As an athlete, working out is not just something you do to enhance your athletic performance — it’s a significant part of your lifestyle. Unfortunately, it can put your body through a lot of stress. Sure, some amount of pain or physical discomfort comes with the territory if you want an effective training program. In fact, it’s actually necessary to increase muscle strength; this is what many would call “feeling the burn.” However, you can’t enhance your athletic performance without a post workout recovery regimen in place.
It’s time for you to learn how CBD for athletes can play a vital role in healing and repairing your body post workout!
What Happens to Your Body When You Exercise?
When it comes to physical fitness, “No pain, no gain,” right? Well, that is true to a certain extent… Feeling fatigued after a workout is a good thing, as it shows you’re pushing your physiological limits; but this pain shouldn’t be in excess. As an athlete, you’re expected to push yourself in your workouts, strength and conditioning, and practices, all in efforts to perform at the top of your game when you play. Yet, do you know what’s going on with your body behind the scenes?
From a flushed face and mood boost to increased heart rate and heavy breathing, let’s take a closer look at what happens to your body when you exercise.
- Increased Heart Rate: As you start to exercise, your heart rate increases due to an increase in your adrenaline levels. This allows your heart to circulate more oxygen through your blood at a faster pace. With regular exercise, your heart will become more accustomed and efficient in this process, allowing you to intensify your workouts and endure them longer.
- Heavier and Faster Breathing: Whether you’re on the treadmill or the track, you’ll likely notice changes to your breathing and heart rate. Your muscles work harder during exercise, requiring more oxygen in order for you to keep up with the demand of the workout. We breathe an average of 15 times per minute while resting, but your breathing rate could increase up to 40 to 60 times per minute during a workout
- Contracting Muscles: The energy necessary for the body to contract muscles and initiate movement comes from glucose and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As you exercise, the muscles you’re working will start to form tiny tears, which will, in turn, produce bigger, stronger muscles as they heal.
- Improved Brain Function: When your heart rate increases, it immediately improves blood flow to your brain. This can make you feel more alert and focused, motivate you to stay active after your workout, and trigger endorphins that give you that feeling of euphoria, sometimes called “runners high.”
- Higher Body Temperature: As your heart rate rises and your workouts target different areas, your body will begin to overheat, triggering our bodies to produce sweat so that it can cool down. To release the heat your body produces, the blood vessels and capillaries beneath the skin dilate to increase blood flow to the skin, resulting in sweat. This process is also the result behind a flushed or red face after a workout.
How to Use CBD for Muscle Recovery: The Body’s Process
Just as “the leg bone’s connected to the knee bone,” there’s no denying the connection between exercise and how the cells in our bodies respond. In similar fashion, the connection between CBD for athletes and incorporating a post workout recovery regimen into your daily routine go hand-in-hand. So what exactly is the connection? Communication.
The cells in your body communicate with each other via a complex cell-signaling system called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). What many don’t realize is that your ECS plays a critical role in regulating and controlling a significant number of bodily functions, such as inflammation and pain. CBD interacts with your body’s ECS cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) to regulate those complex processes in your body, producing pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.
The great aspect about CBD for athletes is that it regulates multiple pathways in your body, allowing it to impact multiple organs, including — guess what — your muscles!
If you’re wondering how to relieve sore muscles after workout, CBD is the answer. But since there are multiple CBD forms, how can you decide which one is right for you? Here’s a mini guide!
- Full Spectrum CBD Oil: Full spectrum CBD oils are formulated using whole hemp compounds as their primary ingredient. This indicates that the oil contains all of the cannabinoids found in the hemp plant, including flavonoids, phytocannabinoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids, in addition to CBD and THC. Full Spectrum CBD Oil 3000mg will work wonders for athletes in need of optimal sports recovery.
- Full Spectrum CBD Capsules: Full spectrum CBD capsules contain all the natural goodness of full spectrum CBD extract, but in easy-to-take capsules. This form of CBD is great for athletes who enjoy the benefits of CBD but can’t get past the flavor of the oil. Full Spectrum CBD Capsules 50mg provide the optimum support your body needs for muscle repair post workout.
- CBD Balm: CBD balm directly targets aches and pains associated with muscles and joints. The best CBD Balm for occasional discomfort associated with overuse from exercise has the perfect blend of full spectrum hemp extract, clove, peppermint, eucalyptus, menthol, and other botanical ingredients that will not only target your muscles but also nourish your skin. Simply apply the CBD topical to the affected area for fast and soothing results.
