Going to the gym and working out have always been a hobby of mine, but recently I’ve decided to get more serious about how I train. This includes paying more attention to my diet, how and when I train, and other factors that could affect my performance. One of these wildcard factors is my consumption of cannabis.
We know the active ingredient in marijuana, delta9-tetrahydrocannibol, or THC has physical and psychological affects. According to the National Health Institute, smoking weed can affect a person’s ability to exercise in several ways, such as low blood pressure, increased heart rate, and decreased lung performance.
Marijuana’s effect on exercise depends on what kind of weed you smoke and when, how you consume it, and what you’re working for in your routine. For example, smoking out of a vaporizer several times a day should have less of an effect on performance than smoking out of a bong several times a day because the vape is much easier on the lungs.
Cons:
- Marijuana can cause fatigue and a loss of endurance which would negatively affect your gym performance for obvious reasons.
- Since marijuana has an effect on reaction time and coordination, your ability to perform certain exercises with proper form will be inhibited.
- Motivation. This may just be me, but when I smoke the last thing I want to do go and do something really hard and tiring. I want to chill.
- Heavy smokers may have a decrease in lung function. If your lungs aren’t performing in tip-top shape, that means less blood and oxygen is getting to your muscles. Although, consuming cannabis by use of tincture, edibles, or vaporizer will avoid the negative effects on the lungs.
Pros:
- Relaxing: Anyone who trains knows how good your body feels after a tough workout. Using cannabis increasing this feeling, especially if you use an Indica type, which will help you relax even more.
- Recovery: The medicinal and relaxing properties of Indica types will put your body in a prime state for muscle recovery.
- If you’re trying to put on muscle, the munchies effect of weed can help you eat more protein and calories. Of course, you would have to eat nutritionally sound food for this to count. If your goal is to lose weight this could be a con.
Conclusion:
Overall, using marijuana will have slightly negative effect on exercise, but it depends how you use it and what your goals are. In my case, I’m currently working towards adding 15 pounds of muscle. Smoking weed can help me eat more (as long as its nutritional) and indirectly aid in recovery by keeping me relaxed and stress-free. If I started taking bong hits before big lifts, or ate a bunch of junk food instead of a good meal, then it would be a problem. As long as you’re smart about it, you wont have to worry.
Sources:
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Acute Effects of Marihuana Smoking On Maximal Exercise Performance.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information: Cardiovascular Consequences of Marijuana Use.
- LiveStrong: Effect of Smoking Marijuana On Exercise
Tags: appetite, exercise, sports, stress, thc.
By:
Lewis Hill. Permalink: 
Shortlink: http://weedi.st/esPtJ
USA, legislation defines marijuana as all parts of the cannabis sativa plant, which contains over 700 chemical compounds. The primary active ingredients are cannabinoids, including THC, which is responsible for psychoactive effects and is the most studied.for more result http://www.therowingmachinereview.com/
Ok your cons here would apply to someone smoking weed WHILE high not someone who smokes weed and exercises at different times. Since your title is called marijuana's effect on exercise those reasons for cons wouldn't apply unless you happen to workout stoned which would obviously impair coordianation and motivation. The only legitimate con here is to use an alternative source such as vaping instead of smoking. I agree with that one completely.