Cannabidiol: How Does CBD Impact Muscle Building
Seems like only yesterday I‘d never heard of CBD. Now I never enter an establishment without being visually assaulted with CBD advertising.
It even penetrates my podcast listening experience.
Clearly CBD will be here for a while.
Astounding how brands straddle their surfboards and ride a wave. But what exactly is this magical substance? And more importantly what does it mean for muscle growth and fat loss?
In this article you’ll: what CBD is, the stated benefits, potential side effects, how it impacts hypertrophy, and best practices for use.
SECTIONS:
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What Is CBD
Cannabidiol is the name, shortened to CBD because 3 syllables are better than 5 😆. It‘s one of the many cannabinoids produced by the cannabis family, one of the more popular ones being hemp.
CBD is similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), yet it lacks the “high” effect you get from THC usage.
THC is a psychoactive, leaving your cognitive function altered. CBD isn’t that.
As a non-psychoactive you will experience no impact on cognitive activity when dabbling in the CBD realm, which is a selling point for the average Joe.
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Luckily CBD doesn’t lead to the munchies
Benefits Of CBD
(Alleged)
Alleged is a key word since anecdotal evidence is the bulk of what we have at this point in CBD research. There are only few studies to state concretely what CBD does or doesn’t do for the average Joe or Jane.
Certain subjective findings could be placebo, however CBD may help with everything from joint pain to muscle aches to anxiety to cancer and even epilepsy.
Epilepsy is the most promising department that’ll benefit from CBD use, for the FDA approved the medication epidiolex.. making it the first approved CBD medication. [2]
Having an approved medication tells me more evidence of CBD’s verified list of benefits will be revealed in the near future.
One of CBD’s touted anecdotal benefits we will spend time on is its potential anti-inflammatory properties.
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What You Should Know Before Trying CBD
“Nearly every expert…agreed that your CBD products should be tested by a third party to confirm the label's accuracy. This is a real concern in the industry—take the 2017 journal of the American medical association study, for example, which tested 84 CBD products and found that 26% contained lower doses than stated on the bottle. Look for a quality assurance stamp or certificate of analysis from a third party (aka not the actual brand) or check the retailer's website if you don't see it on the product's label.” [2]
Now the good stuff:
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What Does CBD Do To Muscles
Say it with me, “anec-dotal evi-dence”.. The hearsay is pretty strong about reducing workout-induced muscle soreness. Same with joint pain, many have praised its pain management effects, which if true could bode well for arthritic patients. Talked about outcomes have come from both topical and oral application.
Lack of study is the biggest yield sign with CBD. So impact on muscle growth is not quite dug into, yet. I would hypothesize that if it indeed expedites the natural process of workout-induced inflammation healing.. It will deter your body from giving worked muscles the attention they deserve.
You lift weights, muscle tissue is torn, the tissue becomes inflamed, and your body responds by rebuilding this area stronger than before. The goal is to prepare you to handle a similar stimulus if it were to reoccur. Artificially speeding this up would prevent you from maximal muscle growth.
Not saying it would prevent muscle growth, yet you would undercut yourself to an extent. Similar to the influence nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have, like ibuprofen on hypertrophy (muscle growth).
Still if joint pain is bad enough, I would risk muscle optimization, since the pain would prevent giving your best effort on the weights anyhow. I recommend against CBD if solely for post workout soreness.
Note: there is a potential caveat at play.
CBD differs from NSAIDs in that CBD acts on your endocannabinoid system for reducing inflammation, unlike NSAIDs, but I would bet the impression is comparable. We are also not fully schooled on how the endocannabinoid system operates, nevertheless it seems to be like a commander sending soldiers in the direction of a red flag, so they can correct the situation.
”In the 1990’s, scientists discovered endocannabinoids, the natural cannabis-like molecules produced by the human body. Scientists began to realize cannabis exerted its effects, in part, by mimicking our endocannabinoids. It appears the main function of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain bodily homeostasis—biological harmony in response to changes in the environment.” [3]
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How To Use CBD
CBD comes in many forms: oils, edibles, creams, ointments, vape pens, and tinctures. The main disparities are how quickly it takes action and for how long you will experience the effects.
Suggesting dosage is rough with CBD because the market is highly unregulated. Try only using products tested by a third, unaffiliated party for better accuracy, and start small. To complicate things, each person will experience effects to varying degrees. So, see how small doses impact you and adjust accordingly. In all reviews I considered side effects were little to none, so general risk is low.
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My Thoughts
If you’re a living, breathing adult there’s a high percentage chance you weave in and out of back pain trouble. If you’re interested in not-so-invasive ways to take a crack at alleviating pain in the meantime while you work on long term back pain prevention.. a CBD intervention may hold you over.
To piggyback on the the lumbar pain epidemic - your wrists may benefit from this treatment, as well, Still there are ways to work on keeping the wrist pain from persisting long-term.
So, It’s About That Time
There you have it, a bunch of maybe and possibly. CBD is still relatively new in the research world, but hopefully this cannabinoid will bring us more info shortly. If you give it a shot, let me know how it goes. I’m curious about how you respond. Remember to check your state laws, put those muscles to use, check labels, and Be Great.
Sources:
[1] livescience.com/amp/65811-what-is-cbd.html
[2] health.com/condition/pain/what-is-cbd
[3] uclahealth.org/cannabis/human-endocannabinoid-system