What Not to Drink When Bulking for Optimal Muscle Gain

December 10, 2025 •

3 min read

Over 20% of the daily calories in the average diet come from beverages with added sugars, which can seriously affect muscle growth. Choosing what not to drink when bulking is as crucial as what to eat, because poor beverage choices can lead to unwanted fat gain and hinder muscle recovery.

Quick Summary

This article discusses detrimental beverage choices during bulking, focusing on how sugary drinks and alcohol can hinder muscle growth and promote fat gain. It explains why these beverages should be avoided and explores healthier, nutrient-rich alternatives to support fitness goals.

Key Points

Avoid Sugary Drinks: Sodas, sweetened teas, and fruit 'drinks' are packed with empty calories that promote fat storage, cause insulin spikes, and offer little nutritional value for muscle growth.
Eliminate Excessive Alcohol: Alcohol severely hinders muscle growth by impairing protein synthesis, raising cortisol, and suppressing testosterone, especially when consumed after a workout.
Be Wary of Pre-Made Smoothies: Many bottled smoothies contain excessive sugar and lack the nutrient density of homemade versions, contributing unwanted calories without optimal benefits.
Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Liquids: Opt for beverages like whole milk, homemade protein shakes, and electrolyte water to provide quality calories, protein, and hydration that support your bulking goals.
Stay Hydrated with Water: Drinking plenty of water is crucial for all bodily functions, including muscle hydration and nutrient transport, and is the best choice for everyday hydration.
Time Your Intake Carefully: Avoid drinking alcohol immediately after a workout to maximize protein synthesis and recovery.

Why Empty Calories Are the Enemy of a Clean Bulk

Bulking requires a calorie surplus to fuel muscle growth, but the quality of these calories is essential. A 'clean bulk' prioritizes nutrient-dense foods, ensuring the excess calories contribute mainly to muscle tissue instead of body fat. Many popular drinks, however, are packed with 'empty calories'—energy without significant nutritional value such as vitamins, minerals, or fiber. Although these drinks add to your total calorie intake, they can fill you up without providing the nutrients essential for muscle repair and growth. This forces the body to prioritize metabolizing excess sugar and alcohol.

The Impact of Sugary Beverages

Sugary drinks are often the biggest culprit when it comes to empty calories. These include sodas, fruit juices with added sugar, and many sweetened sports and energy drinks. High sugar content results in rapid blood glucose spikes and insulin resistance over time. This can promote fat storage, especially around the midsection, and cause energy crashes that compromise workout performance and recovery. While a quick sugar hit before a workout can provide energy, depending on these drinks throughout the day is counterproductive for achieving a lean, muscular physique.

The Damaging Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol is counterproductive to bulking. Alcohol consumption, especially in excess, impairs protein synthesis, the process by which muscle fibers repair and grow after a workout. Studies show that alcohol can reduce protein synthesis by a significant percentage, even when consumed alongside adequate protein. This directly sabotages efforts in the gym by slowing down muscle recovery. Additionally, alcohol intake elevates cortisol, a stress hormone that promotes muscle breakdown and fat storage, while suppressing testosterone, a key anabolic hormone for muscle growth. Alcohol is also a diuretic, leading to dehydration which negatively impacts athletic performance and recovery.

Pre-Made Smoothies and Fancy Coffee Drinks

While homemade smoothies can be a bulker's best friend, many pre-made, store-bought smoothies and fancy coffee beverages are sugar bombs. They often contain excessive amounts of added sugars and syrups that inflate the calorie count without adding substantial micronutrients. A typical coffee chain frappe can contain hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of sugar, providing a quick, unhealthy surplus that can contribute more to fat than muscle.

