Smokers???

[jjohns72]

I know this is a dumb question because we all know the health hazard associated with smoking, but I have a friend that believs that smoking wont jeopordize his muscle gains. I have a feeling that smoking can extremely affect the amount of muscle that your body can put on but cant find any facts to back it up. What do you guys think about all this? Any info about the affects of smoking and trying to put on muscle would be appreciated.

[Aussieblitz]

I dont think that smoking inhibits muscle growth as per say, but would dramaticaly inhibit his cardiovascular system which would limit the amount of oxygen being carried by the red blood cells into the muscles.

This would then limit the amount of effort he would be able to put into his workout,also his duration.

Just think, rather than being able to fail at 10 reps due to muscle failure, he may fail at only 5 or 6 because he simply ran out of puff...this of course would not allow great gains.

That being said, not all smokers suffer from breathlessness...
I was in the army and was often outrunned by smokers!!!!

[Aussieblitz]

I also believe that smoking pumps that many toxins into the body that many of the nutrients derived from food or supplements are often used to combat this rather than promote growth.

[DigitaLFunKtioNz]

Smoking can definitely inhibit muscle gains. I can also say so from my own experience. I recently quit smoking, and can see a big difference already....It makes me wonder what my gains would have been like if I had never smoked....

btw...I was a heavy smoker. I smoked for around 8 years, and at the end I was averaging a pack and a half a day on the low end.

[jjohns72]

I've always heard that smoking breaks down proteins in the body and also decreases that natural production of testostorone that your body produce. What are your thoughts on that?

[DigitaLFunKtioNz]

I'll let one of the mods answer that one for you because I'm not all that sure, but the one thing smoking does do is inhibit the uptake in nutrients to the muscles.

[Adam Knowlden]

Moreover I also would discourage members from environments of second hand smoke.

Over 1000 studies over the past 25 years have been published that show severe and pervasive injury as a result of second-hand smoke.

Second hand smoke also contains over 4000 chemical compounds, 200 of which are known poisons, inluding carbon monoxide, aresenic, cyanide, benzene and fermaldehyde.

It is also a class A carcinogen and should be avoided by bodybuilders and athletes in general.