The majority of elite athletes have a tried and tested routine for speeding up muscle recovery. Popular methods include ice plunging, drinking tart cherry juice and foam rolling. But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to experience the aches and pains of muscle soreness after overuse.
An intense workout at the gym, a long hike or even just a day of DIY or garden work can trigger this all-too-familiar tenderness. A good post workout routine can set you up for success, but most people are either too busy or don’t have access to the resources needed to help kick start the recovery process.
Thankfully, there are a few quick and simple actions you can take before and after a workout that can help you to boost resilience and may even allow you to increase the intensity of your workout.
Since governing bodies around the world removed CBD from their banned substances lists, CBD therapy products have been growing in popularity for athletes looking for a natural way to tackle muscle soreness and improve their sense of wellbeing.
Applying CBD to your skin after a workout and including it as part of your post-workout massage routine is one incredibly effective way to avoid muscle soreness. CBD therapy is also effective for addressing sore muscles and reducing recovery time.
In this guide, we’re exploring the role of CBD in muscle recovery and how you can develop a post-workout routine that will set you up for success.
Understanding CBD and Muscle Recovery
Before we can understand how to fix muscle soreness, we first have to understand what causes it. Strenuous exercise leads to small tears in the muscle fibres. The body quickly gets to work repairing these small tears, increasing the size and mass of the muscle fibres through protein synthesis. In weightlifting terms, this process is known as hypertrophy.
This process is how regular training helps to increase muscle strength. Part of the repair process involves an inflammatory response at the site of the damage. When the body is accustomed to exercise, it can manage this inflammatory process, but when the muscle strain comes as a surprise (or the muscles are overworked) this can lead to something known as DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness.
You might feel fine immediately after your workout, and even the day after your workout, but the inflammation will soon catch up to you. It’s usually around day two that the muscles become sore and weak. You might even feel a loss of mobility. To avoid this, it’s essential to anticipate the DOMS with a post-workout routine that helps to combat inflammation.
This is where CBD for muscle recovery can be a gamechanger for athletes and those starting up a new workout routine. CBD pain relief can be incorporated into your post-workout exercises to help reduce and even eliminate DOMS.
This is all thanks to the role the endocannabinoid system plays in inflammatory responses. Inflammation is designed to protect us from injury and to promote healing, but sometimes it can be counter-productive to our fitness goals. Using CBD pain relief before and after a workout could set you on a path to a faster recovery.
What do the Experts Say On CBD Therapy?
CBD research is still in its infancy – the compound was only discovered in 1940. As such, research is still somewhat thin and limited. One review states, “Although there is evidence that suggests some beneficial properties such as anxiolytics, antidepressants, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidants among others, the evidence presented so far is neither clear nor conclusive.”
In medical speak, this is neither here nor there. So while early research points to the potential for CBD to be used in athletic recovery, it’s the anecdotal evidence from our customers that we turn to for confirmation.
On our Hot Gel, one customer said, “If you've got aches or pains from playing rugby like I do, get yourself some of this for the kitbag and thank me later! Works miracles on every application.”
For our Ice Gel, another customer writes, “So good for cooling down after a hard workout and I love that it can be used on a hyper-local area instead of jumping in a full-body ice bath - brrrr!”
These reviews are just the tip of the iceberg and we invite you to read the full range of reviews to see if these products could work for your needs. Head here for further reading on CBD for pain relief.
HEMPE Gym Set Combo: A Closer Look
For those thinking about adding CBD into their post workout exercises, we recommend the HEMPE Gym Set Combo. This starter pack includes everything you need to address muscle soreness and to firm up the skin. This set is perfectly aligned with a wide range of fitness and aesthetic goals.
HEMPE Hot Gel
Comparable to warming products like deep heat, our Hot Muscle And Joint Gel is the secret weapon for athletic recovery. It produces a pleasant warming effect when applied to the skin that provides relief from joint and muscle aches. This can be used before a workout to prepare the muscles for movement, or it can form part of your post workout routine to help facilitate a more comfortable recovery.
HEMPE Ice Gel
Alongside heat therapy, ice therapy is also well-documented as an effective method for post-workout recovery. But before you start filling your bathtub with ice, consider this much more portable solution. Ice Muscle And Joint Gel contains cooling ingredients that help to inhibit inflammation, making it highly effective for the days after an intense workout when you might be feeling the discomfort.
HEMPE Firming and Toning Gel
Post workout recovery is not only about comfort; for many people, it’s also about achieving your aesthetic goals. Weight loss and changes in your body composition can result in skin that feels less firm and toned. The HEMPE Firming and Toning Gel contains a range of skin-friendly ingredients, including our patented ISO-SLIM COMPLEX™ to help improve elasticity in the skin, resulting in a toned appearance.
Adding CBD to your Pre-Workout Routine
Preventative measures at the start of your workout could help to better prepare your muscles, joints and tendons for a workout. This can reduce the likelihood that you will cause an injury after periods of inactivity.
This isn’t an alternative to a warmup but can facilitate a better warmup. We recommend massaging the HEMPE Hot Gel into muscles and joints before a workout to get your body ready for movement. This is great for outdoor workouts where you might be feeling the effects of the elements more acutely.
Adding CBD to Your Post-Workout Routine
Your workout routine should always include a cool-down exercise followed by stretching. This is one of the most effective ways to prevent soreness. It can also reduce the likelihood of having stiff joints or muscle weakness.
Massage and foam rolling is also a great way to remove lactic acid and other toxins from the muscles to help facilitate a smooth recovery. Next, you can add HEMPE Ice Gel into your massage routine to replicate the effects of a cold plunge, without having to step foot near an ice bath.
To address aesthetic concerns, you can then apply HEMPE Firming and Toning Gel to problem areas that might be damaging your confidence. It’s perfect for areas where you might like to see tighter skin.
Alternative Treatment Options
We mentioned above the comparison between deep heat and deep freeze style products. It’s true that you could reach for these conventional products to achieve a heating or cooling effect. Likewise, there are toning and firming skin care products available such as the HEMPE Firming and Toning Gel.
The key thing to remember is that our products not only offer a cooling or warming effect. They also contain CBD which helps to support the endocannabinoid system (ECS). When the endocannabinoid system is dysfunctional, this can wreak havoc with your body’s ability to maintain homeostasis.
Since appropriate inflammation responses are controlled by the ECS, this is why we recommend CBD-based products for post-workout exercises and recovery.
The Final Word on Post-Workout Recovery
You don’t have to live with pain after a workout. To get on top of this condition, the first step is often to learn how to listen to your body. Being in tune with how your body responds to exercise is a great place to start.
Next, you should develop a healthy post-workout routine that prioritises efficient recovery. What this includes will all depend on the type of training and the target muscles.
Agile athletes like runners and endurance hikers will need to focus on lower body recovery, while weightlifters will need to think about full-body recovery. Following a workout split can help to make your training more efficient by allowing you to workout different muscle groups while other parts of the body recover.
Finally, by adding CBD muscle rub into your workout routine, you can enjoy a more efficient recovery. These products are also ideal for those returning to exercise after a break to help manage the pain associated with starting a new workout routine.