Cannabis can compliment your favorite type of workout – from yoga, pilates and strength training, to high intensity workouts and cardio. However, there are some important considerations to understand before using cannabis for exercise.
Inside my online coaching program, CannaFit, I help clients determine which type of cannabis to use in conjunction with their workouts and fitness goals. Embracing a CannaFit lifestyle involves practicing mindful consumption, mindful movement, and mindful eating. This approach emphasizes the importance of intention behind our actions and choices. Our objective is not to see how many pushups we can do while high and cannabis does not make us faster or stronger by itself. Rather, we use cannabis as motivation, to increase enjoyment, to enhance recovery, and to overcome many of the barriers to a consistent exercise routine.
In a first of its kind study, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder looked at how commercially available cannabis affects how we feel when exercising. Published in the Journal of Sports Medicine, this study surprisingly found that using cannabis before a run can improve one’s motivation, make workouts more fun and increase the euphoria or “runners high”. This is exciting research since typical stereotypes of cannabis users involve “couch lock” and laziness.
In fact, the “runner’s high” – the happy and relaxed feeling that is so common and sought after stems from our bodies releasing endocannabinoids. These endocannabinoids interact with receptors in our brain and body helping to create that happy and relaxed feeling. This makes the euphoria from consuming cannabis uniquely similar to a runners high as they are caused by the same natural chemicals.
This might help to explain why cannabis users experienced more of a runners high when combining cannabis with exercise in the study.
It should be noted that THC can increase your heart rate, which can make exercise feel more difficult. In light of this, it’s important to assess your personal tolerance and comfort level so as not to make your workout feel harder than it should. In the same vein, the overall effects of cannabis can vary depending on the individual.
CBD vs THC
The level of intoxication you’re comfortable with while exercising will help you determine whether you would benefit from CBD, THC or a combination of both. Since CBD is non psychoactive but provides many therapeutic benefits, many may feel more comfortable using CBD during a workout to avoid the psychoactivity of THC. CBD has been found to improve the mind body connection, alleviate anxiety, relieve soreness, accelerate recovery and boost energy levels. THC, even though it provides a buzz, has also shown to increase the mind-body connection, enhance motivation by removing anxiety and stress, reduce pain levels that deter movement and helps to maintain focus on the exercise rather than on external distractions.
STRAINS FOR EXERCISE
When looking for strains to use for fitness, it’s important to consider how your body responds to indicas versus sativas. In general, indicas are more sedating while sativas are more energizing, although this can vary from person to person. When using CBD or THC for exercise, I recommend exploring sativa strains and looking for the terpenes Alpha Pinene, Limonene, or Beta Caryophyllene. These terpenes are known to provide a boost of energy and focus which will enhance your workout. Additionally, if you find that anxiety and stress are barriers to your fitness routine, these terpenes are known to relieve anxiety and lessen feelings of stress. I recommend saving indica strains for your cool down to promote relaxation and recovery.
Popular strains for strength training include: Green Crack (Sativa), Great White Shark (Sativa), Sour Diesel (hybrid), OG Kush (Hybrid), White Widow (hybrid), Durban Poison (Sativa), Sour Cheese(hybrid)
Popular strains for yoga include: Blue Dream (hybrid), Granddaddy Purple (Indica), OG Kush (hybrid), Train Wreck (hybrid), Sour Diesel (hybrid), White Widow (hybrid), Pineapple Express (hybrid)
CONSUMPTION METHODS
Consider how you want to utilize cannabis before, during or after your workout. Edibles are potent and long lasting, however, timing must be considered as they can take up to 2 hours to feel the effects. You’ll want to consume your edible 30 or more minutes prior to your workout to receive the most benefits.
Remember that the onset time of edibles is affected by how much you’ve eaten that day – the more empty your stomach is, the less digestion affects the delivery, and the faster it will enter your bloodstream. Therefore, if you workout in the morning your timing will be different than if you workout at night and have eaten normally throughout the day because it will delay the onset.
Tinctures work much like edibles but a small amount of oil is placed under the tongue for faster sublingual absorption. The onset time is typically faster than edibles because of the blood vessels in your mouth and requires less advance planning of consumption prior to a workout.
Pro Tip: For faster absorption of a gummy edible, chew several times and before swallowing, hold the chewed gummy in your cheek for a minute or so to speed up absorption.
