marijuana

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jediracer

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okay, couple things first. yes, i did a search, but no current threads answered my question. also, i am not interested in people's opinions on whether marijuana is morally okay or not. i'm also not interested in people's subjective opinions on whether or not marijuana is "bad" for you physically or mentally. everyone has an opinion and opinions are usually strong when dealing with subjects such as this. i don't care about opinions, i'm looking for hard facts and personal experiences.

so here's the deal. i've used marijuana regularly for about 10 years now. i work out 5 days a week, which involves running roughly 60 miles (per week) and intense circuit training and weight lifting. i ran my first marathon last june (grandma's) with a pretty decent time of 5:15.

this bring me to my actual question. i occasionally smoke marijuana after working out and/or running. (never before or during.) does anyone know if doing so decreases muscle recovery time? it feels as if my muscles become more relaxed much quicker than if i don't get high after. or is there a negative effect in that it lowers your metabolism therefore making it so you burn less calories after working out than you would normally?

are there any informed people out there with insight into this?
 
I believe there isn't a lot of info to be found on this issue (although I'm sure it's out there if you look hard enough). All judgements aside, that is probably because most people who are into fitness are generally not into drugs, so there isn't much demand for research regarding the effects of recreational drugs on fitness performance.

(yes, I am aware that there are always exceptions - I'm speaking in terms of overall)

There is also, of course, the obvious, that your cardiorespiratory endurance (although good) would improve if you weren't smoking anything.
 
I'm unaware of any studies on its effects with muscle recovery.

I have seen studies trying to show it lowers testosterone, but they seemed inconclusive.
 
I'd say moderation is the key. I like the wonderful plants myself as well. once a week is the key. Think of it as a cheat meal.
 
Hmm from what I have read in recent medical literature, there is some subjective evidence that marajuana when used in MS patients does provide relief of painful muscle spasms. They have stated that this is not measureable, but in light of the disease process should be considered as a treatment option. I do believe that may be similar to what you describe since after a tough run your legs would have tight muscles. It think that in most cases using cannabis while exercising is more of a safety issue (since you say you only smoke after exercise it is not your issue), plus it slows you down mentally. The testosterone levels from what I have read may be impaired, but we don't see that many young men running around with breasts so it can't be that significant. I hope this helps answer your questions. I think the literature is likely to be lacking due to regulations in sports etc. It would definately be an interesting study.
 
missyv said:
from what I have read in recent medical literature, there is some subjective evidence that marajuana when used in MS patients does provide relief of painful muscle spasms.
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yes, my father-in-law has ms (pretty severe at this point) and this is what his doctor told him. which is what prompted my initial question about recovery time after running/working out.

thank you everyone for the intelligent and mature replies.
 
I've also seen the great oak Arnold Schwarzeneggar smoking a fattie back in the day, as it helped them get the appetite to eat 5000 calories a day.
 
The thing I haven't heard mentioned yet which avoids the moral issue, evades the question, but is more important:

Why would you want to put impure air into your lungs, when you are trying to improve your body?

I don't care if it is herb, cigs, or campfire smoke. -Putting anything in lungs that you try to improve efficiency of by working out is just plain non-sensical from a health standpoint.

You cannot eliminate this point as you state you would like to, because it ties to your muscles. If they cannot get oxygen and blood flow in enough quantities, YES recovery is affected.

In short, you need to EXPAND lung capacity and efficiency, not clog it up with smoke. The effects of the chemical properties are one thing, but impure air is another.

-And you RUN?

When the heart and lungs are burdened with extremes like you are putting them through, my opinion is that you are asking for not just the common muscles to have problems, but the organs including the heart (which are muscular as well) are looking at recovery problems too. -And you can pretty much visualize the ramifications of that.
 
ShaftedTwice said:
Actually, Hawk had great points, he was simply stating facts relative to lung health, not his opinion on it.
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I agree, at the end he did state an opinion, but the points he made in his post was not biased. just because its not what you wanted to hear, doesnt make it invalid
 
It all depends how much ur smoking.
If your getting waisted then yeah, the carbon monoxide in your blood basicly kills off the oxygen. Oxygen plays a massive part in muscle recovery so it will effect you.


I'd advise smoking blunts rather than joints so your not getting the crap from the tobacco.

also, many many people drink beer after a workout which is prob worse.
(and before anyone comments on that im talking about a few beers or more, not just one)
 
manofkent said:
I'd advise smoking blunts rather than joints so your not getting the crap from the tobacco.
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I heard in Europe, people roll tobacco in their joints to cut it and make it easier to smoke. Thats not common practice in the US (im a former pothead).
 
shafted & junk - thank you for your replies but you are steering the discussion exactly where i did not want it to go. my original question deals with the effects of marijuana, not the effects of smoke in your lungs. (smoking isn't the only way to use marijuana either, by the way.)

i'm sure you honestly believe those statements posted by hawk to be true. but i'm not here to debate that. you believe what you believe, i believe what i believe. i'm not here to change your perspective, and you're not going to change mine. please accept the fact that we have different viewpoints on the matter and move on with your life.
 
jediracer said:
i occasionally smoke marijuana after working out and/or running.
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how is this not dealing with effects of smoke in your lungs? If you had said you ate marijuana, then maybe you can discredit his claims. but you asked for the effects of what you are doing on recovery and he gave it to you.
 
please understand that i am in no way trying to discredit anybody's claims. that was not my intent. thank you.

i apoligize if i was not clear in my original post. but i am not interested debating the adverse effects of smoking marijuana. i am merely interested in what, if any, the effects of marijuana's active ingredient (that would be thc) are on muscle recovery.
 
jediracer said:
please understand that i am in no way trying to discredit anybody's claims. that was not my intent. thank you.

i apoligize if i was not clear in my original post. but i am not interested debating the adverse effects of smoking marijuana. i am merely interested in what, if any, the effects of marijuana's active ingredient (that would be thc) are on muscle recovery.
Click to expand...

Cool, I misunderstood.
 
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