cigarettes & alcohol

hi guys
just wondering ur opinions on the impact fags and booze have on our quest for bigger/stronger bodies
i realise they can only be detrimental to progress  but i wonder to what extent?

Quite a severe one I should imagine, both should be avoided

"'You have less frontal development that I should have expected,' said he, at last. 'It is a dangerous habit to finger loaded firearms in the pocket of one's dressing-gown.'

Very rarely drink - can't handle hangovers nowadays 

Having given up smoking after 30 + years, I'm noticing a tremendous diference satmina wise. 

I still have the odd beer and a fewmore whiskeys but not before a heavy session!  I also have the odd cigar but can feel it the next day, everything in moderation I guess!

Smoking is a HUGE no no in my books, quit cold turkey 12 years ago and so glad I did. (2nd attempt mind). Wish I had started on the weights back then.
 
Never really drank, a glass of wine occassionally (every couple of years) ONLY ever been drunk once in all my years (46) can't say I enjoyed it that much and also woke up with me lying on a toilet floor not knowing how I can got there.
 
Ultimately, everything in moderation except when you have a passion in life and you should pursue it right to the end.

Have never smoked used to drink but since giving it up my physique come along tons, has no real place in an athletes life I think!!!

Micky McKay Personal Trainer Healthy Action www.fitness121.co.uk

Never been a smoker, even the smell makes me feel ill.
I have been a heavy drinker until 18 months ago, my performance in the gym has improved massively since giving up.

My Journal

http://www.northmidlandspowerlifting.co.uk

Used to drink quite a lot and smoke a bit when i was younger. For me, smoking and lifting weights is a bad mix, shouldn't do it under any circumstances. As for drinking, a bit now and then is fine. If by drinking you mean going out and getting pissed on a regular basis, then no, it is incompatible with going to the gym. 

Bill45


Used to drink quite a lot and smoke a bit when i was younger. For me, smoking and lifting weights is a bad mix, shouldn't do it under any circumstances. As for drinking, a bit now and then is fine. If by drinking you mean going out and getting pissed on a regular basis, then no, it is incompatible with going to the gym. 

try telling that to arnold swarzenegger.
regular piss head he was.

cheers
subconciously i think i was hoping for a "smoking and drinking never hurt me" response
however common sense prevails
i dont think i can pack up smoking straight away   but  i shall definitely start watching my alcohol  intake and gradually decrease both
thx 4 response  and experience folks

I don't drink but I like a ciggie, I don't smoke many about 5 a day, my doctor said I'm not going to tell you to pack up because 5 a day is nothing. I went for a medical the other week, (work based) resting heart rate was 35, they were shocked because I put down on the sheet that I smoked, they kept asking me are you sure you smoke??

Enjoy life it's to short.

Gave up smoking 2 1/2 years ago, feel one hell of a lot better for it now, have a few beers every weekend to unwind, never enough to get drunk, we only live once so still need a little enjoyment.

You are in the future. Things are very "shiny" here.

Drink is negative on so many levels, not only the huge amount of empty calories, also the immensely negative effect is has on hormones in the body.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

Reborn


Drink is negative on so many levels, not only the huge amount of empty calories, also the immensely negative effect is has on hormones in the body.

havnt smoked for neary 3 years, could never eat, since giving up, appetite tons better, as above drink = empty calories, so now instead of a whiskey i have a protien drink before bed, i just cant do the bad things , due to staying clean, that would = a waste of my continued effort..

Jón Páll Sigmarsson
 Hercules of the 20^th Century

the negative eefect that alcohol has on hormones has yet to be proven.

infidel


the negative eefect that alcohol has on hormones has yet to be proven.

No it hasn't, that kind of "Bro-science" statement really annoys me.
 
" hormones to function properly, their amount and the timing of their release must be finely coordinated, and the target tissues must be able to respond to them accurately. Alcohol can impair the functions of the hormone-releasing glands and of the target tissues, thereby causing serious medical consequences.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

Reborn

infidel


the negative eefect that alcohol has on hormones has yet to be proven.

