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Eight out of ten marijuana users in the U.S. report smoking a joint just before and after a workout. “Remarkable,” thought researchers. “Doesn’t weed make you lazy and unmotivated?”
Weed and Exercise
In the U.S., recreational marijuana use is legal in 10 states, and in many more states, it is also legal for medicinal purposes. However, there is still relatively little known about the potential impact of this on physical activity and obesity.
Some speculate that the increase in marijuana use could worsen the obesity epidemic. Some studies have shown increased calorie intake with marijuana use [1]. Think of the infamous munchies.
But there are also concerns about calorie expenditure among cannabis users. Users who become lazy and lethargic from marijuana use may become even less active.
The outcome of the new study came as a surprise to researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder [2]. Many users were found to smoke before and after a workout. It doesn’t deter them from physical activity. Moreover, they report enjoying their workouts more and feeling more motivated.
“There is a stereotype that cannabis use leads people to be lazy and couch-locked and not physically active, but these data suggest that this is not the case,”
-Angela Bryan, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Cognitive Science
Weed, Good for Athletes?
Many marijuana users in the study reported getting more out of their training because of marijuana. They claim to be extra motivated to train, enjoy training more, and expect to recover better.
It’s not the first time marijuana has been associated with positive effects.
There were already anecdotes of ultrarunners occasionally smoking weed to combat boredom and nausea during a long run [3]. Population studies have also shown that marijuana users are leaner, have a lower risk of diabetes, and healthier blood sugar levels [4]. A (small) study from 2011 also found that obesity is less common among people who smoke marijuana [5].
Other studies have shown that marijuana users are more likely to achieve the recommended amount of exercise per week [6,7]. One of these studies also explains why cannabis, due to its effects on the brain, should be more motivating than demotivating [7].
Some researchers point to the anti-inflammatory effect of cannabis [8]. That could limit pain and, thus, reduce dropout rates. However, other researchers point out that the anti-inflammatory effect of cannabis could also slow down recovery from exercise.
Confusion and contradiction abound.
A Joint Before and After Training
American researchers sought to clarify the seemingly contradictory opinions and stories about marijuana use in sports. They surveyed 600 adult marijuana users in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, asking, among other things, if they ever use cannabis within an hour before or four hours after exercise.
82% answered yes to that question.
That was to the great surprise of the researchers. Subsequently, 345 of these marijuana-using athletes (“co-users”) were further questioned and it turned out that most of them smoked mainly after training. A significant group of 67% did both.
Of the “co-users,” 70% reported enjoying the exercises more because of it. 78% reported faster recovery, and 52% reported being more motivated by smoking weed.
Given that these are all recognized barriers to exercise, it is possible that cannabis might actually serve as a benefit to exercise engagement.
The “co-users” also trained an average of 43 minutes more per week than users who did not combine it with training.
Marijuana Smoking and Performance
There is much uncertainty about the influence of marijuana use on athletic performance.
In this study, only 38% reported performing better due to the combination of weed and training. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned marijuana as a ‘performance-enhancing drug’.
There is no convincing data showing that marijuana enhances or impairs athletic performance [7].
In the ‘Zone’
Furthermore, different types of athletic performance should be considered. I can imagine more added value for endurance training and endurance sports than for strength sports and training. With cardio, you may experience increased dissociation. You enter that zone where you’re not consciously aware of running or cycling. Your mind wanders, making it feel less exhausting.
With strength training, this seems to have no added value. Quite the opposite. You need to perform exercises with high intensity. That requires a completely different effort from muscle fibers, energy systems, and focus. With strength training, I want to be able to focus on the exercise and not get lost in thought.
Don’t Worry about a Thing?
The researchers are, of course, careful not to make their results sound like an advertisement for the local coffee shop.
They suspect that marijuana users enjoy exercising more and experience fewer pains caused by exercise. This could explain why they had more physical activity by combining training and use.
All this does not automatically mean that cannabis was consciously used for better training. For the more enthusiastic users, you can place the training at any time of the free time. Then you can reasonably assume that this fell within an hour after or four hours before the next joint. Recreational time is limited for most people.
Worry about Everything
This study is about motivation. It does not look at other potential harmful effects of marijuana use. Think, for example, of the effect on the airways when smoked, but also the effect on the heart and blood vessels. Training more pleasantly or painlessly may turn out to be insignificant compared to health problems in the long term caused by use.
Even if it’s only about motivation, you have to consider that people may react differently to cannabis. It wouldn’t be strange if the group of co-users consists mainly of people who know from experience that the combination works for them. Users who do not combine it with training may know from experience that the training otherwise moves to the couch. You could only establish this if you conduct controlled trials yourself.
Marijuana and Muscles
This study only looked at the influence of marijuana use on the motivation to exercise. If you do strength training for more muscle mass and strength, you can also wonder what cannabis does to your muscles themselves.
For example, what is the effect on the anabolic hormone testosterone and the catabolic stress hormone cortisol? You can read more about this in the article from the series drinks, drugs, sex, and muscle mass. Spoiler alert: the effect doesn’t seem so exciting.
References
- Rodondi N, Pletcher MJ, Liu K, Hulley SB, Sidney S. Marijuana use, diet, body mass index, and cardiovascular risk factors (from the CARDIA Study). Am J Cardiol. (2006) 98:478–84. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2006.03.024
- Sophie L. YorkWilliams, Charleen J. Gust, Raeghan Mueller, L. Cinnamon Bidwell, Kent E. Hutchison, Arielle S. Gillman, Angela D. Bryan. The New Runner’s High? Examining Relationships Between Cannabis Use and Exercise Behavior in States With Legalized Cannabis. Frontiers in Public Health, 2019; 7
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00099/full
- Dreier F. The debate over running while high. Wall Str J Online. (2015)
- Penner EA, Buettner H, Mittleman MA. The impact of marijuana use on glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance among US adults. Am J Med. (2013) 126:583–9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.03.002
- Le Strat Y, Le Foll B. Obesity and cannabis use: results from 2 representative national surveys. Am J Epidemiol. (2011) 174:929–33. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwr200
- Vidot DC, Bispo JB, Hlaing WM, Prado G, Messiah SE. Moderate and vigorous physical activity patterns among marijuana users: results from the 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Drug Alcohol Depend. (2017) 178:43–8. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.05.00
- Gillman AS, Hutchison KE, Bryan AD. Cannabis and exercise science: a commentary on existing studies and suggestions for future directions. Sport Med. (2015) 45:1357–63. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0362
- Kozela E, Juknat A, Kaushansky N, Rimmerman N, Ben-Nun A, Vogel Z. Cannabinoids decrease the inflammatory autoimmune phenotype. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. (2013) 8:1265–76. doi: 10.1007/s11481-013-9493-1
