You’ve likely heard through word-of-mouth the many potential benefits of CBD demonstrated in ongoing studies. From improving sleep to reducing pain, people have many reasons to talk about CBD. But could CBD also improve your workout routine?
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence (personal experiences) plus some scientific evidence that points in that direction.
What Is CBD?
CBD is Cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive substance found in cannabis plants. Cannabis is most well-known for its psychoactive properties in the form of marijuana, thanks to another plant substance called THC. However, scientists can separate and remove the THC from the plant and extract the CBD with modern technology.
Through this process, they can create CBD isolate. But full-spectrum CBD is preferred by many because it’s less processed and retains an entourage of plant substances like terpenes, flavonoids, and antioxidants known for their own potential health benefits. Full-spectrum CBD only contains trace amounts of THC, below the legal limit and unable to produce any THC effects.
Today, CBD is available in many forms, like:
- Tinctures
- Edibles
- Vaping oils
- Whole flowers
- Sports rubs
Benefits of CBD After Working Out
Reduce muscle inflammation: Studies show CBD may reduce inflammation. It interacts with the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in your body, promoting a return to homeostasis, your most normal balanced state.
When you work out, you stress your muscles, which prompts the body to heal and recover. But we don’t build muscles in the gym. We do so during recovery. Reducing inflammation not only reduces muscle soreness it allows muscles to recover more effectively.
Speed muscle recovery: Muscles can heal faster and more completely after each workout with the inflammation reduced. CBD muscle rub can help facilitate this & speed up your recovery.
Lower Risk of Injury: Rampant inflammation can cause unnatural movement to avoid pain, putting uneven pressure on tendons, joints, cartilage and muscles. This can lead to both wear and tear and sudden injury. The potential anti-inflammatory and faster muscle recovery benefits of CBD allow you to maintain your best form to reduce these risks.
Improve Sleep: Sleep time is muscle recovery time. This is when the body further breaks down and eliminates damaged tissues, replacing those tissues with stronger, better muscle tissue. You can’t recover or build new muscle tissue without it.
Studies have shown CBD can improve sleep quality. While the exact mechanism is unknown, this may be related to CBD’s anti-anxiety effects. Anxiety, like chronic inflammation, is an unnatural state that CBD appears to down-regulate as the body seeks homeostasis.
CBD Before Vs. After Working Out
CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation both when applied topically to the specific sore area and when consumed.
Taking CBD orally before you go to bed may improve both your pre-workout sleep, so you perform better and post-workout, so you recover faster. CBD has also shown some neuroprotective properties, so taking it before a workout could enhance that benefit. However, since you can apply CBD topically for faster results, it can deliver the most immediate results after a workout.
Bottom line: There are many reasons to consider using CBD before and after a workout to enhance recovery so you can stick with your workout goals.
