cannabis and athletes

How smoking weed after workouts affects recovery

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2023

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When people think of cannabis, the first image that comes to mind typically isn’t an athlete or someone working on their exercise goals. But scientific research suggests that maybe it should be, and perhaps it’s time to reexamine our assumptions about the relationship between cannabis and your workout.

In this article, we’re diving into the nitty gritty details of smoking cannabis and whether it affects the body’s ability to recover during and after a workout.

How does weed affect your workout?

The idea of using weed to enhance athletic performance is controversial. But some athletes and other fitness enthusiasts claim that the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Some of the positive ways weed may affect your workout include:

Relaxation

Smoking weed may make you feel relaxed and less anxious about working out. This layer of added mental relaxation can help remove mental barriers, like a lack of confidence or performance anxiety.

Pain relief

Scientific studies have shown that the cannabinoids in THC can help play a role in reducing inflammation, which is one of the most common causes of pain. Smoking cannabis after a workout may help reduce inflammation in tired muscles, ultimately reducing pain.

Increased appetite

For athletes interested in bulking up (like boxers, wrestlers, and weightlifters), smoking cannabis can be an important tool to help them meet crucial weight gain goals. THC can make athletes hungry because it helps activate CB1 receptors in the brain which regulate appetite.

It’s important to acknowledge that little scientific or medical research has been completed to examine how cannabis may increase athletic performance. On the other hand, there is research that points to the potential adverse side effects, which include:

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Decreased lung function

Some studies suggest that smoking weed can decrease lung function, making it more difficult for oxygen to make it to other muscles in the body during exercise. If you have a lung disorder like asthma, this could make your workouts even more difficult.

Slowed reaction time

Cannabis can slow down a person’s reaction time and coordination. This decrease in alertness could create a dangerous scenario for tripping, falling, or injuring others around you in an athletic setting.

Increased heart rate

Cannabis can increase your heart rate, impacting blood flow and making it harder for nutrients to support muscles during exercise.

Can cannabis help your workout?

How to get the most out of your workout with cannabis

If you’re considering adding cannabis as part of your workout routine, remember that the way cannabis impacts your workout can depend on many factors, including:

Your unique biology

Everyone has a different THC tolerance, and some people feel the effects of cannabis more than others. Some people may not feel anything at all. It’s important to start slow with cannabis until you understand how it makes your body feel.

Potency

Not all cannabis strains are created equal. While the typical THC content of a strain sits between 16-18% THC, some top-shelf strains have THC levels that soar into 24-26%. If you’re using a strain to help with your post-workout recovery, make sure you’re aware of its potency.

Dosage

The amount (or dosage of cannabis) you smoke can make or break your workout. It’s always a good idea to start with the lowest THC dose possible and work your way up.

Type of strain

Remember that sativa strains are typically associated with uplifting and energetic effects, while indica strains are associated with relaxing and sleeping. If you aren’t sure what strain type works best for you, try finding an evenly balanced hybrid, which sits in the middle of the effects spectrum between indica and sativa.

We recommend a THC dosing workout schedule to help you understand what works best for your body and your workout performance. In general, start low and go slow. Here’s an example of a schedule for THC dosing and working out.

Pre-workout (30-60 minutes before exercise)

Consume a low dose of THC, 2.5-5 mg
Use it to reduce pain and inflammation, increase focus and motivation, and enhance the mind-body connection during your workout.

During the workout

An optional microdose of THC, 1-2mg
If you need additional pain relief or stress reduction during your workout, you may consume an additional microdose of THC.

Post-workout (within 1-2 hours of exercise)

Consume a higher dose of THC, 10-20 mg
It helps promote relaxation, reduce soreness and inflammation, and aids recovery.

How does weed affect muscle recovery?

With limited research, knowing exactly how weed affects muscle recovery is difficult. But what we do know about cannabis is that THC has anti-inflammatory properties. Because muscles tend to become sore and inflamed after exercising, many believe smoking weed may help your muscles recover faster while reducing muscle spasms and cramps.

