What inscriptions do not appear on packs of cigarettes: “smoking harms your health”, “smoking causes cancer” and many warnings that smoking shortens life and causes heart disease. Everyone already knows about this, and still, millions of people around the world, having read these words, are reaching for another cigarette.
In our view, athletes are those who never smoke and lead a healthy lifestyle. Is it so? Does nicotine harm bodybuilders in the same way as an ordinary person?
The negative side of smoking
The long-standing fact that a horse can be killed with a drop of nicotine is known to everyone. But a drop in this case is a lot. Not a single person is able to smoke so much at a time. And yet, cigarettes containing nicotine, as well as many other chemicals, are very dangerous for health, the more incompatible smoking and bodybuilding.
For the human body, even standing next to the smoker, cigarettes cause irreversible processes, sometimes leading to death.
The most common diseases are lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, peptic ulcer, coronary heart disease. Resins and heavy metals contained in the composition affect metabolism as well as protein synthesis. Therefore, the question of the effect of smoking on bodybuilding has only one answer: “Yes!”. The more dangerous cigarettes for bodybuilders than for ordinary people. Under heavy loads, the heart, like other organs, has to work to the limit constantly.
Environmentally friendly tobacco leaves are not always used in the manufacture of cigarettes. And this suggests that in the composition you can find not only nicotine and tar, but also urea and ammonium nitrate.
The effect of smoking on the human body
If nicotine and other substances enter the lungs from cigarettes, the process of absorption of chemicals into the blood immediately begins. Nicotine then spreads through the circulatory system. The heart is the first to fall under the negative influence, the heartbeat becomes more frequent. With constant inhalation of the cigarette, the lungs are destroyed, the tissues become unable to carry the necessary oxygen. Because of this, all organs of the body fall into oxygen starvation, which reduces their productivity and endurance.
Smoking and bodybuilding against this background are simply incompatible at the cellular level. All athletes strive to improve their qualities, raise as many pounds as possible and increase muscle volume. But after smoking a cigarette, protein synthesis decreases, which makes exercise useless, because in this case, muscle growth slows down. And protein and, in fact, the extension of biceps and triceps is the main task of bodybuilders.
Misconceptions of some athletes
Nicotine can be considered a mild psychotropic substance. If it enters the bloodstream, it causes a feeling of euphoria for a short time. However, the effect does not last long, and the smoker again takes a cigarette. The human nervous system suffers from this, which is especially noticeable in athletes whose body is constantly in a state of motion.
Some bodybuilders believe that nicotine speeds up metabolism, which allows the body to burn calories and not accumulate body fat, and also helps to increase muscle mass. Smoking and bodybuilding, according to experts, are two completely opposite concepts that should not intersect, even if there is a theory about the benefits of nicotine.
Nicotine and bodybuilding
Almost everyone understands how smoking affects bodybuilding. It will not lead to anything good except health problems. So how does smoking affect bodybuilders?
One of the main principles of body building is endurance. Without the development of this quality, muscle pumping will not work. Each lesson requires patience and willpower. But, as practice shows, endurance noticeably worsens after ingestion of nicotine and resins in the body. And this leads to lower results in weight lifting, the athlete performs fewer approaches in the classroom. Low intensity training affects the final result.
Smoking and bodybuilding are incompatible for another reason - carbon monoxide does not allow beneficial substances and vitamins to be fully absorbed. The same applies to protein, the main building material for building muscle mass. If a bodybuilder smokes, it is unlikely that protein shakes, which will have to be absorbed in large quantities, will help him.
During training, the body needs a large amount of oxygen, which enters the bloodstream through the lungs. Smokers do not have a large volume of lungs, a decrease in oxygen leads to processes associated with a change in blood pressure, and hemoglobin in the blood. This will immediately affect the general condition of the athlete, cause drowsiness, lethargy. If vitality is reduced, talking about effective training is not necessary.
If the question arises whether smoking and bodybuilding are compatible, it is worth considering that nicotine stimulates the nervous system. The body can not completely relax, sleep is disturbed. If this condition becomes permanent - this indicates an imbalance in the body.
The most important factor affecting athletes quitting smoking is a decrease in testosterone levels.
How to reduce the harm of smoking?
Of course, you can talk as much as you like about the dangers of smoking, paint the terrible consequences, but many athletes know how smoking affects bodybuilding, and, nevertheless, cannot say goodbye to this habit.
Can the effects of smoking be reduced? First you need to try to give up cigarettes before training and immediately after, which will allow the blood to fill with oxygen and restore heart rate.
Increased doses of vitamins will restore the lack of nutrients in the tissues. It is necessary to consume more fresh vegetables and fruits, to increase the level of protein intake in an easily digestible form.
Stop smoking - the main task
No matter how hard it is, stopping smoking is worth both ordinary people and bodybuilders.
There are many ways to do this. Currently, it is possible to purchase medicines that will help to cope without stress with a habit that harms a healthy lifestyle.
You can use pills, chewing gum or plasters. The advice of those who were able to quit and their support also help. But the best way is to cultivate willpower. Indeed, without these qualities, even the best doctor will not be able to cope with a bad habit.