Weed and cardio: Does cannabis affect aerobic performance?

Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, is any type of movement that increases your heart rate and rate of breathing. It’s also called aerobic exercise.

Popular forms of cardio include:

• Running
• Brisk walking
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Jump rope
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

Doing cardio for at least 150 minutes per week offers several health benefits, including:

• Improved mood
• Improved cognitive skills, such as memory and concentration
• Lower risk of heart disease and stroke

Some individuals find that using cannabis before, during, or after cardio workouts gives them certain benefits, such as increased motivation or pain relief.

Does smoking weed affect cardio fitness?

Research suggests smoking cannabis is associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes, with the association being strongest for people who smoke cannabis frequently.

That said, there isn’t conclusive evidence on cannabis’s effects on cardio fitness or exercise performance. According to a review article, the small studies that have examined these effects in healthy individuals do not show consistent results.

In the short term, smoking cannabis does temporarily affect blood pressure and heart rate, but it’s not clear how this impacts cardio fitness over time or performance during a single workout.

It’s possible that non-inhaled forms of cannabis, like edibles or tinctures, may be better for cardio fitness in the long term, but more studies are needed on this topic.

Certain cannabinoids, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), have been shown to offer benefits for physical fitness and recovery more generally. Individuals report greater focus and enjoyment of exercise, higher exercise-related motivation, and benefits for pain management.

However, some athletes also report side effects from cannabis that can interfere with exercise, such as dizziness and a fast heartbeat.

Benefits of pairing weed and cardio

Cannabis may offer some benefits to your cardio workout, such as:

• Improved focus and motivation
• More enjoyment during exercise
• Lower pain levels and inflammation

Is it safe?

Cannabis is generally considered safe. However, it can still cause some side effects that may interfere with your cardio routine.

These side effects include:

• Dry mouth
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Fast heartbeat
• Impairment
• Confusion
• Anxiety or paranoia

You may be more likely to feel these side effects if you consume cannabis products with high amounts of THC.

Consider taking low doses of THC between 3 and 5 milligrams or opting for high-CBD, low-THC products.

The potential long-term negative effects of cannabis on heart health shouldn’t be overlooked. If you have a heart condition, speak with your doctor before combining cannabis and cardio.

Tips for combining weed and cardio

These tips may be helpful when pairing cannabis and cardio:

• Consider your product type: While research is limited on how smoking cannabis affects cardio, inhaled products do irritate the throat and airways. Consider using another form, like a tincture or edible product.
• Start low and go slow: Start with a low dose of cannabis and see how it makes you feel during your workout. Increase your dose slowly over time, and only as needed, until you feel the desired effects.
• Choose a cardio-friendly strain: Some cannabis strains may be better suited for cardio than others. Consider strains high in limonene, a terpene that may help boost energy and mood.
• Stay hydrated: It’s essential to stay hydrated during cardio. Dry mouth is a common side effect of cannabis use, which is another reason to have water on hand.
• Be mindful of side effects: If you experience dizziness, impairment, a fast heartbeat, or anxiety after using cannabis, consider pausing your cardio routine until these feelings pass.

The bottom line: More research is needed on cannabis for cardio fitness

Cannabis may help increase your motivation, focus, and enjoyment levels while doing cardio. It might also help with pain that gets in the way of exercise.

However, cannabis’s effects on cardio fitness and exercise performance still aren’t clear. Cannabis causes temporary changes to heart rate and blood pressure, but researchers haven’t shown consistent results on how or if this affects cardio workouts.

Consider speaking with a Leafwell telepharmacist, who will work with your health needs, fitness goals, and personal preferences to create a cannabis treatment plan that works for you.

Resources

• A network approach to understanding the emotion regulation benefits of aerobic exercise. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10608-019-10039-6
• Adult activity: An overview. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html
• Association of cannabis use with cardiovascular outcomes among US adults. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.123.030178
• Benefits of regular aerobic exercise for executive functioning in healthy populations. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-012-0345-4
• Cannabinoids and pain: New insights from old molecules. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2018.01259/full
• Cannabis and athletic performance. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01505-x
• Cannabis: Exercise performance and sport. A systematic review. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28392338/
• Efficacy of aerobic exercise on coronary heart disease risk factors. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1751-7141.2008.08037.x
• High-intensity interval training combined with cannabidiol supplementation improves cognitive impairment by regulating the expression of apolipoprotein E, presenilin-1, and glutamate proteins in a rat model of amyloid β-induced Alzheimer’s disease. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11556759/
• How and why adults use cannabis during physical activity. https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-022-00134-z
• Preventing heart disease. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/prevention/index.html
• Role of cannabis in cardiovascular disorders. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5542986/
• The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/24625/chapter/1
• The new runner’s high? Examining relationships between cannabis use and exercise behavior in states with legalized cannabis. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6503143/

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