- CBD Cream: CBD creams are another type of CBD topical used to directly target aches and pains associated with physical discomfort. Unlike balms, creams contain water. That reason alone is why athletes need the best CBD Cream Extra Strength. It isn’t oily and does not leave a heavy residue, making it one of the best CBD topicals for athletes. It’s derived from pure hemp, infused with concentrated CBD extract, doesn’t leave oily residue after application, and a little truly goes a long way.
CBD Before or After Workout?
Health and wellness for athletes plays just as much of a significant role as physical fitness. In fact, you truly can’t have one without the other. With CBD for muscle recovery, you’re getting the best of both worlds! You’re targeting areas that need repair, which, in turn, restores and regulates your body to be better prepared to enhance your athletic performance.
So should you take CBD before or after workouts? The best time to take CBD for recovery is after you work out. Topical creams are great for targeting specific areas for fast-acting relief. CBD oil is going to be a great option for regularly maintaining relief from exercise-induced discomfort. So, suffer in silence no more! Turn to CBD after a workout!
Benefits of CBD for Athletes’ Post Workout
Athletes are constantly on the lookout for new and more natural ways to enhance their athletic performance while also speeding up their recovery time after strenuous workouts. The options some athletes commonly use for post-workout pain management tend to cause more harm than good, such as NSAIDs or opioids.
When CBD appeared on the market as a natural alternative to harmful, addictive, and illegal pain management approaches, the research and science backing the all-natural compounds and plant extracts showed great promise for athletes. So much so that in 2018 the World Anti-Doping Agency withdrew cannabidiol from its list of substances that were prohibited. Since that point, athletes from all over the world have been utilizing CBD routinely as a major part of their health and wellness regimens.
If you’re an athlete interested in CBD for sports recovery, you won’t want to miss this list of the major benefits below.
CBD for Muscle Soreness
CBD for muscle soreness is a popular go-to application for post workout recovery. Damage during muscle contractions causes post-workout discomfort and is the leading cause of DOMS.
What is DOMS and how long does it last? DOMS stands for delayed-onset muscle soreness, which refers to muscle damage induced by exercise. Inflammation often follows this damage, causing mild yet annoying aches and pains. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, DOMS should only last a few days, typically between three to five days. Muscle soreness can affect athletes of all levels. It’s normal, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through the pain! When it comes to CBD for injury recovery, you want the best CBD oil for pain management, especially when experiencing DOMS.
CBD for Inflammation
Inflammation, especially in small amounts, can actually be beneficial to athletes and induce positive training responses. Yet recovery is slowed down and performance suffers when there is excessive inflammation. Both the brain and the nervous system contain CB2 receptors, but the immune system contains a greater number of them.
Cannabinoids are anti-inflammatory agents in and of themselves, so cannabinoids that bind to CB2 receptors have the potential to encourage an anti-inflammatory effect by lowering the production of cytokines, which are cell messengers. So basically, when your immune system responds to intense physical activity after a hard workout (tissue injury, sore muscles, etc.), the CBD bound to CB2 receptors helps turn down the response. Think of CBD as a modulator to the immune system’s inflammatory response. It doesn’t shut the response down completely but plays a significant role in the regulation of the immune system, leading to a faster recovery.
CBD for Brain Function
The relaxation and peace that CBD brings to both your body and mind can help increase your ability to focus, boost alertness, and retain your memories better. As a result, CBD has the potential to be an extremely useful tool for boosting cognitive processes. Let’s say you have a big game one afternoon but you and your team members have a workout session that morning. Adding CBD for post workout recovery will not only aid in repairing muscles, but it will also give you the mental focus you need for the game later that afternoon.
CBD for Sleep
It has been demonstrated that CBD promotes healthy sleep cycles without inducing drowsiness. One of the most crucial things that can be done for an athlete’s rehabilitation is to ensure that they are getting enough good quality sleep each night. A good night of slumber allows your body to repair itself, replenish energy, and restore your hormonal equilibrium. When you take CBD oil as a sleep aid, your body will thank you the next morning!
CBD for Muscle Spasms
A few of the causes of muscle spasms include being dehydrated, experiencing muscle sprains, and having nerve damage. Cannabinoids are known to have qualities that can help lessen spasms, therefore taking CBD oil may be able to assist you in achieving this goal.
Wild Theory is Your Go-To for CBD Post Workout Recovery
At the end of the day, your ultimate goal is to be the best athlete you can be. This could mean running your fastest time on the track, getting the most rebounds, or getting the most tackles. Nonetheless, in order to reach those goals, regardless of the sport you play, working out is going to play a significant role in that, and the type of post-workout recovery regimen you have will play an even bigger role. That’s why CBD for athletes is highly recommended!
So stop at your favorite CBD store to pick up a hardworking CBD product to pair with your next hardworking workout!