Athletes who smoke weed after workouts say that reducing inflammation with cannabis helps relax muscles, stimulate appetite, and increase sleep quality. Because weed is available in a variety of consumption formats, it provides an easy alternative for athletes who prefer noncombustible options like edibles.

Weed as a post-workout pain reliever

It’s not uncommon for athletes to use weed to relieve muscle pain after a workout. When THC or CBD enters the body, it binds to CB1 and CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system, which reduces pain signals throughout the body.

This, in addition to its natural anti-inflammatory properties, makes cannabis an ideal choice for post-workout pain relief.

One notable celebrity who recently opened up about using cannabis to help with their workout and post-workout recovery is rapper Wiz Khalifa. “I honestly think smoking weed helps my wind a little better because I have breath control, and I’m able to take these deep, long breaths that normal people who don’t drag strong marijuana—they don’t experience that,” Khalifa said.

There are also many high-profile athletes who are open about their cannabis use, including:

UFC fighter Conor McGregor
NHL Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson
Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch
US Women’s Soccer player Megan Rapinoe

Is it safe to use weed after taking pre-workout?

No, it is not safe to use weed after taking pre-workout supplements for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that there has been little to no scientific research in this area, so the long-term effects are unknown.

Another area of concern is the physical effects of pre-workout supplements and how those effects can exacerbate the effects of cannabis, including:

Increased heart rate

Pre-workout supplements usually contain a generous amount of caffeine. Caffeine can increase your heart rate and make you feel physically jittery. When combined with the effects of cannabis, these feelings can be overwhelming and could make you feel like you’re experiencing a heart attack.

Dehydration

Pre-workout supplements and cannabis are both known to cause dehydration when used on their own. When combined, you may feel lightheaded, dizzy, or even like you could faint.

Anxiety

Both pre-workout supplements and weed can cause panic attacks or anxiety.

Final thoughts on using weed for workout recovery

Whether you’re working out in the gym or running on the track, it’s important to stay hydrated and avoid over-exertion while working out using cannabis.

Remember, cannabis use can impair coordination and reaction time, which can be dangerous during specific exercises, such as weightlifting or high-intensity interval training. If you’re considering adding cannabis to your workout routine, consult your doctor first.

Sources

Cannabis in Sport (2004), PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3717337/
Cannabis and Athletic Performance (2021), PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566388/
Cardiovascular consequences of marijuana use (2014), ACCP,https://accp1.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/j.1552-4604.2002.tb06005.x
Cannabis as novel anti-inflammatory drugs (2009) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2828614/

Special thanks to Janessa Bailey for her valued assistance.

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cannabis and athletes

Does smoking weed negatively impact running performance?

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2023

admin

Learn how cannabis, your body, and running workouts interact.

When it comes to athletics, cannabis can be a hot-button topic. Maybe it is the stereotypes about weed smokers being criminal or lazy. Maybe it’s conflation with the effects of substances like tobacco. But, for whatever reason, the impact of cannabis on athletic performance has been debated for decades.

Despite the opinions of anyone else, it is still important for athletes like runners to understand if cannabis is helping or hindering their performance.

After all, the goals of many runners are to run faster, farther, or more often, and they don’t want anything to get in the way of it.

Scientific research on weed and athletic capacity

image showing someone measuring their lung capacity with an incentive spirometer

A 2021 review on cannabis and athletic performance found that, for those who regularly consumed cannabis but stopped before and during their athletic performance,

“existing data comparing cannabis users to non-users, [shows] there are no reported differences in aerobic fitness, blood pressure, muscular strength, and endurance measures, work capacity, and perceived exertion.”

But even with these findings, the review still acknowledges that existing research has been interpreted in wildly different manners over the years.

“Perplexingly, despite there being few new data generated over the past few decades, repeated interpretations of the data have led to vastly different conclusions, with reviews presuming: no benefit, potential advantages, and predominantly an ergolytic effect.”

Ergolytic effects are the effects of a substance that lessen exercise capacity and athletic performance, and they are often the main focus of the debate about running and weed.

Can cannabis help your workout?

An expert’s point of view

blurred photo of marathon runners during a race

Leafly spoke more about the potential negative and ergolytic effects of cannabis on runners with Dr. David Bearman, co-founder, Executive Vice President, and board member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine (AACM).

