injury or strenuous exercise. In addition, this cannabinoid
interacts with your body’s ECS and endogenous cannabinoids
to encourage a natural balance of homeostasis, supporting your
body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment.
So what benefits can CBD have for an athlete? Among
others, it can:
n Speed up recovery time of your tissues, nerves, and bones
n Reduce pain and inflammation both during and post
exercise
n Improve mood and reduce stress to help fight anxiety or
depression
n Decrease feelings of nausea during and after exercise
n Regulate the sleep cycle by relaxing and sedating without
causing drowsiness
With such a banging list of benefits - and public opinion
finally moving away from confusing CBD with THC - it’s no
surprise that more and more professional athletes have started
openly supporting and promoting the use of CBD in sports.
WHICH ATHLETES USE CBD?
CBD is booming, and by now many pro athletes have made the
switch and added CBD to their workout routines. They’re openly
endorsing CBD, calling all you gym-goers out there to jump on
the CBD train and take your exercising to the next level.
George Kruis and Dominic Day - teammates at Saracens -
take cannabis oils, balms, and capsules to help them recover
after a rugby match, and to help them stay fit before the next
one. They used to take prescription pills and painkillers to pull
them through their tiresome training sessions and matches, but
they’ve now converted to CBD instead.
Another famous CBD enthusiast from the UK is
Peterborough’s Rob Taylor, the seven-time world kickboxing
champion. Just like Kruis and Day, Taylor is a top-level athlete in
a physically intense contact sport. For professional athletes like
this, pain is always part of the game, and they often can’t cope
without prescription pills and painkillers.
CBD replaces those medications, as it helps their muscle
recovery, eases their aches, takes down inflammation, and
soothes the pain. Whether used during or post-workout, its
benefits help them stay on top of their game and quickly get
back on the field or in the ring.
But, contact sports like these aren’t the only areas where
athletes have started reaping the benefits of CBD products.
From track-running to swimming: athletes in all areas are
turning to CBD for relieve.
Take UK Drug Free Bodybuilding Association (UKDFBA)
champion, Kieran Kevan. This natural bodybuilding champion
has often spoken up about his use of CBD products for physical
recovery, and how CBD helps him with stress and anxiety.THE RIGHT FORM OF CBD FOR YOU
So how does one take CBD? Well, luckily for you, you don’t have
to put it in your pipe and smoke it. There are loads of different
forms of CBD on the market, giving you loads of options to
choose from.
The best-known form is probably CBD oil. You can use it by
taking a drop of this oil under your tongue, but if you don’t like
the sound of that you can also add it to your morning smoothie,
pre-workout shake, or basically whatever food or drink you like.
For a more targeted application, you can get a CBD recovery
balm, which you can rub on your muscles and joints directly. A
balm can be an excellent alternative for people with a more
localised pain or muscle soreness.
These two are the most common forms of CBD, but like with
many supplements, manufacturers have gone wild, and they’ve
now started producing CBD in all styles and shapes. From
capsules to edibles (CBD gummies are a thing...), plus they’ve
been mixing it up with other supplements to try to make even
more magic happen.
Take the power-pairing of CBD plus branched-chain amino
acids (BCAAs). The latter you’ve probably heard of before as
well. Your body doesn’t naturally produce these amino acids,
but when supplemented they have been shown to help you
build muscle while relieving some of the muscle soreness as
well.
Paired with CBD, you get a full-strength formula both
stimulating muscle-growth and helping your muscles recover
faster after a workout.WHERE TO BUY CBD
Ok, by now you might be thinking; so all the pros are in on it, it’s
legal in the UK, you don’t need a prescription for it or anything,
and everybody seems to be raving about it... So where do I go
and get this stuff?
With CBD all over the news at the moment (even Kim
Kardashian got in on it with her CBD-themed babyshower...),
it’s easier than ever to get your hands on it. For one, just going
for a walk on the high street you’ll see big names like Boots and
Holland & Barrett now advertising CBD products.GET 30% OFF YOUR CBD PRODUCTS!
Exclusively for Muscle & Fitness readers, you can get your
CBD products today at cbdmuscle.com with a 30% discount!
Just choose the form of CBD that fits your needs and gets
30% off if you use code MF30. cbdmuscle.comJULY 2019/MUSCLE & FITNESS 85