CBD Workout & How CBD Affects Exercise

Now more than ever, getting out and keeping active is a crucial component of an overall healthy lifestyle, but what about doing a CBD workout?

It might sound odd to incorporate cannabis into your exercise routine. Still, CBD and CBD products have a super impressive track record of boasting several beautiful benefits for your body, including anti-inflammatory effects, pain management relief, and more!

It even has psychoactive compounds to help promote mental well-being, such as relieving anxiety and boosting mood.

Modern scientific research has only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to discovering what CBD can do, but the results so far are incredibly promising!

That said, what are the potential benefits that would make someone consider the idea to use CBD in their workout routine? Well, that’s what we’re here to discover with you!

Today, combining research-based and anecdotal evidence, we’ll be discussing how using CBD could help take your workout to new heights.

We’ll also discuss whether CBD can help with fitness workouts, when, either pre-workout, during the working out, or post-workout, is the best time to make use of CBD and confirm or dispel some of the facts and myths regarding cannabidiol (CBD) and its properties.

So, with all this information to cover, we better get started!

Is CBD Good for Fitness Training?

In recent years, CBD entered the cannabis market substantially and noticeably. Now, many cannabis lovers openly declare their admiration and appreciation for using CBD to treat a wide range of conditions and symptoms.

What tokers appreciate about cannabidiol is that it provides soothing relief while also being non-psychoactive. In other words, you can use it for its health benefits without worrying about losing any functionality or becoming ‘high.’

These manageable and relieving effects have prompted some to consider whether CBD could also serve as a helpful supplement in the fitness world.

In the context of a CBD workout, the reviews are somewhat mixed. However, most opinions are positive, with many athletes sharing anecdotal evidence surrounding how CBD has contributed to improved performance and faster recovery times.

On the flip side, its co-cannabinoid, THC, doesn’t have as stellar of a reputation when it comes to integrating it into a fitness workout.

For example, according to a 2017 study from the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, THC diminishes strength and lowers speed. Additionally, research from a 2018 study in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine explains that THC is also likely to impact coordination, spatial awareness and risk assessment.

In other words, THC has the potential to inhibit athletes’ ability to determine how far to push themselves appropriately. Whether it be how much weight they can handle or how hard they should exert themselves, which could lead to some iffy, if not potentially unsafe situations.

However, as we said, CBD doesn’t have any psychoactive effects and wouldn’t impede users’ cognitive functioning or reasoning. In this sense, it actually may help make exercising more enjoyable without presenting any stress or anxiety-inducing scenarios where someone could get hurt.

That said, there is some debate surrounding when the best time to use CBD supplements or CBD oil is in the context of workouts.

CBD Before, During or After a Workout – Which is Best?

There’s a lot of information circulating about how taking CBD can help athletes improve their workout performance and aid in workout recovery, but when is the most optimal time to use it in your workout routine?

There are arguments to be made for the use of CBD at all stages, be it pre-workout, during exercise, or to help with post-workout recovery. We’ll discuss the alleged benefits for all below.

Benefits of CBD Pre-Workout

The biggest argument favouring using CBD before working out is its ability to boost energy.

Studies indicate that CBD displays a lot of promise as an effective “wake-promoting agent.” In simpler terms, it can help keep you feeling awake and alert. This theory is particularly applicable for daytime use, where CBD can interact with other hormones in your body to help you feel less tired.

Using CBD before a workout can also act as an effective pain relief method because of its proven role as an analgesic. Therefore, athletes can push themselves further during their training, with the side effects of tiredness and muscle soreness being more subtle.

Pros for Using CBD During Exercise

For those who perform fitness-related activities frequently or users who suffer from chronic muscle pain or other conditions such as arthritis, using CBD during exercise may be beneficial since it contains anti-inflammatory properties.

These qualities help reduce inflammation and minimize the pain associated with working out while alleviating muscle soreness during exercise, supplying soothing relief that may help improve your performance more effectively.

There is also evidence to support CBD countering the effects of the hormone cortisol, which your body naturally releases during exercise but can also be triggered by stress. Cortisol helps restore glucose in your body when it’s put under stress. 

However, unfortunately, it does this by depleting muscle tone.

This function can make it challenging to improve your fitness performance or make any noticeable progress during exercise, which can be especially disheartening for those looking to build up their muscle mass. 

CBD may help counter this by assisting the body in balancing and regulating glucose levels during workouts.

On top of that, maintaining motivation while working out can be a challenge for some. While some people enjoy the endurance challenge of exercise, others spend their time counting down the seconds until their workout is over.

Research indicates that CBD is also an effective mood booster, which is why it is a promising alternative treatment for anxiety. It has been seen to help increase users’ overall moods, which could help them maintain their motivation and provide a more positive outlook during workouts.

CBD for Post-Workout Recovery

This last point is arguably where the most scientific and anecdotal evidence support lies. As many of us know, it’s not uncommon to experience muscle soreness or general pain after working out. In fact, it comes with the territory a lot of the time.

This soreness contributes to making you feel tired and fatigued and can last extended periods as your muscles heal themselves and recover.

With its benefits in helping reduce inflammation, CBD can be an incredibly effective supplement to help provide some much-needed relief