Comparison: Sub-optimal vs. Optimal Bulking Drinks


Drink Category	Sub-Optimal Choice	Impact on Bulking	Optimal Alternative	Why It's Better
Sugary Drinks	Soda, Sweetened Teas, Fruit 'Drinks'	High in empty calories, rapid insulin spikes, increased fat storage, potential energy crashes.	Water	Essential for hydration, muscle function, and nutrient transport without added sugar or calories.
Alcohol	Beer, sugary Cocktails	Impairs protein synthesis, raises cortisol, lowers testosterone, causes dehydration.	Electrolyte Water / Tea	Promotes proper hydration and recovery without the negative metabolic and hormonal effects.
Pre-Made Smoothies	High-sugar Bottled Shakes	Excess sugar, low nutrient density, can promote unwanted fat gain.	Homemade Smoothie	Allows full control over nutrient-dense ingredients like protein powder, healthy fats, and whole fruits/veggies.
Coffee Drinks	Sugar-laden Frappuccinos	Massive amounts of sugar and calories that lead to fat gain rather than lean mass.	Black Coffee / Protein Coffee	Boosts energy without empty calories, and adding a scoop of whey can increase protein intake.

Making Better Beverage Choices for Your Bulk

To optimize a bulking phase, focus on beverages that support your goals rather than hinder them. Whole milk is an excellent choice for a calorie-dense, nutrient-rich option, as it provides protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates to fuel your gains. For post-workout recovery, chocolate milk offers a great balance of carbs and protein to replenish glycogen stores and aid muscle repair. A homemade protein shake, customized with whole foods like bananas, oats, and nut butter, ensures nutrient-dense calories in a convenient form. Adequate hydration is fundamental; plain water or infused water should be the primary beverage throughout the day to support all metabolic processes.

Conclusion: Think Beyond the Calories

While a calorie surplus is the goal of any bulking phase, how you achieve that surplus is the key differentiator between gaining lean muscle and gaining excess fat. Beverages filled with empty calories from sugar and alcohol are counterproductive, actively working against muscle-building efforts by impairing recovery, disrupting hormonal balance, and promoting fat storage. By consciously eliminating these drinks and replacing them with nutrient-dense alternatives, you can make smarter choices that maximize gym performance and ensure hard work translates into the muscle gains you desire.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Alcohol is detrimental to muscle growth because it suppresses muscle protein synthesis, the process of muscle repair and growth, especially when consumed post-workout. It also disrupts hormonal balance by increasing cortisol (a catabolic hormone) and lowering testosterone (an anabolic hormone), and its diuretic nature can cause dehydration, hindering performance and recovery.

Diet soda contains zero calories, so it won't add to your calorie surplus. However, it offers no nutritional value. While an occasional diet soda is unlikely to hurt your progress, replacing nutrient-dense liquids like milk or water with it is not recommended for optimal health and muscle gain.

Not all fruit juices are equally bad, but many are high in simple sugars and lack the fiber of whole fruits. This can lead to blood sugar spikes. Focus on whole fruits for fiber and nutrients, and use fruit juice sparingly to top off calories, or choose fruit-infused water for flavor without excess sugar.

Store-bought mass gainers often rely on excessive added sugars and high-fructose corn syrup to inflate the calorie count, making them a source of low-quality, empty calories. While convenient, they can promote fat gain over lean muscle compared to a balanced homemade shake that provides a better ratio of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.

You do not need to avoid all sugar. A moderate amount of simple sugar, especially around workouts, can help replenish muscle glycogen. However, the focus should be on getting the majority of your calories from nutrient-dense, whole food sources, and limiting added sugars from processed beverages and snacks.

For superior hydration, prioritize plain water throughout the day. Electrolyte-enhanced water is another great option, especially during and after intense workouts, to replenish minerals lost through sweat without adding unwanted sugar or chemicals.

Drinking beer can help you gain weight, but it's typically the wrong kind of weight (body fat). Beer is high in empty calories and carbohydrates that provide little nutritional value for muscle building. It also has detrimental effects on protein synthesis and hormone balance, making it a poor choice for quality muscle gain.