How smoking affects your fitness - an expert view 

It's true I used to be a smoker and when I played football matches it felt like my lungs were on fire and heart I would breathe loud like a animal at night

I was a heavy smoker and I lifted heavy but high reps. So progressive overload. In my first day of quitting, instantly I felt burn in my chest. It was horrible, felt unbearable but I didn't stop to buy cigs or use my vaper. This pain comes at you when you exert yourself or when stressed. When you excercise, walk, pick up something or even when you're angry, shout, this is stress and it affects your lungs because it affects flow of blood and heart. So you feel that pain 3 times a day, maybe more if you are prone to feel stress. You need to stop, use breathing technique until it calms down. On second day, I still had that pain so I went and got some medicine to help..but not nicotine gums because when I bought some and took them, it made it worse. Using your vapor or cigs will prolong the healing for you to feekl this pain for another added 4 weeks! I have tested this out. On second week after quitting smoking, I went training. I could feel the pain in my chest come again but not as much and kept going 4-5 times a week to gym. I pressed on as my body/lungs began to heal. Yes, craving where there but so fking what? My desire for better life, lifting more, getting stronger, fitter was far more important. Also getting rid of bad smell which isn't attractive if you want to date and relationships with people. Not everyone is a smoker and really, after you stop smoking you're going to need to change your lifestyle;e and stay away as much as you can from smokers for a long while. I am still training, going to gym, for sometime now but if I was to change anything it be this.. A) I would held back gym and did small steps i.e. walk first slowl pace B) After I got used to this with less chest pain due to my lungs, more fast pace C) When I got used to this, a bit of running but not crazy D) Next, when I got used to it, sprint and slow running, sprint and slow again THEN I'd start the gym. It would have been less painful in gym and second mistake is stop behaving like you want to be a warrior and go trhough pain without help. Get some support medicine to help. Don't go to Pharmacy. Go to doctor first and see what your doctors says to take that will suit for your level of chest pain and cravings. What helped? 1. Drink lots of water. 2. Stay away from coffee and spicy food/ingredients. They trigger the chest pain. 3. Stay away from nicotine gum. They trigger the chest pain real bad and cravings later on. Painful consequences. 4. There are other stuff you can use to help • Phenylalanine • Tyrosine • L-DOPA • B-Vitamins • Creatine and Whey protein powder supplement These made it so much easier for me and less painful. After a month, I stopped taking them except B-Vitamins, creatine and whey protein. 5. Stay away from friends who smoke for a long while, clean your clothes fresh, clean your home from dust and smell of smoke. Get rid of ashtrays, your cigs, your vaping gadget. Get emotionally, mentally and physically strong first before mingling with smoker friends and even then, be smart about it. I hope you do it because my life is so much better, I am happier, lots more energy, I enjoy the gym much more, I gained more weight i.e. muscle mass because I can eat more, which was prevented due to smoking. I changed my lifestyle and I lift heavy progressive overload for hypertrophy. One more thing. Will Power won't cut it. You need to plan this out and be prepared. Forcing will power isn't going to work. Make sure to plan this out, get things ready but don't be a perfectionist to make excuse to not start with quitting smoking. All the best to your journey! I made it!

Nice short video with facts that most people already know and barely talks about how smoking effects exercise performance instead of the long-term effects.

That's why I'm a nonsmoker for life! 😇

Dont take advice from small lifters yall be safe now