Homebrewing and Bodybuilding/Fitness

[jbschuyler]

On a semi-related note to this thread, I have long felt that beer gets overly scapegoated for weight gain. I've spent tons of time in the last 25 years hanging out in large groups of beer-drinking dudes. I can't count the number of times in these groups I've heard conversations that go something like this:

"Whoa man, puttin' on a bit of a belly there huh? LOLS"
"Yeah man... the beer is catching up with me!"
"No doubt! Me too!"

etc.

And I know most of them genuinely believe it. I'm not a nutritionist, but I just don't buy it. No, beer definitely doesn't do your waistline any favors, but my point is this: if your day-to-day consists of large amounts of pizza, burgers, fries, soda, potato chips, chicken wings, processed convenience foods, desserts, candy, etc. then it seems absurd to single out beer as the culprit for a growing belly. It's not a "beer belly," it's a "crappy diet belly."

If beer were as bad for weight as it is held to be in scapegoat lore, I'd definitely have a beer belly. I'm 43, not into sports at all, office job, and drink beer almost every day. I work out a few times a week max, and never terribly hard, at that. Somehow, at 5'11" and 180lbs, I manage to be the same weight and waist size as my 20s. Heck, if the light hits me right, I can even see abs.

In my early-mid 20s I started to feel a bit run-down and lethargic from my "college student" diet of processed food and junk, so I decided to make changes, and I'm so glad I did.

IMO, it comes down to 3 things: 1) you can't fly blind; you can treat yourself to unhealthy things in moderation, but it's mandatory that you understand the nutritional impacts of everything you eat (learn how to read food labels, etc.); 2) eat meals made from the ground up with whole ingredients as often as humanly possible instead of overly processed "convenience" foods that are almost always brimming with salt, fat, and sugar to make them palatable; 3) LEARN HOW TO COOK.

The last point is very important because I just don't see how it's possible to consistently eat tasty and healthy meals if you're wanting everything just served to you on a platter all the time. Not only is it expensive, it rarely lives up to the promise.

These days I cook 5-6 nights a week, always making sure to make too much so there is a steady stream of healthy leftovers for lunches and to stock the freezer for lazy nights, etc. I only eat meat once or twice a week, a crap ton of fruits and vegetables, lots of legumes, lots of healthy grains like quinoa and farro, lots of seeds. I generally avoid desserts altogether, don't buy chips or junk snacks (out of sight, out of mind), and water has 100% replaced soft drinks (I haven't drunk a Coke or Mountain Dew or similar for probably 10 years or more.)

The best part is, this is not a fad diet that takes immense willpower to stick with, it's just ingrained in my lifestyle now and has been for years. With proper care in your meals, you can almost eat as much of it as you want without worrying too much. When you maintain a properly stocked pantry of herbs and spices and vinegars and healthy oils and other staples, there is no need to suffer through bland meals. The myth that eating healthy must mean bland and boring is another one that needs to die. I'm not eating boiled chicken breast and cabbage water here.

Of course, my approach probably wouldn't work for a bodybuilder or serious athlete, but I don't aspire to be either of those things so I don't care.

True.

I'm not a nutritionist either, but luckily my wife is!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

IMO, it comes down to 3 things: 1) you can't fly blind; you can treat yourself to unhealthy things in moderation, but it's mandatory that you understand the nutritional impacts of everything you eat (learn how to read food labels, etc.); 2) eat meals made from the ground up with whole ingredients as often as humanly possible instead of overly processed "convenience" foods that are almost always brimming with salt, fat, and sugar to make them palatable; 3) LEARN HOW TO COOK.

I clicked the "Like" button because there's not a "Nominate for POTUS" button.

 

[Ty520]

I got really into weightlifting about 10 years ago.

Before long, I got so into tracking my macros, i was literally accounting for every gram and calorie. It definitely made a huge difference. was putting on a pound of muscle a week, and strength gains like i couldn't beleive

it becomes harder as you get older, but if you are monitoring your macros, you can accommodate for alcohol - either by increasing your expenditure via more cardio, or cutting back on the alcohol until it works. people into endurance even more so, as they expend so many calories with less focus on macros.

but now i feel like it was at a sacrifice of enjoying life. I love to cook - i love making homemade bread, pizza, pasta and desserts from scratch. I love a good rum or bourbon, or mead or wine. unfortunately, beer seems to hurt my stomach any more for whatever reason, but I do love a good ale, porter or stout.

