Training and smoking?

[Quatroux]

A response free from unsolicited advice! it is possible!!!

Yes, and smoke free will also get him to advice free. Smokers shouldn’t make book on their chances of life after suicide.

Oh, it was all sound advice. No doubt about that.

[Tim huges]

I knew a successful competitive soccer player that smoked a pack a day. I can't say they encountered any sudden increase in performance when they quit nor would they say they felt smoking ever held them back.
I do not know any competitive rowers that smoke other than recreational cigar or pipe smokers.

A response free from unsolicited advice! it is possible!!!

With my limited experience, the 2k hurts like hell and im fighting for breath...but isnt that how everyone feels? I dont know any different.

I appreciate all advice, especially the kind i dont want to hear!

[Anth_F]

With my limited experience, the 2k hurts like hell and im fighting for breath...but isnt that how everyone feels?

2k tests do hurt a lot!!! And everyone will be fighting for breath in the latter stages if they're doing one properly.

[T_M]

A rower I trained with back in the 80's was a moderate smoker. I used to give him a hard time about it and he would joke that smoking is resistance training for the lungs!

@Jack, appreciate your story. I was a "light" smoker for about 25 years...one or two a day usually as a job stress reliever. I was able to "just quit" when I set my mind to it when I turned 50. Maybe I could do it because I smoked so little, but it still took me half a dozen years to actually do it when I began to think that just one or two a day is still bad. So just telling some one to quit cold turkey doesn't take into consideration the fact that addiction is by it's very nature a difficult endeavor to overcome. A patch or gum is a far better alternative to sucking that nasty sh!t into your lungs.

[mitchel674]

So just telling some one to quit cold turkey doesn't take into consideration the fact that addiction is by it's very nature a difficult endeavor to overcome. A patch or gum is a far better alternative to sucking that nasty sh!t into your lungs.

Sometimes the truth hurts and is hard to hear. Look at the studies of those who successfully quit smoking. The vast majority of those who are no longer smoking at 3, 5 and 10 years quit cold turkey. The long term success rate of those who "quit" using gum, patches, drugs and e-cigs is quite poor.

Sure there are anecdotal reports of folks who chew gum for a week and never smoke again, but I'm talking about real studies with large numbers of patients.

[lindsayh]

Just stop I reckon - not just for a good 2k though but because it is a great idea and just think about how much money you will save as well.
Graham Benton was I think famously a smoker at the gym when he discovered he was the fastest OTE in the world.
I just want to be a healthy old guy rather than dead - half of all smokers die of smoking related disease and life expectancy is I think reduced by maybe 15 years?

[Anth_F]

half of all smokers die of smoking related disease and life expectancy is I think reduced by maybe 15 years?

It's so true, lindsay. I lost both my mam and dad through smoking related diseases.

[jackarabit]

T_M writes:

@Jack, appreciate your story. I was a "light" smoker for about 25 years...one or two a day usually as a job stress reliever. I was able to "just quit" when I set my mind to it when I turned 50. Maybe I could do it because I smoked so little, but it still took me half a dozen years to actually do it when I began to think that just one or two a day is still bad. So just telling some one to quit cold turkey doesn't take into consideration the fact that addiction is by it's very nature a difficult endeavor to overcome. A patch or gum is a far better alternative to sucking that nasty sh!t into your lungs.

I agree. Quitting is the priority. Metered nicotine, psychotropics, aversion therapy—whatever works.

Here’a version of a “resistance trainer for the lungs.” No Zippo required:

[max_ratcliffe]

My mate used to smoke. He went away for the xmas break from work, and in about February I realised that he wasn't smoking any more. "Yeah, I stopped because it was affecting my athletics".

So he just stopped.
Like that.
No baby steps.

That would have been a bit over 25 years ago. He hasn't touched one since.

[RayOfSunshine]

I quit dipping Copenhagen cold turkey on 12/12/17. I was up to 4 cans a day ($28) and had been chewing since I was probably 12. I was daily by the age of 16.

I set a date about a month out, prayed for willingness every day until that day, then... quit. I was told the 1st 3 weeks would be the hardest and be completely awful. They were. It's so great being nicotine free!!

[lancecampeau]

Smoked on and off from 16 to 35 (year one / year off... etc). Always stopped cold turkey and never had any trouble doing so (smoking is smelly and I never really liked it that much to begin with). Its now been 10 years since I was smoking regular.

I say quit cold turkey and expect to gain a minimum of 20 lbs in the process (don't kid yourself, this is what happens to most of us when we quit)... that said... you'd just need to spend more time on the erg to help burn off some of that extra intake. Stay away from any extra sugar (soda, high fructose corn syrup, etc...). don't binge drink either!

You can lose weight but you can't gain lung.

[hjs]

Can,t not not say this.

Graham Benton, low 5.40 pb, started erging and pulled sub6 his first season. He did this while he also started smoking

And no, this is not wise

[Andrew Shuck]

@ Tim, giving up is for quitters. My brutally honest opinion is that smoking is for people of limited intelligence..yes, i was one of those, i gave up circa 1998. There is no health or financial benefit to smoking.Don't be weak and or pathetic, chuck what you have in the bin, and smell better. Easy to do, it's a mind set..You'll do it if you want it bad enough.

[T_M]

@ Tim, giving up is for quitters. My brutally honest opinion is that smoking is for people of limited intelligence..yes, i was one of those, i gave up circa 1998.

I would argue we all have limited intelligence...some of us are just smarter than others

[G-dub]

I quit dipping Copenhagen cold turkey on 12/12/17. I was up to 4 cans a day ($28) and had been chewing since I was probably 12. I was daily by the age of 16.

I set a date about a month out, prayed for willingness every day until that day, then... quit. I was told the 1st 3 weeks would be the hardest and be completely awful. They were. It's so great being nicotine free!!

Dang, that’s a crap ton of dip! I thought I was bad at 1-2 cans a week (before I quit cold of course)! Once you get past the routine of it, it isn’t missed much. But I know we all have different levels of addictive ness