How CBD Helps in Bodybuilding

People are touting CBD for practically everything, from reducing mental fatigue to dealing with chronic pain. But now there’s a growing community of bodybuilders who are trying the food supplement and giving it rave reviews.

In this post, we take a look at some of the science behind CBD and why it might be effective for people looking to grow muscle. By the end of it, you’ll have a better understanding of what it does and how to incorporate it into your stack.

It Reduces Post-Workout Pain

Not all bodybuilders have perfect tendons, joints and muscles. In fact, for many, injuries are a continual concern, leading to post-workout pain.

But even injury-free athletes can experience pain after a workout. Why? Because bodybuilding breaks down muscle tissue – or so the theory goes – creating soreness that can interfere with activities the next day.

But according to experience, CBD can help. The compound appears to have pain-killing abilities, so now many fitness enthusiasts are including it in their routine. CBD allows the body to hold onto more of the brain’s feel-good hormones which may reduce post-workout pain, allowing bodybuilders to feel more comfortable after they exercise.

When it comes to pain reduction, there are two ways you can use CBD. Either you can ingest it orally and wait for it to reach the site of injury or you can buy topicals and apply them directly to the skin. You can even use a combination of both, so long as you keep track of the overall dose.

Better Sleep

CBD is also appealing to bodybuilders because of its ability to help people sleep. For many years, patients living with insomnia used cannabidiol as a way of helping them calm down before bed. It purportedly helped them drift off sooner or wake up later than they usually would, thanks to how it interacts with the body.

Bodybuilders caught wind of this and are now using CBD to increase the quality of their own sleep. Athletes know that physical development doesn’t occur in the gym but, rather, at home, while the body rests. So maximizing the effectiveness of sleep might be a way of getting back in the gym faster.

Lower Levels Of Stress

The stress hormone cortisol is the enemy of any athlete trying to develop a full, ripped physique. Not only does it prevent muscle from growing, but it may even have a catabolic effect, breaking it down.

CBD, however, counteracts stress – especially when taken consistently. Over time, users report that they feel more relaxed and calm in themselves. And that usually implies that their cortisol levels are lower and feel-good factors, such as anandamide, are higher.

Improve Your Metabolism

Body builders, however, aren’t just looking to build muscle: they also want to burn fat to show off more of their physique.

Interestingly, CBD may be able to help here too. Evidence suggests that the compound interacts favorably with tiny organelles responsible for burning energy in cells, called mitochondria. Cannabidiol appears to regulate their activity, encouraging them to achieve “metabolic balance,” making it easier for athletes to lose weight and shift any excess fat they might be carrying around with them.

More Energy

Lastly, going to the gym day after day, week after week, can get a little exhausting after a while. Building new muscles taxes your body tremendously, forcing it to adapt in multiple ways to the stimulus. Eventually, the central nervous system and muscles themselves become fatigued, requiring a week of rest or more.

Of course, being out of the gym for that length of time is a concern for many bodybuilders. And so the search is on for compounds that allow for continual training, but without any side effects.

CBD might be just such a compound. Researchers think that it may have a role in regulating the amount of insulin the pancreas releases into the bloodstream. If you eat a lot of food, the level of insulin in the blood can be quite high. And, over time, this can make people feel sluggish, discouraging exercise. By adding CBD the body may be better able to regulate insulin production. And this, in turn, might make it easier for people to drum up the motivation to go and work out.

How to Use CBD

CBD comes in a number of different formats. At ARCannabis, we sell CBD drinks, gummies, edibles, and flower that is high in CBD too. One of the most common ways to consume CBD is with CBD tinctures.

CBD tinctures are highly concentrated, allowing you to get the most effect. One other benefit of tinctures is that they can be used in creative settings when cooking or adding to other foods. Below are some examples of how you can use CBD tinctures in your everyday cooking:

Salad Dressing

Instead of adding just normal olive oil to your salad dressing, adding CBD oil into your oil based dressing mixture can be an incredible way to hide the compound.

Post Workout Shake

Another fantastic method of consuming CBD oil is by adding it to your post workout shake. It is common for bodybuilders to add things such as MACA oil or peanut butter after their workout. But adding CBD oil is a great substitute. Blending it together with fruit and other ingredients will help mask any flavour.

Where to Buy CBD

If you are looking to buy CBD online in Vancouver, you’ve come to the right place. Our ARCannabis online store allows Vancouver residents to order online for click and collect.

We have a number of different retail stores within the lower mainland and Vernon BC. Here are some links to buy Redecan CBD Reign Drops at our stores:

1. CBD BY KALAMALKA LAKE ROAD VERNON BC – 1800 Kalamalka Lake Road
2. CBD BY CLARK and GRANDVIEW HWY – 1290 E.12th Ave
3. CBD BY MAIN AND MARINE – 225 SE Marine Drive
4. CBD BY 41st & KNIGHT – 1353 41st Avenue
5. CBD BY 49th & VICTORIA – 6528 Victoria Drive

So, in summary, CBD looks like a promising candidate for helping bodybuilders achieve their goals. We don’t have any scientific proof that it works in all these areas yet – and we can’t make any definitive claims – but it is certainly interesting to see that bodybuilders are using it.