Resistance training may help smokers quit

New research has found that in addition to proven strength and fat loss benefits, resistance training may also help smokers quit their deadly habit.

Previous research has found that exercise can reduce the immediate negative side effects of ceasing smoking, but this study was the first to examine resistance training’s role in actually helping smokers quit.

The study found that male and female smokers who underwent a 12-week weight training regime as one element of a quitting program were twice as likely to be successful as those who didn’t participate in resistance training. Importantly, a three-month follow-up showed the results to still be in place.

Lead author Joseph Ciccolo PhD, an exercise psychologist, researcher and physiologist at The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine said, “While the large majority of smokers want to quit, less than 5% are able to do it without help. We need any new tools that can help smokers successfully quit and it appears resistance training could potentially be an effective strategy.”

Source: Nicotine & Tobacco Research

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