoholic. nothing serious mentally, just took college life to the max. for a while, my roomates and I were killing a Keg every 3 days. For about 2 years id never go more than 3 days without getting totally smashed, usually drinking at least some alcohol daily. I never thought it interfered with weightlifting (dude... yah im a moron, chill) cuz i rarely drank before lifting. In the last 6 months i stopped drinking. Ive climbed so much higher in how much I can do overall that i see now that drinking basically puts a roadblock infront of how much I can gain. Im assuming most ppl are like this.

Weed on the other hand... its realtive to mood. I mean i listen to a lot of really hard and heavy music when im lifing, and that amplifies my mood so much more when im high. If i dont have tunes, and im stoned, then I get lazy and give up on each set after like 5 or 6 reps. When i have some good music on and im high, it gives me a hell of a lot more energy. Overall I probably have more energy when im not smoking (so can do more exercizes), but set for set it doesnt seem to really make much of a difference.

I really wouldnt ever get stoned just because im going to lift... just saying if like i smoked all morning and lifted like 2 hours later or something.


The MOMENT i get back from lifting I usually down some whey and gatorade, then take massive bong rips. This cranks my apetite up about 5x stronger and I can inhale food (more calories!). When i dont get high my apetite is naturally not that strong. Weed aint a bad suppliment for me heh.

on a side note, my homeboy loves to do oxycontin and lift. i think this is about the dumbest possible thing you can do, but he claims it gives him tons of energy. he is 180lbs and can bench over 300 without any help, but id still never do a drug like that before weightlifting. (not to mention dangerous)


but back to the alcohol thing, it has to hinder you somewhat, given that your body has to repair the damage done by the booze AND your muscles from lifting, rather than concentrating just on reparing from weightlifting.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I had read a few studies and the numbers seemed extreme for how much alcohol is supposed to lower testosterone but its only for a short period during and after intoxication.

Nuke I agree completely with what you are getting at, big versus shreded in the service. I have no aspiration to be big or a serious body builder, not to be comfused with me not being serious about body building , because I am. I just have no desire to get huge, my goal is to go from 120 to 150 (maybe 155 depending on what my frame can support). If I can add 30 lbs in the next 18 monthes I would be completely satisfied, but as of now it seems like an impossible dream. Guess I just have to keep to partying to a minimum and stick to the diet, hopefully something will click and I will begin to grow soon. I may go see a nutritionalist and a trainer for a few sesion because I honestly do not know how to execute lifts with perfect form, somethat that is surely hurting my gains alot.

And to who ever said you don't have to be big to pick up girls, try fucking weighing 120 lbs and tell me that. I am shredded to the max and can tear apart guys almost twice my size in hand to hand but that really means nothing to women.
 
don't gain too much muscle if you're a swimmer... muscle doesn't float too well.
 
Partying/drug use of any sort WILL cost progress. I would say a night of fun usually cost me about 3-5 days worth of progress, which may not sound like much, but it's that much more wasted hard work and careful diet. Is it worth it? Up to you. For me, it isn't.

I honestly do not know how to execute lifts with perfect form, somethat that is surely hurting my gains alot

Form is mostly about not hurting yourself.

If I can add 30 lbs in the next 18 monthes I would be completely satisfied, but as of now it seems like an impossible dream.

It may take longer than that, but you can get there. Go here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Use that as the basis of your program for at least six months and you'll see real results. Yes, it's a strength training program rather than a bodybuilding program, but it'll put on real muscle and you'll learn a lot from it about how to design a workout routine (as well as learning how to do the critical lifts like squatting and deadlifting.)

Other than that, eat a lot. In your case, 120+ grams of protein a day, and plenty of calories. Lift hard, eat like a horse, sleep like the dead...and be patient. It won't happen in a week or a month, but in a year you should be amazed at how far you've come. Keep a log book so you can see how your lifts have improved over time.
 
TheDEA.org, thanks for the personal estimate, and actually that sounds like a huge amount of progress being set back considering I party every weekend. I am just going to have to make some serious lifestyle changes. I am thinking of going back to school at a uni which as a top notch rock wall. Climbing is something that I really enjoy (versus lifting which I really hate). Climbing again combined with a less destructive lifestyle and a proper diet this time around and I think I may just blow up. It is just incredibly hard for me to not get fucked up every single weekend, but it is something that I am going to have to slowly acomplish even if it takes the next year to get there.
 
I've questioned this for a while. I figure that if you lift on a certain day you shouldn't do anything that would interfer with building muscle (smoking or drinking). In a perfect world, I would wait two days after lifting before getting twizzled but that doesn't happen too often..
 
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