Weed Workout – two words you wouldn’t normally expect to go together. Cannabis and exercise are not two things you would usually combine, but slowly, many people are starting to realize the fitness applications of marijuana.
So it begs the question, can cannabis really benefit your workouts?
Many people are gravitating towards cannabis and exercise for a number of different reasons. If the word “marijuana” calls up memories of terrible-tasting brownies that gave you a hard case of a couch potato, it’s time to take another look at what cannabis has to offer.
It’s time to set aside the stigma of weed being the lazy man’s pick of choice and take a deeper look at how it can be used creatively to solve many of our fitness-related issues.
Why use weed while working out?
While cannabis use may not be the best tool to cope with the roughness of high-intensity interval training or trying to hit your deadlift PR, its value can be found in helping you get your head in the game.
By making workouts much more enjoyable and turning the boring and monotonous into something much more exciting, your decision to buy weed online and work out while high could be the tool you need to help increase your consistency in working out.
It is important to note that the way cannabis will affect your performance largely depends on the type of exercise involved and the specific goal you have in mind.
The road to a lean physique can sure be a bumpy and difficult one, so why not make it a little less unbearable and a little more exciting. We all know that working out can be an extremely physically and mentally taxing task, especially if you’re not a particular fan of your chosen workout.
Better yet, sometimes it can even feel like an arduous journey just to take the first step into action. When it comes to the most difficult of tasks, most of us know that it is usually the first step that is the hardest one to take.
Though there are limited studies on cannabis and exercise, anecdotal evidence suggests that the effects of cannabis may enhance the pleasure of certain activities.
For example, monotonous tasks such as running on a treadmill could benefit from cannabis by becoming more enjoyable and exciting.
How Can Weed Enhance Your Workout?
Not only does anecdotal evidence suggest that weed may be able to make the most boring and difficult of tasks a bit more exciting, but it can also get you looking forward to doing those particular tasks.
And if your memory serves you correctly, after each and every workout, you’ll be reminded of how enjoyable the activity was rather than how difficult and painful it was.
Using that feeling as your advantage, you will have the ability to be able to train your mind to associate working out with pleasure and enthusiasm, leading to a lower cost of mental and emotional energy to get you started.
As a result, the satisfaction experienced during your workouts may provide a much higher likelihood of you wanting to continue them in the future, and therefore an increase in consistency towards your fitness goals.
After all, consistency is the main key to accomplishing your goals.
With that being said, a fundamental understanding of your mind will help you recognize how to tweak it in order to maximize your efficiency and increase your productivity.
How to use cannabis for your workouts
Post-workout soreness can also be a detriment to the motivation of many. Luckily, cannabis is also known to be able to alleviate chronic pain and provide therapeutic relief when you need it the most.
While weed can be used to enhance mood in a workout session, it also has further applications outside of the actual workout in the recovery phase.
As a matter of fact, CBD purchased from an online dispensary canada is known to be able to assist in elevating levels of the pain regulating compound, anandamide in the human body.
Furthermore, studies have also confirmed that people who use cannabis regularly tend to have smaller waistlines, lower body mass indexes, and a reduced risk of diabetes and obesity.
Taking full advantage of this evidence, utilizing cannabis in the right way could ease your recovery from those intense workouts and help get you feeling fresh and energized for the next session, all while helping you maintain a slim figure when it comes to your waistline.
Whether you are trying to supplement your runner’s high with a different high or ease the pain of recovery, cannabis can alleviate the difficulty and discomfort associated with working out.
When it comes to effectively utilizing all your tools at your disposal, sometimes that means getting extra creative with your work.
Here are a few tips and tricks we have to share with you.
Before working out
As mentioned before, weed may be able to better help you get your head in the game when feeling a bit lazy.
Try experimenting with less intense forms of cannabis first, like a light smoke or some weed tea before your fitness sessions.
While edibles are great, we caution against them due to their intense and sometimes disorienting high.
We find that weed is most effective with workouts like long-distance running and yoga, although it depends on each and everyone’s personal preferences.
Experiment with the herb to see what you like and how it affects your workouts.
After working out
Whether you’re doing heavy deadlifts or deep squats, strenuous exercise can cause extreme discomfort during the recovery phase in the form of delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS.
Mainly used as a therapeutic treatment, cannabis has been proven to help alleviate chronic pain and muscle aches. If you find that you’re left too sore after an intense session tries sipping on some weed tea or having a light smoke to help ease the discomfort.
If you’re averse to the psychoactive effects of marijuana and would prefer to go without the high, you can reach for some CBD tinctures or gummies as they are also effective treatments for pain relief.
Note: It is important to find your sweet spot if you’re planning to maximize efficiency as going overboard with cannabis can lead to counter-productive results. Measure your dosages and try small micro-doses first, and then gradually increase to your liking.
CBD and working out
Even if you are averse to the psychoactive effects of cannabis, there is always a workaround. People who want to work out with a clear mind and a bit more focus have the option to utilize CBD in their workouts.
CBD is a therapeutic non-psychotropic cannabinoid naturally found in marijuana.
CBD has been known to significantly slow the breakdown of anandamide, which is also a neurotransmitter our brain releases when we experience a state of bliss.
Anandamide is also an important compound our bodies use to regulate pain.
With that being said, CBD’s ability to suppress the enzyme responsible for the breakdown of anandamide naturally increases levels of the pain regulating compound in our body, as a result, we receive a higher threshold for pain.
Whether you’re going on a 15-mile run, or are trying to break through the barriers of a brutal abdominal workout, CBD could be used as a tool that can help you fight through the pain and reach the next level.
Final thoughts on working out with cannabis
Now that you have some perspective on how you can reap the rewards of mixing weed with your workouts, why not experiment a bit and have a little fun?
After all, if you do not enjoy your fitness activities, chances are you will be a lot less inclined to stick with them. Remember, start slow and try not to overdo it, but most importantly, make sure you are enjoying your workouts.
Whether you are looking to hit the gym and lift some heavyweights, or if you’re looking to shed some body fat with some steady-state cardio, cannabis could be your miracle supplement to get you set in the right direction!
Hit those goals and get those gains, happy smoking!