I still eat clean 5-6 days a week, but allow myself these treats at least once a week. Also, by allowing yourself these things, it makes it lesss likely you'll fall off the wagon entirely.

I no longer rob myself of these enjoyments. so long as i get my proteins and fats, and account for the calories and get my workout in, i feel good.

 

[bracconiere]

Heck, if the light hits me right, I can even see abs.

damn, i got 4"'s on you and wheigh less, you must be a gorilla!....but when i look in the mirror, and think i see "definition", i realize it's celulite....i do have semi veinage on my biceps though......

but like i learned as a kid....

 

[madscientist451]

Much thanks to the OP and 1Amalia1 for dredging it up. I gained weight since I started homebrewing years ago and struggled with weight loss for several years. January 2020, I decided to make some changes and went low carb, (I did the same years ago and lost weight but gained it back). Now, I believe low carb is a lifestyle that I'm going to stick with. I don't eat any carbs, but I do drink plenty of them. I don't really work out, but I go for 20 mile bike rides, have a season pass at the local ski area, cross country ski when there is enough snow, chop firewood, work in my hobby orchard and garden, do yardwork, and generally keep pretty active when the sun is shining. I also switched to brewing low carb brut IPAs and session beers, but I still drink my share of commercial/homebrewed DIPAs, Imperial Stouts and high ABV meads. Sometimes I'll blend some low carb brut IPA with some DIPA to justify what I'm doing in my own mind. Oh yeah, I feel guilty when I "cheat" and consume some carbs.
I've lost 30 lbs and my goal is to lose 15 more, which will put me at at about the same weight I was when I was 18 (I'm 61). So what I'm saying is that if you want to slim down AND still be a beer drinker, you can do it, you just have to make smart choices and stop eating refined crap. If I quit drinking I'd be at my goal weight already, but life is short and beer, wine and cider are things to be enjoyed.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Not a bodybuilder, but mediocre powerlifter (in that "strong as **** for the real world" realm but amongst seasoned heavy lifters by no means impressive). My general rule for macros is "more" though my diet is heavy on the protein. That said I don't shy away from carbs, or beer. I'm not horrendously worried about my body fat percentage, and I'm by no means a physique model. Try to keep bodyfat under 20%, and if it spikes too high over I'll do a fairly soft cut cycle to drop it back down. If I do a good hard cut I can drop fat fast but my lifts suffer immensely, and I'm far more worried about my 1rms than what I look like in a mirror.

I do laugh when my coworkers talk about "ballooning" to 200 lbs. If I hit single digit body fat I'd still be above 200 lbs. Without muscle loss sub 200lbs I'd be dead.

I don't really group either bodybuilding or powerlifting in the same group as "fitness", though they could be a part of it. Fitness is more well rounded. A former coach is a highly ranked oly lifter. Looks lean and lifts HUGE, but he eats like a trash can and isn't actually healthy at all.

 

[Yooper]

I follow a guy on instagram named Justin Cross who is a brewer/fitness freak and CEO of Earn your booze. There are quite a few times when I can placate my inner crybaby with the promise of a beer after a good run. Starting to get into lifting because runners have noodle arms and my kegerator is upstairs.

We've always called it "earn a beer", for about 12 years now.

Now, I believe low carb is a lifestyle that I'm going to stick with.

me too! I joke that I drink my carbs, but even then it's not that much.

 

[NGD]

@madscientist451 I’m in the process of brewing lower and lower carb beers. Usually low ABV as well.

About the time I hit 40 I drank quite a bit and they were all high ABV bombers. I started noticing several drinking buddies develop diabetes and consequently having more health issues. I started having my own health issues which led me to changing my diet drastically, dropping 30lbs. I’ve tried most diets. Keto, paleo, several elimination diets, vegetarian, carnivore (zero carb) and diets focused on gut biome.
I’ve always been somewhat active, but got into running and bike riding. Occasionally weight lift but always more cardio based. As I get older I’m finding I enjoy the challenge of lifting and yoga more than running, but still run with dogs a few days a week. Brewing is fun, but is one of many hobbies I enjoy. Its one of the reasons I decided early on to stick with extract. I’ve learned to make decent quality beer I enjoy in a mich shorter tome frame. Its also given me a much larger appreciation for any brewer that makes exceptional beer.