Inhalation through vaping or smoking is fast acting, and can be taken moments before, or during, your workout. Consider whether certain strains make you cough as that may impede your workout.
RECOVERY
Cooling down and recovery is where topicals and CBD really shine due to their potent anti-inflammatory properties. Creams and lotions, known as topicals, don’t enter your bloodstream but are absorbed through the skin providing localized and regional benefits.
Topicals can be used prior to a workout to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain which will help you achieve better mobility and form while you exercise. The greater your mobility and form during exercise, the more effective exercise will be. Used after a workout, they aid in the cooling down and recovery process providing much needed relief and relaxation of the muscle tissues as well as through the mind-body connection.
Research suggests CBD topicals are more effective at keeping inflammation in the body at a reasonable level while THC topicals are better for managing pain, which is the outcome of inflammation. Some amount of inflammation during and after exercise is expected, but too much will slow recovery.
Exercise naturally leaves us with small amounts of inflammation due to the body’s response to the stress. When we exercise our muscles break down microscopically and then rebuild stronger. The recovery process uses our food and water to repair these muscles daily. During this process some natural inflammation occurs. Cannabis used orally or topically can reduce this inflammation and has been shown to lower pain levels before, during and after workouts.
In addition to topicals, edible or inhaled CBD products will enter the bloodstream and aid in the muscular tissue repair process.
Recovery is more than just post-workout, it is an important part of our healthy daily maintenance routines. Using cannabis daily for aches and pains reduces our tendency to skip exercise because we are stiff or sore. Joint discomfort, muscle tenderness and chronic pain are often a deterrent to more movement. If you’ve ever woken up with a sore back, neck, or other muscle ache, you can relate to the discouragement this brings. Anyone who lives with stubborn pain and inflammation will confirm they dread exercise.
DOSAGE AND TIMING
Whether you’re new to cannabis completely or just new to using it for exercise, always start low and go slow so that you don’t impede your workout session or results by becoming too high. Start with the lowest dose and gradually increase as needed. If you’re not satisfied with the immediate effects, wait at least 2 hours before consuming more so that you don’t end up overly intoxicated. While it’s not possible to overdose on cannabis, consuming too much might feel uncomfortable and will not elicit the same workout results.
Keep in mind that CBD reduces the psychoactivity of THC, so it’s a good idea to have some on hand if you need to reduce the effects you’re feeling.
Your optimal timing will vary depending on your consumption method. Some people prefer to consume cannabis prior to their workout to enhance motivation and focus, others may use it during a session, while some choose to consume at the conclusion of or after exercise for a post-workout relaxation and recovery.
PERSONALIZING
Cannabis preference generally varies from person to person and using it for exercise is no different. It’s important to be mindful of your personal tolerance, experience and expectations. Choose the method that will enhance your workout. For example, choose an energizing sativa pre workout if you’re struggling with motivation and would benefit from an energy boost. If you’re looking to maximize each repetition, choose a strain that helps you focus on your mind-body connection. And if you’re looking to relax and deepen your stretching routine, choose a more calming, focused and pain relieving strain to enhance your stretch.
CBD often requires daily consumption for consecutive days to maximize the effects. Similarly, adjusting to your preference of cannabis use for exercise can take days or even weeks to learn how it affects your body. Give it time to truly test the effectiveness.
The amount of intoxication you’re comfortable with while exercising will help you determine whether you would benefit from CBD, THC or a combination of both. Strains used should be carefully selected and your consumption method should also be considered. Your dosage and timing are important factors as well as your personal tolerance, experience and expectations.
Lastly, I encourage you to keep track of your cannabis consumption before, during or after workouts just like you might keep track of your exercise selections, weights used, sets, reps or duration of intensity. Doing so will allow you to find patterns and reap the most benefits from combining this powerful plant with your preferred workout!
If you’re interested in more personalized information or want to explore further, feel free to reach out to me directly at Beth@Cannafitnessnutrition.com. You can discover more about my comprehensive 12 week program, CannaFit, which helps you integrate cannabis into your fitness and nutrition for optimal wellness at www.cannafitnessnutrition.com.
Remember to consult with a healthcare professional if you have any underlying health conditions or are taking medications that may interact with cannabis