No it hasn't, that kind of "Bro-science" statement really annoys me.
 
" hormones to function properly, their amount and the timing of their release must be finely coordinated, and the target tissues must be able to respond to them accurately. Alcohol can impair the functions of the hormone-releasing glands and of the target tissues, thereby causing serious medical consequences.

Hormones control four major areas of body function: production, utilization, and storage of energy; reproduction; maintenance of the internal environment (e.g., blood pressure and bone mass); and growth and development"

thank you for that.
now can you send me the links to the medical findings?
thanks in advance.

infidel

Reborn

infidel


the negative eefect that alcohol has on hormones has yet to be proven.

No it hasn't, that kind of "Bro-science" statement really annoys me.
 
" hormones to function properly, their amount and the timing of their release must be finely coordinated, and the target tissues must be able to respond to them accurately. Alcohol can impair the functions of the hormone-releasing glands and of the target tissues, thereby causing serious medical consequences.

Hormones control four major areas of body function: production, utilization, and storage of energy; reproduction; maintenance of the internal environment (e.g., blood pressure and bone mass); and growth and development"

thank you for that.
now can you send me the links to the medical findings?
thanks in advance.

Talk to a doctor any doctor and do your own google search, you'll turn up a wealth of medical evidence.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

Alcohol affects Liver Function in such a way that it struggles to process Estrogen as it normally would leading to elevated levels.

Its well documented and accepted in medical society.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

infidel

Bill45


Used to drink quite a lot and smoke a bit when i was younger. For me, smoking and lifting weights is a bad mix, shouldn't do it under any circumstances. As for drinking, a bit now and then is fine. If by drinking you mean going out and getting pissed on a regular basis, then no, it is incompatible with going to the gym. 

try telling that to arnold swarzenegger.
regular piss head he was.

Myth.

It's hard to be humble when I'm so great...

If you even dream of beating me you'd better wake up and apologize...Muhammad Ali

oasis

infidel

Bill45


Used to drink quite a lot and smoke a bit when i was younger. For me, smoking and lifting weights is a bad mix, shouldn't do it under any circumstances. As for drinking, a bit now and then is fine. If by drinking you mean going out and getting pissed on a regular basis, then no, it is incompatible with going to the gym. 

try telling that to arnold swarzenegger.
regular piss head he was.

Myth.

wrong, i`m afraid.
both his father and brother drank like fish, too.
i saw arnie many times in germany (i used to live there)
he was a regular in quite a few bars in and around munich.
this was before he gained international recognition, but everyone could see he was destined for great things.
anyhow, he loved his drink.

Reborn

infidel

Reborn

infidel


the negative eefect that alcohol has on hormones has yet to be proven.

No it hasn't, that kind of "Bro-science" statement really annoys me.
 
" hormones to function properly, their amount and the timing of their release must be finely coordinated, and the target tissues must be able to respond to them accurately. Alcohol can impair the functions of the hormone-releasing glands and of the target tissues, thereby causing serious medical consequences.

Hormones control four major areas of body function: production, utilization, and storage of energy; reproduction; maintenance of the internal environment (e.g., blood pressure and bone mass); and growth and development"

thank you for that.
now can you send me the links to the medical findings?
thanks in advance.

Talk to a doctor any doctor and do your own google search, you'll turn up a wealth of medical evidence.

that isn`t medical evidence, it is medical opinion. a big difference.
as it happens, i agree with you, but it still isn`t proven.
when i was a kid, the medical profession advocated cigarettes to relive stress, which i suppose it does.
 

another thing.
marcus rhul smokes, and he doesn`t look too shabby.
most of the eastern blocks olympic weightlifting teams smoke , and drink up to a litre of vodka per man per day.
they are practicaly unbeatable!
who is going to tell me that is a myth?

infidel


another thing.
marcus rhul smokes, and he doesn`t look too shabby.
most of the eastern blocks olympic weightlifting teams smoke , and drink up to a litre of vodka per man per day.
they are practicaly unbeatable!
who is going to tell me that is a myth?

