By: Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
Working out with marijuana is a growing trend in the fitness community. No, I’m not joking. People smoke marijuana before exercise and are actually finding some interesting benefits.
Marijuana has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. It’s been used as a medicine, spiritual aid, and it’s also been used to help people relax. Fast-forward to today, and it’s now been used as a way to improve the way you exercise.
Since marijuana is legal in many parts of the US, researchers have started debunking several myths about marijuana. For decades, marijuana has been termed a “lazy stoner” drug, but the liberalization of marijuana laws across the US has changed attitudes about the plant.
If this sounds like music to your ears, let’s dive deeper into the topic and see if you want to smoke marijuana before exercise. But as always, you need to check your local laws, and if you’re a competitive athlete (depending on the organization), marijuana use is prohibited.
You’re Saying We Should Smoke Marijuana Before Exercise?
I’m not about to tell you to go smoke marijuana before exercise, but the research is pretty darn impressive.
Recent research has found links between marijuana and exercise. According to research, cannabis users are (oddly enough, despite the munchies) less likely to suffer from obesity and have a lower BMI than the average American.
In a CU Boulder study, it was mentioned that 80% of those who enjoy weed, in fact, smoke marijuana before exercise, 78% of them said it helped boost their recovery, 70% said it caused them to enjoy their workout more, and 52% said it kept them motivated.
6 Ways Marijuana Can Improve Workout Results
Marijuana has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to study its effects on the body and brain.
Here are some benefits if you smoke marijuana before exercise:
1. Reduce inflammation
One reason why some people smoke marijuana before exercise is that it’s been found to help reduce joint and muscle inflammation. Many research found that CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in marijuana, helps ease inflammation. As inflammation decreases, recovery time improves, resulting in better overall performance.
There are also some studies that support the idea that the compounds of marijuana reduce some of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, specifically released during exercise, such as IL-6 and TNF.
Studies have also found that CBD helps with inflammatory pains like IBS in humans and osteoarthritis in animals.
2. Prevent muscle spasms
Marijuana is a muscle relaxant that can help treat muscle spasms that occur after intense physical activity. The cannabis plant contains compounds called cannabinoids, which interact with receptors in the brain and body to produce a variety of therapeutic effects, including pain relief. The two most well-known cannabinoids are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC has psychoactive effects, while CBD does not.
Cannabis has also shown positive results in reducing muscle spasms linked with diseases like Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, and its benefits could help avid exercisers suffering from spasms as well.
3. Increases motivation and focus
If you smoke marijuana before exercise, you may find that it can help increase motivation and focus, which are essential components of exercising regularly.
According to a 2019 survey, Angela Bryan, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder, along with her colleagues, recruited around 600 regular marijuana users and quizzed them on their use of the drug. Dr. Bryan thought that cannabis would make people less physically active. But to her surprise, roughly half of the people in the study said that if they were to smoke marijuana before exercise, they were they were motivated to get in their workout.
4. Muscle recovery
THC may help in muscle recovery. In an interview with Men’s Journal, Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard-educated physician, shared that while cannabis is an anti-inflammatory drug, it is unclear if this process is enough to heal muscle damage and get you back to your workout routine faster.
However, Dr. Tishler said that THC could help with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). According to Dr. Tishler, if you were to smoke marijuana before exercise, it can decrease the impact of DOMS, allowing you to feel better quicker and get back to the gym faster than you typically would.
5. Help you relax
Some may say that using marijuana can exhaust testosterone and hence prevent muscle mass development. However, in reality, that is not really true, and some studies have shown that cannabis users have increased their testosterone levels. Studies that talk about cannabis and low testosterone levels are inconclusive at best, as some users had their levels dip while others stayed the same.
6. Better mind-muscle connection
I won’t call out these people by name, but I’ve spoken with a few people who smoke marijuana before exercise just to understand what they experienced and what the majority of them mentioned was that they had a better mind-muscle connection.
While I haven’t seen any specific research or literature about this, after speaking with more than a handful of people and them all saying the same thing, I’m willing to bet that if research dove deeper into the mind-muscle connection when you smoke marijuana before exercise the results would show the same thing.
The mind-muscle connection is incredibly important if you want to feel the muscle contracting, hit those hard-to-reach muscle fibers, and promote overall muscle growth.
7. Better sleep
Marijuana is known to be an effective sleeping aid as it helps people fall asleep faster and improves sleep quality.
According to a 2019 study, 26% of 1,161 self-identified athletes, primarily runners, triathletes, and cyclists, reported that they were using cannabis and that some smoke marijuana before exercise.
Some smoked it, and some consumed it as edibles or rubbed it on their bodies as creams. Around 70% of the athletes reported that it helped them sleep or alleviate pain from tough workouts and other activities. Almost 60% said that it calmed them down.
Speaking of sleep, are you having issues falling asleep or recovering from intense workouts? MuscleSport Coma could be precisely what you’re missing. The precise blend of ingredients used in MuscleSport Coma (such as the Deep REM Inducing Matrix, Growth Hormone Stimulation Matrix, and Adrenal Rest and Stress Relief Matrix) can help you relax, promote better sleep quality, improve muscle recovery, and aid in proper hormone optimization.
If you want to get the most from your training and recover better, MuscleSport Coma is the answer you’ve been looking for. Use it as a standalone or as an adjunct at night if you smoke marijuana before exercise and still want to enhance the benefits marijuana possesses.