Whether you’re clanging and banging heavy weights, blistering your way through circuit training, knocking out some reps to keep the blood flowing, or doing any other workout, soreness will typically follow.
It’s the nature of the beast.
Even if you’re “taking it easy,” you’ll be that extra bit sore compared to if you did nothing at all.
Then, there’s your heavy workouts. Keep in mind, we’re not strictly speaking to hulking beasts deadlifting 800 pounds. We’re referring to your version of a heavy workout—whatever that might be. Thus, your max bench press could be 350 pounds or 30 pounds, and the following notion still applies:
No amount of stretching or post-workout massages can offset the soreness from rigorous and demanding exercise. Maybe you partake in yoga or pilates to make yourself more limber—it doesn’t matter.
Soreness is a fact of life when you exert yourself in any way, especially as you creep past 25 years old.
Don’t get us wrong—we’re all for proactive measures like stretching, yoga, massage, chiropractors, etc. You’ve got to do everything possible to ensure you’re comfortable and moving at your best. You’ll maintain some soreness, sure, but the extra things you do will offset your discomfort, if not entirely.
On the subject of “extra things” you can do to offset muscle soreness after workouts—where does cannabis stand in the conversation?
Cannabis has long been linked with pain-reduction properties. It only makes sense that it could play a significant role in your post-workout routine.
Cannabis For Exercise-Related Soreness: A Go-To Method For Athletes
Back in 2015, Bleacher Report published an article on cannabis usage among NFL players.
Nine years ago, legal cannabis didn’t flow as freely throughout the US as it does now, and it was banned in the league (and still is, for that matter).
However, the report we’re citing found that players would risk suspension to consume cannabis to offset the severe soreness they experienced after games [1].
The above evidence we’ve presented makes our entire case—at least the bulk of it.
These tremendous athletes who’ve worked their whole lives to be in the NFL were (and still are) willing to risk losing millions of dollars due to potential suspensions. Why? Because cannabis was (and still is) the best way for them to mitigate and manage the punishment absorbed during a pro football career.
Doesn’t that tell you everything you need to know about cannabis’s ability to manage muscle soreness after your workouts?
Also, Kansas City Chief’s receiver (and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend) Travis Kelce believes that nearly 80% of the league uses cannabis these days [2].
It’s not only the NFL’s athletes relying on cannabis for pain and soreness relief, either. A 2019 survey of 1,200 athletes across a range of sports found that 61% of the respondents used cannabis to offset pain [3].
In a lot of these instances, we’re referring to high-performance athletes dealing with severe pain after (or during) punishing careers. Cannabis presents these individuals suffering from otherwise chronic agony with a welcome alternative to damaging and addictive opioids.
We’ll admit that severe chronic pain from bruising athletic careers does equate to post-workout soreness.
That said, the same logic applies. The best athletes in the world benefit from cannabis’s pain-relieving properties, so why can’t you after your workouts?
How Can Cannabis Help With Muscle Soreness After Workouts?
Doctors have prescribed cannabis for pain relief since ancient times [4].
We’re willing to bet those ancient physicians attributed cannabis’s healing capabilities to sorcery and witchcraft.
Fortunately, we know better these days. The science is readily available to us, and we know that sorcery and witchcraft only have a little bit to do with cannabis’s pain-reducing properties (we’re kidding!).
Joking aside, cannabis’s pain-relieving traits stem from THC emulating the naturally occurring cannabinoid chemicals in our bodies. When you dose THC, you trigger your brain’s cannabinoid receptors, reducing pain because it activates your brain’s reward system [5].
We’ll add that we’re not healthcare professionals or fitness scientists at Stash.
All we’re doing is citing existing research. But you must use your better judgment when incorporating cannabis into your life for any healing or therapeutic reasons. Your best bet is always to discuss your choices with physicians or other relevant professionals.
How Can Cannabis Impact Your Workout Performance?
We’d understand if you were concerned about the act of smoking cannabis and how it may impact your performance in your chosen form of exercise. Cardiovascular-driven workouts seem like they wouldn’t be entirely synergistic with inhaling cannabis smoke.
Yet, reports show that many runners actually enjoy their workouts more after smoking cannabis [6]. While that’s not the same as recovery, one can assume the runners in question are comfortable with cannabis’s effects on their lungs and cardiovascular abilities if they’re toking up before a run.
Furthermore, one research paper about cannabis usage amongst female athletes discovered zero differences in heart function, body composition, and strength between cannabis users and nonusers [7].
Using Cannabis To Your Advantage For Workout Recovery
Cannabis’s pain-relieving properties have been the primary focus of this article until this point—but that’s not the only way it can help with your post-workout recovery.
The munchies (cannabis’s undeniable ability to bolster one’s appetite) can be a huge advantage after challenging workout sessions. Food is crucial to recovery after exercise, as it replaces carbohydrates and provides proteins to help build and repair muscles [8].
Particularly challenging aerobic workouts can diminish one’s appetite [9]. So, smoking cannabis to spark your appetite could prove itself an ideal countermeasure that helps you recover faster and more efficiently.
Choosing The Best Cannabis For Workout Recovery
Not all cannabis is created equal, meaning that more specific strains will be better suited to post-workout recovery, depending on your goals. Factors like cannabinoid content, strain type, and terpenes will dictate how effective a given cannabis product will be in helping you achieve your post-workout goals.
Fortunately, Stash Dispensaries has a wide range of cannabis products—all of high quality—to help you discover which strain best suits your post-workout recovery needs.
Sources
- https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2486218-banned-but-bountiful-marijuana-coveted-by-nfl-players-as-invaluable-painkiller#:~:text=All%2015%20said%20they%20used,smoked%20on%20the%20team’s%20premises.
- https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/chiefs-travis-kelce-estimates-up-to-80-percent-of-nfl-players-use-cannabis/
- https://hub.jhu.edu/2021/07/20/marijuana-cannabis-athletes-zeiger/#:~:text=Zeiger%2C%20the%202008%20Ironman%2070.3,an%20alternative%20to%20addictive%20opioids.
- https://leg.mt.gov/content/Committees/Interim/2009_2010/Children_Family/Emerging-Issue/mmga-presentation-cannabis-history-aug2010.pdf
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322051#:~:text=THC%20resembles%20the%20cannabinoid%20chemicals,system%20and%20reduces%20pain%20levels.
- https://www.livescience.com/health/marijuana/runners-enjoyed-their-workouts-more-after-using-cannabis-but-physically-floundered
- https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3wd5j/does-smoking-weed-affect-athletic-performance
- https://www.osmifw.com/eating-for-post-workout-recovery/#:~:text=This%20is%20because%20we%20burn,damage%20and%20help%20build%20muscle.
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321660#:~:text=Studies%20have%20now%20shown%20that,drive%20our%20state%20of%20hunger.
