High-Performance Fitness: New Study Reveals Interplay Between Cannabis Use And Exercise Experience

In a recent study published in Sports Medicine, researchers from the University of Colorado delved into the intricate relationship between cannabis consumption and exercise, aiming to uncover how legal-market cannabis affects regular marijuana users during immediate responses to exercise in a controlled laboratory setting.

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Positive Revelations: Enjoyment And ‘Runner’s High’ Symptoms

• Findings, regardless of whether the cannabis products were THC- or CBD-dominant, pointed to a nuanced relationship with participants’ exercise experience.
• Positive mood states, including enjoyment, were reported during exercise under the influence of cannabis.
• However, an increase in negative aspects, particularly exertion during post-cannabis exercise was also observed.

Participants from Boulder, Colorado, assigned either a THC-dominant product (24% THC and 1% CBD) or a CBD-dominant product (1% THC and 20% CBD) reported increased enjoyment during the cannabis exercise activity, regardless of the product’s cannabinoid content, reported Marijuana Moment. Notably, CBD users reported a higher difference in enjoyment compared to non-cannabis workouts.

“At baseline, most participants reported that cannabis increased their enjoyment of exercise (90.5%), reduced their pain/discomfort levels during exercise (69.0%), improved their ability to focus during exercise (59.5%), and increased their motivation to exercise (57.1%). Only 45.2% reported that cannabis made the time go by faster during exercise, and only 28.6% reported that cannabis improved their exercise performance,” reads the study.

Implications For Wellness And Future Research

Despite federal restrictions on cannabis research, the study contributed valuable information to the growing body of knowledge on marijuana’s effects. Aligned with broader public interest, the study also challenged stereotypes associating cannabis with sedentary behavior.

While marijuana consumption before exercise “may lead to increases in both positive and negative aspects of the subjective exercise experience,” researchers concluded that “research using diverse samples, exercise modalities, and methodologies (e.g., placebo-controlled trials) is needed to establish the generalizability of these findings.”

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