Should athletes be using CBD?

Cannabidiol, most commonly known as CBD, is widely available as edibles, tinctures, gummies, capsules, candies, vaping oils and as topicals; skincare creams, muscle balms or cooling gels. It might sound surprising but pro and semi-pro athletes have been using CBD for quite a few years now. Cannabidiol has gained its popularity across sportspeople since WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) removed it from the prohibited substances list in 2018. This means the use of CBD products are allowed within sports and competitions regulated by this organisation.

So, should athletes use CBD oil?

It depends. If they are happy with their current vitality and performance there is no need to implement a new supplement into their (inevitably well-balanced) diet. However, the demanding lifestyles of those doing competitive sports are often linked with joint swelling, muscle pain, stress and poor sleep quality. For that reason, many sportspeople have already chosen to use Cannabidiol orally and as a topical.

Why do sportspeople use CBD oil?

Research has found promising benefits of CBD in treating anxiety, improving recovery, reducing pain and promoting better sleep patterns. As a sportsperson, you know that participating in intense workouts can often lead to straining yourself. Overtraining occurs when too much physical training is performed with inadequate recovery time. Your muscles, joints and bones exposed to physical stressors become sore, inflamed and fatigued. When seeking effective relief from these symptoms you will find that many suppliers offer CBD as a cure for multiple symptoms. It’s fair to say that CBD can help alleviate many conditions. It is a food supplement, not a drug and precautions should be always taken, especially if you are on medication. More and more athletes claim that CBD oil helped them to significantly improve their wellbeing and performance. Benefits such as pain reduction, sleep improvement and eased inflammation were recently mentioned (14.07.21) by some well-known International Rugby players (Finn Russel, Jim Hamilton, Jerome Kaino) in a BBC interview.

Pain management is one of the most daunting issues that pro sportspeople have to deal with. Prescription pain medication such as opioids can lead to addiction and health issues that many famous athletes have battled to overcome. To avoid those unpleasant side effects a new generation of sportspeople started looking for something more natural and equally effective to help with discomfort. Enter CBD – a revolutionary product in sports that can help the overloaded endocannabinoid system get back under control. This means it does not only improve physical vitality but also improves mental wellbeing. Besides muscle pain, active people often suffer from joint inflammation caused by the amount of pressure they put on them. Research suggests that CBD can also alleviate chronic and acute inflammation* by affecting activity in the body’s endocannabinoid receptor which makes it an exceptional recovery aid. A growth in popularity, especially in sports, comes from the great potency this plant-based supplement offers.

CBD isolate, broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD, which one is good for an athlete?

Professional athletes who undergo regular drug testing should always look for pure CBD isolates, as some other products in the market might contain traces of banned substances such as THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). It’s also important to look for appropriately labelled products and check their certificates that prove their quality. CBD oil is safe and legal to consume and its usage will not show up on banned substance testing. If you are ready to try and see what CBD can do for you we offer 4 different strengths to fit perfectly into any regime; 1000mg CBD oil, 1500mg CBD oil, 2000mg CBD oil and 300mg CBD capsules. If you are unsure which strength to go for, read our guide to CBD oil here.

Multiple benefits of Cannabidiol are becoming increasingly noticeable, while active people have long since known these and introduced CBD into their sports regime. The decision of WADA to remove Cannabidiol from its prohibited substances list definitely increased its popularity and the most astonishing part of that is that professional athletes can finally use CBD to enhance their performance, boost recovery, ease pain and inflammation in a natural way.