CBD Recovery and Training

Athletes train extensively to maximise results, utilising a variety of methods to recover from their intense training sessions. Athletes have been using saunas, cold water and several other techniques to improve their own recovery for years with food supplementation and intake viewed as pivotal by most athletes in the recovery phase of training.

Recovery is essential for an athlete, and in recent years, we have witnessed the rise of cannabinoids as a supplement for individuals attempting to improve their recovery through CBD, but why?

Well, an athlete can train the perfect programme for their sport, do everything to perfection in the gym as well as with their nutrition, but they will fail to maximise their results without proper recovery. Recovery plays a key role in the development of an athlete and is considered one of the three pillars for performance, alongside training and nutrition. 

After a training session, regardless of your level, you are likely to feel sore. Some people are sore immediately, others may see it 48-72 hours later; this is known as delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS).[1] 

CBD and its role as an anti-inflammatory and pain regulator is now the focus of thousands of studies worldwide, which can reduce our DOMS to allow us maximise our training days once again.[2]

If an athlete trains frequently, their ability to recover decreases as there is less time spent allowing the muscles to heal after each training session. Therefore, for sports where an athlete only has 1-2 rest days per week, using CBD oil for pain relief & recovery can be key for the athlete to get the best out of their performance the next training day.

CBD recovery can be achieved through a variety of methods, from CBD muscle rubs to CBD gummies to CBD oils and more.

How does CBD improve recovery? CBD interacts with the body via its endocannabinoid system (ECS), essentially a system that modules several processes in the body including pain regulation, inflammation, and sleep cycle. All three of which play a key part in the recovery process.[3]

CBD can assist an athlete in the recovery process by binding to receptors in the endocannabinoid system, alongside the naturally occurring endogenous signals produced by the body. The binding of these receptors is linked to the reduction of pain and inflammation response which can in turn aid an athlete in the recovery process of their day-to-day schedule.[4]

The ability for such athletes to recover more efficiently means they will be capable of performing to a higher standard in their next session. This is so important for high performance sports, e.g. CrossFit, where even on a training day targeting the lower body, you may still include upper body muscle groups throughout the session.

One important question: is it legal for athletes?

Yes, as of 2018 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances in or out of competition. [5]

This means athletes can reap the rewards of CBD by reducing inflammation and recover more efficiently so they can go even harder when training or in the competition. At Vita Botanica, we decided to make it even more efficient by adding Curcumin, the main active ingredient in Turmeric, to one of our CBD oils. Curcumin is regarded as a natural anti-inflammatory, thereby increasing the potential and effectiveness of CBD in reducing inflammation for your recovery phase of training.[6]

Recovery is vital for high performance athletes, for example in the case of CrossFit, a sport that is based around functional fitness where multiple movements and fitness categories are tested, such as powerlifting, weightlifting, gymnastics. With the potential aid of CBD recovery oils and balms, they may not only improve your chances of recovery, but enable optimal performance the next day too.

References:

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12617692/

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33004159/

[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19675519/

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5922297/

[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/10/05/while-marijuana-remains-banned-wada-reverses-course-on-hemp-derived-compound-cbd/

[6] https://www.vita-botanica.com/collections/frontpage/products/1000mg-curcumin-nano-cbd-oil