POT TV – Sika Strength reviewed a meta-analysis of weed and athletic performance.
Is weed bad for strength? No. Yes. Maybe; it all depends how you use it.
According to “Cannabis: exercise performance and sport. A systematic review” by Michael C Kennedy “THC does not enhance aerobic exercise or strength.” And the Sika lads seem to agree, cannabis is not specifically a performance enhancing substance.
But is weed specifically bad for performance, strength and conditioning? That’s where things get cloudy.
Kennedy mentioned a paper reviewed found “exercise induced asthma was shown to be inhibited” when participants used cannabis. It’s certainly easier to train when you’re not gasping in an asthmatic fit. However it might be too hard to train if you’re too high. Novice users didn’t seem helped, as “some subjects could not complete an exercise protocol because adverse reactions caused by cannabis.”
You can be justifiably skeptical of constant claims of CBD as a cure-all miracle for every athletic ailment, but should be equally skeptical of any coach or trainer who hasn’t researched cannabis as a source of amino acids, which are vital to recovery and performance.
Kennedy’s research should also be viewed with some skepticism, as it unquestioningly included a reported effect of cannabis use as “sudden death“. No study identified cultivar or chemovar information. It was unclear if studies properly excluded the use of tobacco. The performance of the meta-analysis may not have alpha strength.
With or without flower power, crossing your peak potential will still be up to you. However you want to test it.
For more information on marijuana, work up a sweat with POT.TV.
