Running an online vape shop for over a decade whilst maintaining a lifelong passion for fitness has put me in a unique position – I've witnessed first-hand the evolution of vaping culture and had countless conversations with customers, friends, and people at the gym about how their vaping habits intersect with their fitness goals.
Today, I want to share what I've learned from both sides of the coin and from my own journey switching from cigarettes to vaping.
The conversation around vaping and fitness isn't a simple one. It's filled with nuance, personal stories, and hard truths that don't always fit neatly into marketing campaigns or health headlines.
What I can offer you is a decade of industry experience and having been a regular at the gym since I was 18 years old, mainly bodybuilding with a good amount of fitness thrown in. I decided to write this article after a customer asked this question on live chat to Ellie last week, and I thought if it's being asked about, let me give my honest take on it.
The Hard Truth About That Manchester Study
Let's start with the elephant in the room – the recent Manchester Metropolitan University research that's been making headlines. The study looked at 60 people in their twenties, split into three groups: non-smokers/non-vapers, vapers who'd been at it for at least two years, and smokers with the same timeframe.
The results were eye-opening and, frankly, not what many in our industry wanted to hear. The research showed that vapers performed similarly to smokers in exercise capacity tests – and that's not a compliment to either group.
Here's what the numbers actually showed: vapers achieved an average peak exercise capacity of 186 watts, compared to 226 watts for non-users and 182 watts for smokers. These aren't minor differences we're talking about – they're significant enough to impact your training sessions.
During peak exercise, vapers could only consume 2.7 litres of oxygen per minute compared to 3 litres for non-users. Both vapers and smokers showed signs of compromised blood vessel function, experienced more breathlessness, and had higher lactate levels, indicating muscle fatigue.
The study's right – vaping isn't ideal for fitness. But here's the crucial context that often gets lost in the headlines: it's still massively better than smoking. The research essentially confirmed what many of us suspected – that vaping sits somewhere between smoking and not using anything at all.
What the Numbers Really Mean for Your Training
When I break down these figures in my own mind, I always put them in real-world context. That 40-watt difference in peak exercise capacity? That's the difference between feeling strong through your entire workout and hitting a wall earlier than you'd like.
The oxygen consumption difference might seem small, but it's the difference between maintaining intensity and having to dial back your training. I've noticed this in my own sessions when I've been chain vaping with the music at full tilt on the way to the gym – whilst I feel infinitely better vaping than I did smoking, I'm not naive enough to think it's not affecting my performance.
But here's a bit of real-world difference, which I tried this past weekend, as I am a big vaper. "I'm the owner at Ecigone – I get to test all the latest and greatest vape products. It's not a bad job for a guy who loves tech and gadgets!"
So here's what I did: I usually train around 2pm, 4-5 days a week, but what I did was train straight after Meal 1 at around 6am, back to back. I didn't touch my vape – my trusty OXVA Xlim DNA Pro 2 – at all until after the training session on one of those days, and even I was surprised at the difference it made. I felt stronger, hit far more reps, and felt like I could breathe at a better rate and in a better rhythm compared to waking up, reaching for my vape as soon as I opened my eyelids, then heading down for meal one and vaping all the way to the car park of the gym.
I'm not saying I was 50% better, but it made a significant difference that I tried it again in these last 2 days, which was pretty hard as I'm a chain vaper. The stress of running a vape store online and just being passionate about everything I do in my life, plus having ADHD, doesn't help – but that's for another time.
So what I did, and what I will continue to do, is I didn't vape from 1 pm, then train at 2 pm (usually traffic dependent). It wasn't perfectly the same as not vaping all night and going to the gym after hours of not picking up my vape, but yet again, it's significant enough for this to be my daily routine moving forward. And I only vape 10mg nic salts day to day.
These aren't just academic numbers. They translate to real changes in how your body responds to stress, how quickly you recover, and how hard you can push yourself. If you're serious about your fitness goals, these are differences that matter.
My Personal Journey: From Smoking to Vaping to Understanding
I started smoking in my teens, like many of my generation – it was cool to have a cigarette on your lunch break at school. Back then, the fitness culture was different, and the understanding of how smoking affected performance was less mainstream. I was active, played sports, and somehow convinced myself that my weekend football matches balanced out my weekday cigarettes.
The switch to vaping came later, driven initially by curiosity about the products I was selling rather than health concerns. The immediate differences were undeniable – I could smell things again, the food tasted better, and that constant morning cough disappeared.
Within weeks of making the switch, I noticed improvements in my breathing during workouts. The burning sensation in my lungs during cardio sessions reduced significantly. My recovery between sets improved.
But here's where I need to be completely honest – whilst I felt significantly healthier vaping than smoking, I wasn't back to baseline. The Manchester research confirms what I'd suspected from my own experience: vaping is a step in the right direction, but it's not a free pass.
