New Fitness Study Shows Increase In CBD, THC Consumption Among Americans Who Exercise

The COVID-19 pandemic has kept people away from gyms and other public workout centers during most of the last 18 months, leading to an increase in the number of people exercising at home. A new survey of 1,004 American adults – 45 percent of whom identified as both CBD and THC users, 29 percent of whom identified only as THC users, and 26 percent of whom identified only as CBD users – shows the privacy of home has more people than ever turning to cannabinoids to boost both their motivation for working out and their performance.

Exercise equipment review site FitRated said 417 of the 1,004 respondents incorporated more cannabis into their exercise regimens during the pandemic, and only 142 used less of the plant. 445 respondents said their cannabis use had not changed.

About half of the THC users surveyed attested to imbibing before and after their workouts, while one-third consumed during their workout. Nearly three-quarters of surveyed CBD users focused on the plant for recovery, using it mostly after their workouts. About 39 percent respondents mixed their cannabis into a pre-workout supplement or drink while the other 61 percent consumed the plant separately.

“THC users did report more intense workouts than CBD users,” noted FitRated project manager Christine Burton.

Burton added that cannabis users who preferred products with higher THC levels generally felt that cannabis played a helpful role in boosting their workout performance. Cannabis use did result in the opposite effect for some users, though. 417 respondents at least once imbibed too much and lost their motivation to exercise.

More than a quarter of respondents said they smoked the plant through a pipe. Joints, bongs and vapes were each preferred by just over 14 percent of respondents, while edibles nearly reached 12 percent. Lesser-preferred options included cannabis topicals and tinctures.

The survey found other significant workout habits between people who preferred THC versus CBD. Just over one-third of THC users preferred to run during their workouts, compared to less than one-quarter of CBD users. The latter group preferred to lift weights, Burton said.

Outside of working out, over half of surveyed people used cannabis to help with anxiety, another 44 percent imbibed to assist with depression and nearly 41 percent ingested to mitigate physical pain.