Bearman is an author of cannabis texts and has practiced medicine for over 20 years, specializing in pain management and cannabinoid medicine. This year, he released a book called Cannabis Medicine: A Guide to the Practice of Cannabinoid Medicine.

Bearman understands the many reasons why a runner may choose to enjoy weed. It is useful in both pain treatment and as a muscle relaxant, which can be beneficial when running or in recovery.

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“If we look at someone like Sha’Carri Richardson, who won the 100-meter dash in the Olympic trials but was omitted from the team because she used cannabis, obviously the cannabis didn’t hurt her performance,” he says. “Maybe she would’ve run even faster without the cannabis, but she certainly was the fastest woman in the 100-meter dash, and it’s clear that she used cannabis.”

He thinks that many people tend to focus on irrelevant factors about cannabis and athletic performance and that dedicated (and especially professional) athletes who consume cannabis would likely notice if they were dizzy or sleepy.

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“If you’re a runner, you’re not gonna take cannabis if it makes you dizzy or sleepy. People who are running often have developed tolerance.”

Dr. Bearman has also heard concerns about cannabis’ potential to increase runners’ pulse and blood pressure, but he says the increase is transient and that he’s seen many heart patients use medical cannabis safely, with none reporting issues with their heart in relation to their cannabis use.

“The people who say that [cannabis] has a negative effect on performance are really what I would call neo-prohibitionists,” he says.

Cannabis’ impact on runners’ minds

Human brain digital illustration. Electrical activity, flashes and lightning on a blue background.

On top of the impact on an athlete’s capacity and lungs, cannabis also has a psychological impact on runners. It can help decrease anxiety, which can aid runners in finding the activity more enjoyable.

Dr. Bearman says, “There are runners who have said to me, ‘I feel better; the colors look better. I feel more relaxed; I feel more into it.’ So you have two different issues. One is the enjoyment of running, and one is the performance.”

This positive psychological impact keeps many runners inspired and motivated to keep running or improve their performance—a combination of a positive mental impact that influences the physical.

Cannabis’ impact on runners’ lungs

Human lungs anatomy on science background. 3d illustration

Dr. Bearman also points out that cannabis acts as a bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory.

“That means it opens up your bronchi, your tubes that go into your pulmonary function and your lungs, and you can take in more air, and that’s gonna help you do more work.”

But Bearman’s perspective on this is in direct opposition to the stance of the American Lung Association, which states that cannabis smoke, like all other smoke, is harmful to the lungs. The ALA also suggests that the long inhaling habits demonstrated by many weed smokers could increase the risk of harm to the lungs.

Identifying the proper intake method

So, should serious runners avoid smoking or just stick to other methods of consumption, such as edibles or tinctures?

“There are three side effects to smoking that don’t exist with other routes of administration,’ explains Dr. Bearman.

He recites his learnings from Dr. Donald Tashkin, a pulmonologist, and professor of medicine at UCLA, who has studied the effects of cannabis for over 30 years.

“Smoking cannabis contributes to increased cough, increased sputum production, and increased bronchial irritation. Now, those are likely to interfere with running, but then again, people who have used it for a long time don’t cough. They may have increased sputum production, but on the other hand, that can be counteracted by the fact that cannabis is an anti-inflammatory.”

Because of this, if a patient were to ask Dr. Bearman if they should avoid smoking cannabis and stick to other methods of consumption to achieve their best athletic performance, Dr. Bearman said he would hesitate to give a definitive answer.

“Because the evidence is so limited, it’s hard to make a hard and fast rule, but common sense says that because there is some increased sputum production from smoking cannabis, you may be better off with edibles or tinctures because they’re gonna have the same [positive] effects [without the smoke.] Remember, the runner produces increased endocannabinoids when they run, so the body must think that cannabinoids are useful in terms of running.”

At the end of the day, Dr. Bearman recommends that runners who smoke cannabis simply go ahead and try it and see if it works for them.

The key is paying attention to your body and modifying the format in which you consume if the smoke, itself, keeps you from your performance goals.

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