5 Reasons Why CBD is Good for Jiu Jitsu Athletes (BJJ)
Author: Jason Beverly
With all of the many articles regarding Hemp/CBD out today there are very few articles if any explaining how important and beneficial this plant is for the Jiu-Jitsu / Martial Arts community and your training recovery process.
Jiu Jitsu - Enduring the process
Training Jiu-Jitsu and other Martial Arts for over ten years, has shown us and others alike several different types of pains these wonderful practices have to offer. After being a big aspirin advocate, we found out there was something to help without destroying your liver and body in the long haul. If you have ever trained in Martial Arts or any other contact sport for that matter you know that for sure you are going to get some type of injury through the process of belting up or just winning the game. If you are wanting to continue on and allow yourself to become a black belt you will need to make sure your body is getting adequate recovery, enough sleep, water, food, etc. These musts are very very important but there are ways to enhance your Martial Arts journey with the benefits of CBD!
Jiu Jitsu - Taking it to the extreme
Many of you may or may not know the feeling of training so hard that you completely deplete yourself of calories and water from a one-hour Jiu-Jitsu class or Kickboxing class. Pushing yourself to the point of almost passing out, I call that “Getting There”, and by maxing yourself out training to your max Heart BPM also comes with a price. With no more energy left to recover, it is a horrible feeling when you cannot move or cannot sleep due to overtraining by “Getting There”. We see it time and time again and are very excited to share the benefits of what CBD can do for you and your Martial Arts game.
CBD is a must for Jiu Jitsu Athletes
A good CBD for someone training Jiu-Jitsu is full spectrum CBD, meaning you are getting over 100 different cannabinoids that are all working together to increase the effectiveness of the products which is generally called the “Entourage Effect”. By using a full spectrum CBD other than an isolate you are helping your body and the endocannabinoid system to absorb in areas needed. We have a list of five ways CBD can help and improve your Jiu-Jitsu game that is very beneficial to our body’s and they also play a big role in certain areas of life in which eliminating over the counter drugs could be a game-changer.
1. Recovery benefits from CBD
For those of you that have trained Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts are aware, these sports can do big and small damage to our bodies, even in a class where you are just light rolling or just going over moves, it can most definitely make you walk off the mat with a thought in your head, what am I doing to myself. Whether your whole body is aching our a certain joint or muscle is hurt, even mentally just drained. The recovery process is a critical step in your game for the longevity of your journey/career. Making sure you are taking the time to implement a Recovery Process is a very smart move, and CBD should be in the process. Overtraining or just pushing yourself on a weekly basis can do some damage to your muscles and body, which can lead to oxidated damage. By taking CBD you can reduce the damage and recover faster, which can lead to a longer and more approachable way to belt up in the ranks, which most of you know earning a Black Belt can take up to 5-10 years. So make sure you find a good recovery routine and stick with it.
2. Rest Benefits from CBD for Jiu-Jitsu
Are you having trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep for the whole night, or getting a full 6-8 hours of sleep from overtraining? A poor night’s sleep can really do damage to your Jiu-Jitsu training, it deters your body from the recovery process and will for sure lower your performance in the next training session. Most of us cannot get to sleep due to our cardiovascular system being so awake from training our butts off in the BJJ class earlier, but also some reasons we have trouble sleeping is due to certain pains and discomforts from training, and we cannot find a comfortable position to lay. By taking a CBD Oil Tincture underneath your tongue 30-40 minutes before bed you can help your body get to sleep faster and allow the muscles and mind to finally relax.
3. How CBD Helps Muscle Soreness from Jiu-Jitsu
Muscle Soreness, aches, pains, and hurt joints are all something a Jiu-Jitsu athlete will for sure experience. One of the many ways CBD can help is the fact that it is a natural inflammatory. CBD can also reduce muscle spasms, allow a tight muscle group to loosen up which can make a big difference and be a deciding factor if you will be training the next day. Most preemptive ways to help if you are dealing with sore muscles would be to start with a topical cream and apply it to whatever area you are experiencing pain. If that does not seem to do the trick you can add a tincture oil, and that along with the cream will really make a difference.
4. CBD for Anxiety and Stress Relief Support
Most of us have had situations at one point or another with stress and anxiety. Both of these can deter us from leaving the house, getting motivated to train, or preventing us from competing in a tournament. Even when we push through these feelings, they can inflict damage on how well we perform. Anxiety is known as motivational disorder and some studies suggest that CBD can help. Even small-scale studies have found CBD to help with certain forms of anxiety and stress relief. If you find that pre-competition jitters, anxiety, or nervous about trying having to freeroll for the first time, that can negatively impact your process on belting up, finding the right CBD and correct amount to take is a good idea.
5. CBD Helps Weight Loss and Weight Cut
Some if not most of us that train in Jiu-Jitsu or some form of Martial Art knows that being out of shape and overweight can surely affect our game. We may even be needing to cut weight for a BJJ Tournament in the near future, and adding CBD into your weight cut process can really help you shed those extra pounds. Adding CBD into your daily routines helps our body change white fat cells to brown fat cells. The white cells are what lead to access fat storage, and by using CBD you turn the white cells into brown. Brown Cells are beneficial to lowering your BMI (Body Mass Index) the more brown cells you have the lower your BMI will be. Give CBD a try if you are looking for the added boost to cut some pounds, this may be a great substitute for the weight loss pills or heavy doses of caffeine we take for the added energy to help the weight cut.
CBD is a Natural Fit for BJJ Athletes
Now that you have a grasp on the many different ways CBD can benefit and improve your Jiu-Jitsu game it’s safe to say that if you are training at any level, CBD is the way to go about a healthy process, to ensure you are taking care of your body the way the universe intended, making sure you are healthy on the inside and outside. Knowing in the back of our minds the BJJ community is not ruining their bodies with over the counter prescriptions and creams with horrible additives you cannot even pronounce, and letting the Jiu-Jitsu community be aware and educating everyone is very important.
So, now is the best time to start your CBD journey. Whether you are 18 or 85, you can become an advocate to one of the fastest-growing healthier options in the Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts world by trying CBD for yourself.