The Gym Floor Reality Check
Over the years, I've had countless conversations with gym-goers. Some good friends who vape are IFBB pros and have never smoked, but when dieting down to 3% body fat, vaping has become a tool for the elite to help with hunger cravings and sweet tooth satisfaction. But the issue here is nicotine is very addictive, very fast.
The patterns are remarkably consistent. Some switched from smoking to vaping and noticed immediate improvements in their training. They could push harder, recover faster, and feel generally more energetic.
However, the ones who've been most honest about their experience acknowledge that they're not performing at their absolute best. They're making compromises, and most of them know it.
The social aspect is interesting, too. Vaping has become more socially acceptable in fitness communities than smoking ever was. You'll see people vaping outside gyms, at sports events, and in fitness-focused social settings. There's less stigma, but that doesn't mean there are no consequences.
What strikes me most is that the people who are most successful with their fitness goals tend to be the most realistic about their vaping habits. They don't pretend it's not affecting them, but they've made an informed choice about where they want to be on the spectrum between smoking and complete abstinence.
The Harm Reduction Perspective (What I Tell My Customers)
The UK's approach to vaping has always been rooted in harm reduction rather than abstinence-only messaging. Public Health England's position that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking isn't about encouraging people to start vaping – it's about acknowledging that people make choices, and some choices are better than others.
When people ask me about vaping and fitness, I don't pretend it's ideal. But I also don't ignore the reality that many of them came to vaping from smoking, not from a completely clean slate. For someone who was smoking 20 cigarettes a day and struggling to climb stairs without getting winded, the switch to vaping can be transformative.
My philosophy has always been about meeting people where they are, not where I think they should be. If someone's managed to quit smoking by switching to vaping, that's a massive win. If they then want to optimise their fitness performance, we can have a conversation about timing, products, and realistic expectations.
The customers I've helped switch from smoking often tell me stories about being able to play with their kids again, climbing stairs without getting breathless, or returning to sports they'd given up. These aren't small victories – they're life-changing improvements.
Practical Advice for Vaping Fitness Enthusiasts
When customers ask about combining vaping with their fitness goals, I always start with timing. Many find that avoiding vaping for a few hours before intense training sessions helps with performance. It's not a magic solution, but it can make a difference.
Product choice matters, too. The customers who seem to manage both habits most successfully often prefer lower-strength nicotine salts and devices that encourage mindfulness rather than chain vaping. They're not looking for the biggest clouds or the highest nicotine hit – they want controlled, satisfying experiences.
I always ask about their specific fitness goals because the advice changes. Someone training for a marathon has different considerations than someone focused on strength training. Someone who vapes once in the evening has different needs than someone who vapes throughout the day.
If you're reading this and wondering how vaping might be affecting your performance, here's my honest advice: Try what I tried. Test avoiding vaping for a few hours before your workout and see if you notice a difference. It's not about eliminating vaping entirely – it's about understanding how timing affects your performance and making informed choices about when and how you vape.
The most important conversation is about realistic expectations. Vaping isn't performance-enhancing, and pretending otherwise does no one any favours. But it can be part of a lifestyle that includes fitness, provided people understand the trade-offs they're making.
The Bigger Picture: 10 Years of Industry Perspective
The conversation around vaping and fitness has evolved significantly since I started Ecigone. In the early days, there was less research, more speculation, and a tendency to position vaping as either completely harmless or as dangerous as smoking, with little middle ground.
What's changed is our understanding of nuance. We now have studies like the Manchester research that provide concrete data rather than speculation. We understand that vaping sits on a spectrum – better than smoking, but not as good as either.
The products have evolved, too. Early vaping devices were less satisfying and often led to more frequent use. Modern devices, particularly the Pod Vapes we stock, can deliver satisfying vaping with less frequent use, which naturally aligns better with fitness goals.
I've watched people navigate this balance successfully. The ones who do best are typically honest about their habits, realistic about their goals, and willing to make adjustments as needed. They don't see vaping and fitness as mutually exclusive, but they also don't pretend there are no trade-offs.
If You're Ready to Make Changes
For customers who decide they want to optimise their fitness performance, I will always recommend a gradual approach. Dramatic changes rarely stick, and going from heavy vaping to nothing overnight often leads to relapses.
Some people might find success in reducing nicotine strength gradually, moving from 20mg nic salts to 10mg, then 5mg, and sometimes eventually to zero nicotine. So get off the disposable alternative and buy a decent refillable vape kit with some good old-fashioned UK-made vape juice and start tapering down. Or at least try what I have tried and see if it makes a difference because we want to get the best out of the time we spend in the gym, whether it's on the Stairmaster or doing a push session.
The key is having a plan that acknowledges both your fitness goals and your current vaping habits. I'm not here to judge anyone's choices, but I am here to help people make informed decisions about the vape products they use and how they fit into their broader lifestyle goals.
Whether you're looking to optimise your performance, reduce your vaping, or simply understand the trade-offs you're making, the conversation starts with honesty. Not with me, but with your own goals and priorities.
