Why CBD Helps with Post-Workout Recovery, and How we Use It After the Gym
Hi again, it’s Justin and Daniela, checking in once more. As 2020 keeps coming at us, we’re still focusing on what we have, and always feeling grateful for family. We also feel lucky that we can still pursue our two passions: fitness and CBD, of course.
Lucky for us, these two things go better together! In fact, we’ve both discovered that taking our CBD dose after a tough workout, or applying CBD to sore muscles, really helps speed up recovery. And that means we’re ready for tomorrow’s at home or in-the-gym session.
Want to know why CBD is great for post workout recoveries? Stick with us! We’ll share the science you need to understand why workouts and CBD go hand in hand.
How Can CBD Help Athletes?
Like we mentioned, we are passionate about health and physical fitness. We’re not professional athletes, but when we work out, we go hard. Sometimes, that leaves our muscles sore and achy. That doesn’t mean we’re injured. It just means we tore up some old muscles to build new ones. (To clarify, exercise, especially weight training, creates tiny tears in your muscle tissue. That can cause inflammation, which makes you feel sore. But it also signals to your body that it’s time to build new muscles. Which is how you can increase your muscle tone and mass by working out with resistance training!)
So, while it’s natural, that post-workout pain makes next-day exercise less appealing. And that’s where we’ve gotten help from CBD. If you’ve been following us for a little while now, you probably know that CBD can produce all sorts of positive effects in your body. One of the most important for athletes? CBD appears to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Remember how inflammation is behind that post-workout pain? Well, when you apply CBD directly to sore spots, or ingest a CBD gummy or tincture, the active ingredients get to work targeting that inflammation. While it’s working, the anti-inflammatory help speeds up your body’s recovery. Which means you’ll be ready to go back to the exercise grind that much sooner.
But What is CBD?
Did we get ahead of ourselves a bit? We told you that CBD fights inflammation in your body. But maybe you need a quick background review. CBD (cannabidiol) is one of more than 100 chemical compounds, called cannabinoids, that we find in cannabis plants.
We often associate cannabis with illegal marijuana, but there are many strains of this plant. Marijuana strains have high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the psychoactive cannabinoid that gets you high when you use marijuana.
Now, CBD is THC’s close chemical cousin (they contain all the same atoms, just in a different order.) But that rearrangement means you won’t get high from using broad-spectrum CBD. Here, again, we’ll clarify: people like to use CBD products that include other cannabinoids. That’s because these compounds work better as a group, producing what we call the “entourage effect.” When you purchase CBD that includes every cannabinoid and other cannabis plant extracts, it’s called full-spectrum CBD.
Some people, however, can’t afford to ingest even the trace amounts of THC included in a full-spectrum product. Doing so could make you fail a drug test, potentially losing your job or even facing jail time. That’s where broad-spectrum CBD, like the kind we produce at 12Twenty, comes in handy. We remove all traces of THC from our products, so you never worry about drug tests or getting high. But we preserve all the other cannabinoids and terpenes from that cannabis plant, so you can still enjoy the entourage effect.
CBD and Workout Recovery
In 2018, Frontiers in Neurology published a review of 132 original studies. And we think you’ll like what they discovered: because CBD is, “anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiemetic, antipsychotic, and neuroprotective,” it can certainly target post-workout inflammation. And that should really speed up your recovery time. (P.S. They also suggest that CBD can improve mobility, even if you’re living with a serious condition like Multiple Sclerosis.)[1]
But what’s the best way to use CBD for post workout recovery? To some degree, that’s a personal choice. There are so many CBD delivery methods, many of you have already found your favorite. And, whether you ingest or apply your CBD, it will unleash those anti-inflammatory properties.
Wondering if there’s an optimal delivery method? That sort of depends on how your body feels. If you’ve got just one sore spot, consider using a topical CBD. Personally, we’re obsessed with the 12Twenty CBD Muscle Cool-Gel Relief, but a salve or lotion will also do the trick.
If, on the other hand, you’re achy all over and want general pain relief, you may prefer to ingest CBD, with a product like our tasty broad-spectrum CBD gummies. Here, the effects will take longer to kick in. But once the CBD goes through your digestive tract and enters your bloodstream, these gummies will deliver long-lasting anti-inflammatory effects.
Basically, it’s up to you to decide the best way to incorporate CBD into your post workout routine. Just be sure to clear any new supplements with your doctor, especially if you take other over-the-counter or prescription medications. And feel free to try a few different options, until you find the form of CBD that gets you back on your mat, tread or court the fastest.
[1] Rudroff, T, Sosnoff, J. “Cannabidiol to Improve Mobility in People with Multiple Sclerosis.” https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2018.00183