Smoking effects on training

[Gymfreak1987]

Hi I have just given up smoking, smoked 20 a day for 10 years and cold turkey quit for 5 days now and going strong.
I know training will help me get through the cravings if I focus on the benefits...
But I wanted to know what benefits I will physically get from quitting? Other then the obvious lung cancer painful death stuff.
I hear it reduces the oxygen in the blood, possible strength gains? Better endurance? Definitely better appetite already! But how will the reduction of HR affect my body? Slower metabolism? Any help cheers

 

[Gymfreak1987]

P.s. I'm 5'8" 202lbs approx 15%bf

 

[stevesmi]

you will be able to breathe for a change. breathing is important when working out.

 

[C.K.]

yeah cardio will be a breeze in comparison

 

[PickMe69]

Smoking increases the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the lungs. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) reacts with H20 with a byproduct of Hydrogen atoms that act as a competitive inhibitor to hemoglobin in the lungs. Hemoglobin is the protein that binds oxygen in red blood cells, carrying the oxygen to muscle tissue through veins and capillaries, where the myoglobin binds it. Therefore by smoking cigs you are decreasing the amount of oxygen getting to your muscle tissues.

That is purely due to the CO2 increase, during the actual act of smoking you are also lowering your oxygen intake because not everything you are breathing in during that time is oxygen. Over time your lungs actually become less able to bind oxygen due to hemoglobin becoming inactive in the lungs (the lung cells believe they don't need as much) by releasing a chemical (I forgot the name) that causes the hemoglobin to stop binding oxygen.

In other words: Smoking Cigs is bad for you, quitting is good, you should see slightly better results.