Marijuana's effects on athletic performance

**fightclubfreak7** · Posted On: 12/22/2011 10:08pm

Yes, I used the search feature, I saw this has been discussed in the past, but I'm still hungry for more information, and I think it's an interesting discussion.

http://espn.go.com/special/s/drugsandsports/mari.html

^ above is a fairly good article on this topic, however it doesn't seem like this is something that has been tested thoroughly. If anyone has links to any real research that has been done please post it here.
I'm a weed smoker and I also train or workout nearly every day so I feel I'm fairly in touch with how it effects my performance. I avoid smoking before training, although I have done it before. I think there are some possible benefits to being high during a laid back technique based jujitsu session as it sometimes helps me discover something new and helps me to relax a bit. That said it definitely worsens by cardiovascular endurance and I would never smoke before hard fight training or before competition. In fact I notice my cardio improves after a few days of not smoking at all and all the flem is cleared out of my lungs and throat.
In conclusion my opinion is that smoking marijuana will worsen cardiovascular strength, as smoking anything is bad for the lungs. I am unsure about decreased reaction, although I wouldn't smoke before stand up sparring. Lastly, while I'm aware weed definitely doesn't do much to help me as an athlete, I do it anyway and I would much rather train the next morning having smoked the night before as opposed to drinking, even if it was as few as 3 drinks. I'm curious to hear other peoples experiences, and hopefully someone has some access to real research.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 12/22/2011 10:24pm

Curious as to why you think you're in touch with how smoking affects your training; you say that you smoke every day, but if you don't take extended periods of not smoking, can you really make an honest judgement about how it affects you?

**fightclubfreak7** · Posted On: 12/22/2011 11:19pm

Either I worded my post badly or you misinterpreted me. I said "

I'm a weed smoker and I also train or workout nearly every day so I feel I'm fairly in touch with how it effects my performance."

I do not smoke every day, but I do train about 6 days per week. I also mentioned in my post that I can quickly feel an improvement in my cardio after only a few days of not smoking. I probably smoke more than I should though, perhaps if I took longer breaks like a period of several months I would notice even more differences.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 12/22/2011 11:54pm

Originally Posted by fightclubfreak7

Either I worded my post badly or you misinterpreted me. I said "

I'm a weed smoker and I also train or workout nearly every day so I feel I'm fairly in touch with how it effects my performance."

I do not smoke every day, but I do train about 6 days per week. I also mentioned in my post that I can quickly feel an improvement in my cardio after only a few days of not smoking. I probably smoke more than I should though, perhaps if I took longer breaks like a period of several months I would notice even more differences.

Thanks for the clarification.

From my specific experience, pot is something that I most frequently encounter (and have occasionally indulged in) while golfing. I'm not sure why somebody somewhere thought that golf and pot go together; but, they did. The result for me, consistent scores over 100 and many more lost balls. But, I don't seem to get as upset about a poor score. I can't think of a time that I smoked within 48 hours of training. But, I've always felt "normal," within about 6 hours.

Still, the heart thump is kinda scary if you think about it, and I detest cotton mouth. I much prefer, and regularly do, drink. I find that days after I drink, I need 1-2 more liters of water to achieve proper hydration before training.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 3:01am

I heard somewhere its good to be stoned when rolling. So I tried it the other week.(mma groundwork and no-gi grappling).
Maybe if I weren't still such a noob it would've been O.K., but my thinking was too slow. I'd get into a compromising position more often and be too slow, or unable to think of the solution to the problem.
And then the obvious one- toward the end of 4 x 5min rounds my shitty cardio was showing a fair bit more than usual. I felt like I was drowning and being stoned made it that little bit extra horrible.

**Rudenoodle** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 9:50am

I use Marijuana regularly and I am a very active runner and never had any problems because of it, in fact the first time a ran twenty miles I did it with a decent buzz after taking a couple hits from my bowl before I left. I've also rolled stoned as well as sober and noticed no diffrence in my perfomance. The guys I could normally tap got tapped by me and the guys that steam roll me were still able to do it.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 2:04pm

Originally Posted by Rudenoodle

The thread is about marijuana use guy, you serious?

And you say TS has impaired common sense?

Haha! Aint it cute!?Teeheehee,.
I've been a daily smoker more than half my life with a fair few breaks(before fights). The better I got - the steeper the competition - the further out from a fight I'd have to quit. When it comes to hardcore fitness and competing against dangerous guys I can say pot is a major handicap, and makes anaerobic training a real bitch.

**Rudenoodle** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 3:13pm

What exactly is the mechnism in thc that makes you less explosive? I've never heard of this. How did your fights go?

**fightclubfreak7** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 6:46pm

Does anyone use a vaporizer regularly? It seems to be much better for the lungs but I imagine it still causes some damage.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 12/23/2011 7:24pm

Originally Posted by Rudenoodle

What exactly is the mechnism in thc that makes you less explosive? I've never heard of this. How did your fights go?

I've never heard of it. I wasn't really lacking in that department(untill I gassed).
Most of the guys I competed against saw an 8 count, in rounds 1,3,4&5. Stopped 3.(1ko2tko) Had 11wins 2 losses 2 draws kickboxing and mostly fought decent guys who also had state/Aussie titles. Also a couple boxing, various martial art matches, and created a few pot holes. All mostly wins or hard fought losses.
I had a fairly busy fight style so my fitness level was usually on par (sometimes better) than my peers, but man I had to work extra hard for it.
I actually started fighting to get off the ****, and 11 years later here I am- going to give it another go. Only this time I might stay off it for a few years.
It's the only thing that seems to work, quit or get bashed in front of everyone.
Who said violence is never the answer?!