We live in the world where a lot of us favour health and fitness. It’s no wonder why. We know that being fit and healthy leads to a better, more fulfilling lifestyle than being unhealthy and unfit.

And so to get fit and healthy; we invest our time, effort and money to find new ways on how we can boost our fitness regimen and enhance its efficiency to get better results, faster.

New resourch shows us that CBD can be one of those supplements.

While CBD has not yet been approved by the FDA as a fitness and training supplement (due to lack of research), some studies and testimonies have led people to try CBD as a pre and post workout supplement to see its benefits.

So let's look into some facts and find out whether it’s a smart move to try out CBD instead of other more common workout supplements.

Let’s get started:

Why CBD And Exercise Works Well Together

A lot of professional athletes will say that being focused and alert while exercising / training is what makes them achieve their desired results. In that case, CBD might just be the thing you’re looking for.

This is because CBD is known to have a calm and relaxing effect on us, which sounds contradictory to what we have said above, but it makes sense as well. When you’re calm and relaxed, you get to commit to a certain task better than when you’re stressed and distracted.

Plus, some studies have shown that when you take CBD in lower doses, you can actually trigger wakefulness in you, which can allow you to be more alert and full of energy.

However, before trying any CBD products, we urge you to consider what you're actually trying to achieve from it. This is because there are a variety of different products when it comes to consuming CBD, which can alter the effects of the desired results that you’re looking to achieve. We don’t want you to spend money on CBD for no good reason.

For example, if you want to get instant relief from your workouts or quick focus and alertness, it would be a good idea to go for products that allow you to inhale or take CBD sublingually as they work far quicker than products that go through the digestion process.

You should also consider using CBD with lower dosages before a workout, because too much of it, can lower your motivation to even exercise. Why? It’s cause you get relaxed, a little too much.

Now, since you know why CBD might be a good option for you, let’s look into some of the most frequently asked questions on CBD and its relation with athletes.

Is CBD good for post workout recovery?

We all know the saying 'no pain, no gain' which is especially true when it comes to working out. And the studies on delayed onset muscle soreness aka DOMS seems to confirm it. In other words, once you do an intense workout, it’s actually good for your body to feel aches and pains in the muscle fibres that you worked on. This is because workouts are designed to, in a word, 'damage' your muscles, which in result allows them to repair back stronger and bigger.

But sometimes if you overdo it, the pain is too much. It becomes like a brick wall which limits your movement and blocks your potential of building stronger and bigger muscles faster. This is where CBD comes into play.

CBD is known to be highly anti-inflammatory. It is one of the properties why science is so excited about the substance in the first place. Many who have taken CBD have testified their experience after exercise. They’ve noticed reduction in pain, muscle tension and cramps which is a common feeling during the muscle recovery stage.

So in a simple word, yes! CBD is also good as a post workout recovery supplement.

Is CBD better than traditional pain killers?

Short answer, yes ‒ much better! There is a reason why pro athletes like Nate Diaz (UFC fighter) and Eugene Monroe (former NFL player) have been seen promoting CBD.

They’ve had a great experience with the benefits that come packed by using CBD, particularly pain management and muscle recovery. And when you compare the potential side effects of CBD with other more common drugs like paracetamol, it makes sense why these professionals are promoting an alternative supplement.

This is because conventional drugs have long-term side effects that can damage our body. The worst of them being:

• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Risk of Heart Problems
• Ulcers and Internal Breeding
• High Blood Pressure, and more!

There is also another downside to taking conventional painkillers regularly.

Once you start taking these man made drugs, our body tends to tolerate them (due to its harmful effects on our body), which in turn reduces the effectiveness of the drug over time. The only solution to this is then to keep upping the dosage.

Take a look at this study, which suggests that NSAIDs are only good if you’re taking its lowest effective dose, for a short period of time. In simple words, NSAIDs can be helpful for emergency situations, but are not a viable solution for something that you deal with regularly like muscle soreness.

Final Verdict

People have become fascinated with CBD and its effects on our health, body, mind, and perhaps even our soul/consciousness. This is why we felt it was a good idea to analyse the scientific and anecdotal evidence that shows how good CBD can be for athletes.

And we’ve concluded that CBD can benefit those who tend to have muscle soreness every now and then and wishes to get rid of this sensation fast, effectively and without side effects.

Even though there is not enough scientific evidence to back up the anecdotal reports, CBD is still the go to painkiller alternative for many professional athletes who swear by its benefits.

So what are your thoughts on CBD as a workout supplement? Would you be willing to try it out on your own or would you want to wait until there is more scientific support to back up CBD's health claims?

If you have had success with using a CBD product we would love to hear about it in our comments section below. We also encourage you to share our article with any friends or family who live an active lifestyle.