Im not quite sure what you are getting at, they may do all the things you say, but sooner or later it will affect their performance negatively.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

infidel


another thing.
marcus rhul smokes, and he doesn`t look too shabby.
most of the eastern blocks olympic weightlifting teams smoke , and drink up to a litre of vodka per man per day.
they are practicaly unbeatable!
who is going to tell me that is a myth?

Just out of curiousity, how do you know they smoke/drink so much?
I just doubt it personally but would love to know how you know this.
 
I just can't believe any professional athlete's would do that. You need everything in check to reach your limits i.e. diet, training and liftstyle. Smoking and drinking take you further away from reaching your limits. So why would they if they want to compete and be the best.
 
I call shenanigans.
 
 

de_poye

infidel


another thing.
marcus rhul smokes, and he doesn`t look too shabby.
most of the eastern blocks olympic weightlifting teams smoke , and drink up to a litre of vodka per man per day.
they are practicaly unbeatable!
who is going to tell me that is a myth?

Just out of curiousity, how do you know they smoke/drink so much?
I just doubt it personally but would love to know how you know this.
 
I just can't believe any professional athlete's would do that. You need everything in check to reach your limits i.e. diet, training and liftstyle. Smoking and drinking take you further away from reaching your limits. So why would they if they want to compete and be the best.
 
I call shenanigans.
 
 

He read it somewhere and now its gospel.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

infidel


another thing.
marcus rhul smokes, and he doesn`t look too shabby.
most of the eastern blocks olympic weightlifting teams smoke , and drink up to a litre of vodka per man per day.
they are practicaly unbeatable!
who is going to tell me that is a myth?

It may not be a myth but it is hardly a common sense approach
Your talking about genetically superior athletes no doubt on PED, whose full time job is to train and compete. (Imagine how good they would be if they didnt smoke or drink)
 
You cannot compare this to the average Joe who has a full time job, 3 kids, is on a budget for food etc.
 
It is a bit like a bank you can only take out what you put in. For the average trainer drinking and smoking is adding too much to the deficit list along with stress from work, family and training.

Bill45
 

smoking and lifting weights is a bad mix, shouldn't do it under any circumstances.

Why not, there is no evidence whatsover to say smoking affects lifting weights as far as i know?
Generaly yes for health reasons smoking is bad for you.

out of the darkness and into the light,thats why im still here and willing to fight!

^^

surely though, you smoke, it affects your respiratory system, when you weight train, your relying on that said system to get oxygen into your blood, if that is working sub par, everything else reliant on that will be sub par too?

Like all of these things, it is possible to be an elite athelete and have bad practices but they are obviously a hindrance and not helpful in anyway.

"I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture"
09/01/10 - The day I ran 12km
BGF TM

Its possible to be an elite athlete and have a coke habit - or be an alcoholic - and get away with it for a while.

Look at George best - a truely great footballer despite his drinking (although of course, it got him in the end). But if a youngster who wished to be a pro footballer asked my advice, the sensible option would be 'dont drink, or if you do then do it in moderation'.

And the effects of alcohol on hormone levels are very well established and researched, have been for years

Alcohol has a generalised negative effect on hormone and endorcine function (10,14)

Alcohol is directly toxic to the testes, causing reduced testosterone levels in men. In a study of normal healthy men who received alcohol for 4 weeks, testosterone levels declined after only 5 days and continued to fall throughout the study period (1). Prolonged testosterone deficiency may contribute to a "femininization" of male sexual characteristics, for example breast enlargement (2). Additionally alcohol even in moderate quantities has a deleterious effect on the hypothalamus and pituitary that effect sex-hormones (androgens) (3)
Alcohol directly affects the thyroid, and can be a cause of hypothyroidism, as can nicotine (4)


It also has a significant (negative)effect on the hormone  insulin and glucose metabolism (9, 11, 12, 13).

The below is a VERY brief over-view of the literature. I could literally list rersearch for pages to back this up.