 

[Ty520]

Much thanks to the OP and 1Amalia1 for dredging it up. I gained weight since I started homebrewing years ago and struggled with weight loss for several years. January 2020, I decided to make some changes and went low carb, (I did the same years ago and lost weight but gained it back). Now, I believe low carb is a lifestyle that I'm going to stick with. I don't eat any carbs, but I do drink plenty of them. I don't really work out, but I go for 20 mile bike rides, have a season pass at the local ski area, cross country ski when there is enough snow, chop firewood, work in my hobby orchard and garden, do yardwork, and generally keep pretty active when the sun is shining. I've lost 30 lbs and my goal is to lose 15 more, which will put me at at about the same weight I was when I was 18 (I'm 61). So what I'm saying is that if you want to slim down AND still be a beer drinker, you can do it, you just have to make smart choices and stop eating refined crap. If I quit drinking I'd be at my goal weight already, but life is short and beer, wine and cider are things to be enjoyed.

one misconception is how many carbs are really in beer. most people are surprised that even heavy beers like stouts are only about 10 carbs +/- per 12 oz. A flour tortilla has 3 times that!

2-3 beers on the weekend isn't a big deal

 

[Ty520]

Not a bodybuilder, but mediocre powerlifter (in that "strong as **** for the real world" realm but amongst seasoned heavy lifters by no means impressive). My general rule for macros is "more" though my diet is heavy on the protein. That said I don't shy away from carbs, or beer. I'm not horrendously worried about my body fat percentage, and I'm by no means a physique model. Try to keep bodyfat under 20%, and if it spikes too high over I'll do a fairly soft cut cycle to drop it back down. If I do a good hard cut I can drop fat fast but my lifts suffer immensely, and I'm far more worried about my 1rms than what I look like in a mirror.

I do laugh when my coworkers talk about "ballooning" to 200 lbs. If I hit single digit body fat I'd still be above 200 lbs. Without muscle loss sub 200lbs I'd be dead.

I don't really group either bodybuilding or powerlifting in the same group as "fitness", though they could be a part of it. Fitness is more well rounded. A former coach is a highly ranked oly lifter. Looks lean and lifts HUGE, but he eats like a trash can and isn't actually healthy at all.

Yes, a 5'3" person at 200 should worry - 6'3" person... not so much.

I used to cycle before I got into weightlifting. My energy was through the roof. Could go for a 15 mile bike ride then go swing a pick axe for 4 hours. After getting hit by a car not once but twice, I transitioned out of cycling and into lifting. Before wuflu hit, I was almost exclusively doing power lifting. I was hitting new 1 rep max personal records on a near weekly basis, but definitely at a sacrifice of stamina. You have to pick a priority. It is one of funny to see guys at the gym who are shredded and strut around like a rooster, then sweat bullets deadlifting 150 pounds.

One of my inspirations was reading about the story of hafthor bjornsson. He plays "the mountain" on game of thrones. Believe it or not, he used to be a basketball player - 6'10", 165 pounds. Now he weighs 365 pounds and just set the deadlift World record for 1121 pounds!

 

[bracconiere]

i feel obligated, like i do in everyone of these threads to point you to the 'realistic' eat whatever you want diet....

https://sourceforge.net/projects/cronometer/
they have a fancier website now, but i still use the java app....

and this will your best friend first few months figuring out what YOU want to eat

https://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/nutrient-search

i just want to eat as cheap as possible, no surprise there, lol can buy a weeks worth of food for $10 bucks now, the stores hate me!

 

[thehaze]

I live outside the main city - small house, plenty of yard space, 3 dogs ( whereas the vast majority of my friends live in flats, in the city ) which gives me the possibility to walk and cycle whenever I want, in an enviroment with much less pollution, noise, etc. I hit the gym and weighlift a few months a year. I am not consistently with it, an aspect I need to work on still.

