40 runners smoked weed before using treadmill to see impact of smoking on exercise
A study saw 40 runners smoke weed before using a treadmill in order to try and measure the impact smoking has on exercise.
There are contradicting assumptions about what happens when you mix cannabis and exercise, as while it is actually considered to be a performance-enhancing drug, it is also strongly believed to make people lazy and sleepy.
There is no direct evidence to prove recreational cannabis use will improve athletic performance, but researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) were convinced that smoking weed would make exercise more enjoyable - and set out to find out if this is true.
What did the study require of the runners?
A set of 42 healthy, adult runners - who all identified as regular cannabis users - ran on a treadmill at a moderate pace for 30 minutes while scientists monitored their physical and mental state before, during and after the bout of exercise.
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A second experiment saw participants able to choose to use either THC or CBD products before embarking on another 30-minute run.
The effects of smoking weed before exercising
The research revealed that while smoking weed won't directly enhance athletic performance, it can make exercise seem more enjoyable, and running high was more enjoyable for participants in contrast to running sober.
"The bottom-line finding is that cannabis before exercise seems to increase positive mood and enjoyment during exercise, whether you use THC or CBD," says psychologist Laurel Gibson from UCB.
"But THC products specifically may make exercise feel more effortful."
Heather Mashhoudi, an ultra-runner who took part in the study, spoke about the feeling she experiences when running while high and how it compares to a natural 'runner's high'.
"When I run for a really long time, and I get kind of tired and just worn out, this thing kicks in where it makes the colours brighter and it makes my thoughts clearer. It makes me more emotionally attuned.
"That's how I feel when I run 30 plus miles. Then, when I use cannabis, and I run, I get to feel that at a less intense mileage," she said in UCB's YouTube clip about the study.
However, those who used THC did find exercising slightly harder compared to participants who used CBD products.
THC, also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound in cannabis responsible for its psychoactive effects and CBD, or cannabidiol, is a compound that gives muscle-relaxing or anti-inflammatory effects.
However, scientists insisted it is not recommended to use THC or CBD before exercise as there could still be potential side effects and consequences to health.
In the experiment, participants who used THC displayed an increased heart rate before beginning running.
There is also still plenty to be explored when it comes to mixing exercise and smoking weed, with neuroscientist Angela Bryan - also part of the UCB research team - warnign that it is 'too early to make broad recommendations'.
UCB's study, published in Sports Medicine, was not randomised due to ethical considerations and dosage given to participants was not regulated.
Bryan said it is 'pretty clear from our research that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug' though the team acknowledged that more thorough methods would be needed to test these observations in the future.
Danni King