According to researchers from the Miriam Hospital Centers for Behavioral and Preventative Medicine, smokers who start or enhance resistance training routines while trying to quit smoking are not only more likely to be successful with their attempt but may also alleviate a number of the negative symptoms facing them in the process. Previous studies have drawn a direct line between positive smoking cessation and exercise, but those have all been narrow studies, looking mostly at women who were all doing aerobic exercise only. This study, which is being published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research marked the first to look at the benefits of weight training on smokers.

The researchers, using the theory that most smokers do want to quit smoking, recruited 25 male and female smokers who were all between the ages of 18 and 65 years of age. To take part in the study, each smoker had to smoke at least five or more cigarettes per day and had to have been smoking for longer than one year. Everyone in the study was given a counseling session about smoking cessation as well as an 8 week supply of nicotine patches. They were then split into one of two different groups.

The first group was the resistance training group. Each person was led through a one hour weight training session, twice a week for the full twelve weeks. The program was designed to be a full body workout with ten separate exercises. Weight and intensity was increased each three weeks. The control group was shown a brief video about health and wellness.

At the end of the twelve week program, 16% in the resistance training program had stopped smoking and had also lowered their weight and their body fat percentage. Only 8% in the control group had managed to stop smoking but each had gained weight and body fat. Three months after the study ended, only 1% of the resistance training group had started smoking again while all of the members of the control group were smoking.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 out of every five adults are smokers, roughly 46 million Americans. They cost at least $193 billion in health care expenses every year, not including the cost of time lost from work. Smoking is a number one risk factor for a number of chronic conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease and many cancers.While the majority of smokers try or at least express interest in quitting, less than five percent of them will even make a try without some form of help in place.

Other researchers have already concluded that exercise, especially when combined with other smoking related programs may be beneficial, not only to quit smoking but to prevent some of the negative effects like weight gain and depression. Researchers have also shown that having some level of supervision for the smoker might also play a positive role.