I've been working from home in the past 6 years or so. Coupled with homebrewing, makes for a tough challenge. Last year, I took an extra job at a local craft beer pub ( have been a customer there from the begining, so I knew everybody there ). I was working from 10 to 18 at home and then from 19 to 1-2-3 in the morning at the pub. The money was good, especially the tips. I did it for 8 months, but couldn't continue, as working two full-time jobs is pretty demanding. In January 2020, I jumped on the scale, dreading - 230 lbs or aprox. 104-105 Kg. And the scale was just confirmation - whilst working the two jobs, I slowly sensed I was getting heavier and things were starting to feel harder to do.

I am now at 189 lbs/86 Kg and have been so for the past 2 months. So, I am on a mission to losing some more weight and stabilise it, along with incorporating other things, like excersizing regularly, eating healthy and according to the level of activity, drinking beer just 1-2 times a week, enjoying other activities like reading, trekking, walking, being in the middle of nature as often as i can, paying more attention to myself and my partner, etc.

As for diet - I don't have one. I've tried some in the past, I also tried being vegan for almost an year - it was OK, but not my thing. I've done all this, because I want to be as informed as I can, and because I had to find out what suits me, my body, my metabolism, my life... For me, carbs don't work as well. I do more protein, more veggies and greens, healthy fats, legumes and carbs are probably the least I eat now. I do intake more carbs when we make wood oven baked pizza, pies, and I enjoy the hell out of them. I don't usually/regularly eat store bought bread, biscuits, chips, cookies, etc. anything processed. And when I do - and haven't made it myself - I go for a good , " clean "-ish chocolate or ice cream. But most importantly, I've learnt that going extreme ( like being a vegan, stop eating things altogether ) is not healthy and is not a long-term solution to anything. Cheers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Yes, a 5'3" person at 200 should worry - 6'3" person... not so much.

I used to cycle before I got into weightlifting. My energy was through the roof. Could go for a 15 mile bike ride then go swing a pick axe for 4 hours. After getting hit by a car not once but twice, I transitioned out of cycling and into lifting. Before wuflu hit, I was almost exclusively doing power lifting. I was hitting new 1 rep max personal records on a near weekly basis, but definitely at a sacrifice of stamina. You have to pick a priority. It is one of funny to see guys at the gym who are shredded and strut around like a rooster, then sweat bullets deadlifting 150 pounds.

One of my inspirations was reading about the story of hafthor bjornsson. He plays "the mountain" on game of thrones. Believe it or not, he used to be a basketball player - 6'10", 165 pounds. Now he weighs 365 pounds and just set the deadlift World record for 1121 pounds!

You'll see plenty of that at the box gyms. Wife's former coworker who used to work out at the same gym we used to work out at looks shredded as hell but it's nothing but glamour muscle. One day I made him feel really bad about himself when he was struggling doing a few reps a few times of 135lb deadlifts. Then I walked up and rocked out a fairly rapid deload 5x5 at 315lb.

Also, I'm 5'11 to 6'0 depending on who measures. Enough so that doctors see my weight and based on BMI start crying "obese" when my bodyfat percentage is upper end of the "fit" range (or at least it was pre-COVID, a bit higher now). As I said initially, i physically could not attain an ideal BMI for my height/age without significant muscle loss- even at 0% bodyfat ie dead. Been the case for every lifter I've ever known.

Once COVID is past (or vaccine available or whatever) getting back to playing sport once a week (football, the feet kind, though tempted to get back into rugby which I haven't played since I was a child on the other side of the ocean) should get my conditioning/cardio/bodyfat back into check.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Also Thor is a f***ing beast. Though I had to have a laugh at verbals between him and Eddie Hall over his deadlift record.

 

[NGD]

I’m at a loss for how BMI is still an accurate measurement of health.

 

[thehaze]

I’m at a loss for how BMI is still an accurate measurement of health.

It's not.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Might be useful for looking at overall health trends amongst the population but that's about it. Says very little about the individual.

Some doctors refuse to give up the ghost though.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I’m at a loss for how BMI is still an accurate measurement of health.

BMI is good for population trending; it's not so good for individual health. Unfortunately, that's what the medical/health professions use it for.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I came here to start a fitness thread. I am so pleased to see one already here. I think it would be great if the reputation for home brewers was, “why are they all so damn fit?” I weight lift and cycle. I will lift 5 days a week, cycle a couple days then taper off through the year in favor of cycling 5 days a week and lifting a couple. I’ll taper back. I prefer lifting because it is far more useful to every day life but cycling is so enjoyable.

