CBD, the non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in hemp and cannabis plants, has a plethora of potential health benefits. It can help you sleep better, reduce your stress levels, calm down, and even help manage your appetite. But is it okay to take CBD before a workout?
Well, the short answer is yes. It’s perfectly ok to take it before a workout; it won’t cause any issues in your workout and, in fact, will help in better recovery due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Today we will explore the nuances of adding CBD products to your workout and wellness routine and how they can help you. Plus, being a natural compound, it doesn’t even have any side effects, so even if you end up eating an extra CBD gummy, there’s no harm in it; all you’ll feel is a bit of drowsiness and more calmness than usual.
How Can CBD Help You With Workout?
Studies have shown that CBD has many healing properties that can help you with your workout. Let’s try to understand in what ways it can be an effective addition to your workout routine.
Boost Endurance and Recovery
Many professional athletes have incorporated CBD into their routines and say that it helps in boosting their endurance. Many distance runners now use CBD when preparing for marathon or triathlon events, and it helps them perform for a longer time without feeling burnt out.
CBD helps them recover post workout, it has anti-inflammatory properties which can provide relief from aching tendons and joints. By reducing inflammation, CBD also helps people stay injury free and balanced. You can test this yourself by having some Colorado Botanicals CBD gummies after completing your long weekend hike or run.
Improves Focus
People who participate in events like American Ninja or Crossfit events, often need great focus and concentration to complete the tasks, such hybrid workout events require the athlete to perform various types of exercises in a short span of time, and then there’s the stress of finishing it in a certain time.
Studies show that CBD has calming effects, it is something that every CBD claims to do, to make you calm, relaxed, and focused. Hence, people with active lifestyles or the ones participating in focus-oriented exercises can definitely find more success by incorporating CBD into their routines. Plus, CBD products usually have less than 0.3% THC, so you won’t feel any drowsiness, and you can opt for Zero THC products like broad spectrum CBD gummies.
Sleep Aid
Most of the muscle repair work and recovery happens when you sleep. Sometimes when you work out in the evening, it can be hard for you to fall asleep due to increased heart activity. CBD can help you with that, having a few drops of CBD oil before bed time will help you fall asleep faster, as it calms you down and relaxes your whole body.
If you have trouble with disturbed sleeping patterns or insomnia, CBD gummies with Melatonin can be a great choice for you.
Best time for CBD: Before or After a Workout?
CBD is flexible in that way; it can act as both your pre-workout supplement and your post-workout supplement. When you take CBD before a workout, it helps you to improve your performance by bringing down stress levels, improves oxygen consumption, and increases the blood oxygen delivery to required muscle groups, and reduces your pain perception by bringing down the inflammation, which in turn also boosts your mobility.
If you are planning to use CBD as a pre-workout, then go for fast-absorbing products like CBD oil, which can be placed under the tongue and show their effects within 15-20 minutes, so that by the time your warmup finishes up, you’ll be all set to take on the rest of the intense workout.
You can also use CBD as part of a post-workout routine. When consumed after the workout, CBD will help you with delayed-onset muscle soreness, joint pain, inflammation in certain areas, and better sleep. Basically, it speeds up your recovery rate.
For a post-workout routine, it’s best to use slow-absorbing CBD products, which provide prolonged relief overnight. CBD gummies or other edibles can be considered; they will show effects in an hour or two after consumption.
Who Should Avoid CBD for Workouts?
In general, anyone can use CBD to support their workout, but people who are on strong medication for recovery might have to stay cautious, as it might slow down their breakdown and release time. Women who are physically active during their pregnancy or breastfeeding days should also avoid taking CBD as part of their wellness routine, as there’s not enough research to show how CBD can affect the development of a fetus.
For everyone else, CBD is perfectly fine to use as a pre-or post-workout thing. You’ll need to figure out the dosage that works best for you, so start with a low dose, observe how it affects your workout and recovery, take notes, and then adjust the dosage on a week-by-week basis.
You should also maintain good hydration levels and drink plenty of water, as CBD can make you a bit dehydrated, and then you lose more water through sweating during a workout, which can make you nauseated.
Conclusion
To sum it up, yes! You can use CBD before your workout. As a pre-workout, it improves your focus and endurance levels, and as a post-workout, it helps you recover faster by reducing inflammation and improving your sleep quality. Just make sure to increase your water intake, as CBD and intense workouts can make you dehydrated and nauseated.
As for the products, for targeted relief in certain muscles, say after a heavy deadlift or squat session, you can try CBD topicals like Alleviate CBD Gel and Relief Broad Spectrum CBD Cream by Colorado Botanicals.
For per-workout, you can opt for fast-absorbing CBD oil, and for post-workout recovery, you can try melatonin-infused CBD gummies. So keep trying different dosages and different products until you find the one that works best for your workout routine