(1) Gordon, G.C.; Altman, K.; Southren, A.L.; Rubin, E.; & Lieber, C.S. The effects of alcohol (ethanol) administration on sex hormone metabolism in normal men. New England Journal of Medicine 295:793-797, 1976. (2) Bannister, P., & Lowosky, M.S. Ethanol and hypogonadism. Alcohol and Alcoholism 22(3):213-217, 1987. (3) Bartke, A. Chronic disturbances of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis: Effects on sexual behavior and fertility. In: Zakhari, S., ed. Alcohol and the Endocrine System. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Research Monograph No. 23. NIH Pub. No. 93-3533. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1993, pp. 69-87.
(4) Laitinen, K.; Lamberg-Allardt, C.; Tunninen, R.; Karonen, S.L.; Tahetla, R.; Ylikahri, R.; & Valimaki, M. Transient hypoparathyroidism during acute alcohol intoxication. New England Journal of Medicine 324(11):721-727, 1991. (5) Bjorneboe, A.-E.A.; Bjorneboe, A.; Johnsen, J.; Skylv, N.; Oftebro, H.; Gautvik,K.M.; Hoiseth, A.; Morland, J.; & Drevon, C.A. Calcium status and calcium-regulating hormones in alcoholics. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 12(2):229-232, 1988. (6) Jaouhari, J.; Schiele, F.; Pirollet, P.; Lecomte, E.; Paille, F.; & Artur, Y. Concentration and hydroxyapatite binding capacity of plasma osteocalcin in chronic alcoholic men: Effect of a three-week withdrawal therapy. Bone and Mineral 21(3):171-178, 1993. (7) Pepersack, T.; Fuss, M.; Otero, J.; Bergmann, P.; Valsamis, J.; & Corvilain, J. Longitudinal study of bone metabolism after ethanol withdrawal in alcoholic patients. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 7(4):383-387, 1992. (8) Bikle, D.D.; Stesin, A.; Halloran, B.; Steibach, L.; & Recker, R. Alcohol-induced bone disease: Relationship to age and parathyroid hormone levels. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 17(3)690-695, 1993.(9) Laitinen, K., & Valimaki, M. Bone and the "comforts of life." Annals of Medicine 25(4):413-425, 1993. (10) Gordon, G.G., & Lieber, C.S. Alcohol, hormones, and metabolism. In: Lieber, C.S., ed. Medical and Nutritional Complications of Alcoholism. New York: Plenum Publishing Corp., 1992. pp. 55-90. (11) Sneyd, J.G.T. Interactions of ethanol and carbohydrate metabolism. In: Crow, K.E., and Batt, R.D., eds. Human Metabolism of Alcohol, Vol. 3. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1989. pp. 115-124. (12) Avogaro, A.; Beltramello, P.; Gnudi, L.; Maran, A.; Valerio, A.; Miola, M.; Marin, N.; Crepladi, C.; Confortin, L.; Costa, F.; MacDonald, I.; & Tiengo, A. Alcohol intake impairs glucose counterregulation during acute insulin-induced hypoglycemia in IDDM patients: Evidence for a critical role of free fatty acids. Diabetes 42(11):1626-1634, 1993. (13) Crane, M., & Sereny, G. Alcohol and diabetes. British Journal of Addiction 83(12):1357-1358, 1988. (14) Emanuele, M.A.; Halloran, M.M.; Uddin, S.; Tentler, J.J.; Emanuele, N.V.; Lawrence, A.M.; & Kelley, M.R. The effects of alcohol on the neuroendocrine control of reproduction. In: Zakhari, S., ed. Alcohol and the Endocrine System. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Research Monograph No. 23. NIH Pub. No. 93-3533. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1993. pp. 89-116

nobodys mentioned just how expensive smoking and drinking is .if you spend it on cigs and booze then something else has usually got to go-
10 pints in a week say at 2.50 , that 25 pound ;in a month 100 ;in a year 1200-that sort of figure is serious money
smoking /drinking never been for me -but each to their own