Having fitness goals keeps everything in check. If you are lifting 5 days a week and are serious, you won’t let yourself drink too much.

 

[McKnuckle]

Thanks for the bump! It's good to check in on this thread every once in a while. Things have been a bit uneven this year, with COVID putting the gyms on hold and generally reducing exercise options.

I continue to run 5 days per week, logging more miles in 2020 than I did in 2019. Unfortunately, I stopped lifting after first getting kicked out of the gym, then losing motivation to approximate the workout at home. And of course, the drinking has been, er, shall we say "consistent" due to all of the crazy **** we've endured this year.

Fortunately I've only gained 5 lbs. and my running performance hasn't dropped. Still feeling good overall.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There wasn't ever a way for me to continue working out at home (though if/when we move somewhere it's feasible, home gym is now a priority), so I was happy when I was able to go back, and more thankful I do so alone after hours. My wife does their classes (it's more or less a non-branded CrossFit box with their own spin) and is really worried about COVID there. Either way it's kept me from training as often or as hard as I'd like.

Though one of my bosses is a super-marathon Ragnar type, and his spouse is a personal trainer, and they're setting up a little gym at my work that she's formally renting space for, that I've been granted permission to use when she's not training people. Not much good for me yet (mostly circuit stuff and an all in one machine at the moment) but they're putting in a half-rack and a full oly bar with smaller bumper plate selection (a few 20kg and a bunch of smaller ones). Once that actually happens I'll probably order a bunch more 20kg bumper plates shipped there, cancel my gym, and do all my workouts there before or after work.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

Getting kicked out of gyms, gyms closing down...I take for granted that I have a full basement gym. I never had to deal with covid gym fallout. I am grateful. I have been building it up over the past few years. If it is in the cards, I do recommend it. It’s my understanding weights are harder to come by but in normal times, I found them used and put money into a good rogue barbell and power rack. Every thing else can be skimped, IMO.

 

[bracconiere]

you're all making my muscles ache just reading this stuff...imake it a point not to lift anything heavy, unless i have too, make sure to use a lever of sort if i do...

 

[Qhrumphf]

Yeah I can make do with nothing but a bar, bench, a rack and some weight. And maybe an adjustable dumbbell set. Problem is when I wanna do kroc rows. Biggest my gym has are 70lb and many adjustables don't even go that high (my old gym I could at least use 120lb). I've made do with using a bar for em but the decreased stability forces me to keep the weight down.

 

[bracconiere]

Yeah I can make do with nothing but a bar,

you had me sold, then started rambling

 

[Qhrumphf]

Oh and a floor that ain't gonna crack if I drop a bail from a heavy squat. I was asked to squat and deadlift heavy in one area of this gym since that part of the floor is former bank vault and won't be hurt if I drop 500lb on it. Don't know if the average garage or basement can handle that.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

Oh and a floor that ain't gonna crack if I drop a bail from a heavy squat. I was asked to squat and deadlift heavy in one area of this gym since that part of the floor is former bank vault and won't be hurt if I drop 500lb on it. Don't know if the average garage or basement can handle that.

I built a platform. It is made of three layers worth of plywood. My rack is on the back and there is a nice roomy area with stall mats on either side for deadlifting.

 

[mashpaddled]

Oh and a floor that ain't gonna crack if I drop a bail from a heavy squat. I was asked to squat and deadlift heavy in one area of this gym since that part of the floor is former bank vault and won't be hurt if I drop 500lb on it. Don't know if the average garage or basement can handle that.

Gym floors are usually reinforced or extra thick for exactly this reason. I would be extremely cautious about lifting heavy weight at home. If you drop the weight and crack your foundation you could be in for some expensive repairs.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Gym floors are usually reinforced or extra thick for exactly this reason. I would be extremely cautious about lifting heavy weight at home. If you drop the weight and crack your foundation you could be in for some expensive repairs.

Yep. Precisely my concern.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I got reasonably fit in 2019 and fell off the wagon in 2020. I'm pretty pissed that I threw away all that progress and am right back where I started. I jump back on the wagon tomorrow, and here's to starting 2022 as a fitter 3 Dawg Night.