Whether you’ve been working on a PB in the weight room or working up a sweat on a spin bike, we’re all too familiar with that achy feeling in our body the day after we exercise.
Muscles feel heavy, and a simple set of stairs can suddenly turn into Mount Everest. This phenomenon, known as DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness), doesn’t have to grind every muscle to a halt after each workout. Read on to discover our top tips for relieving muscle soreness.
The Link Between CBD & Muscle Recovery
So, is CBD good for muscle recovery? CBD can help to support your body by interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system which affects various functions within the body. Coupling CBD with a few of the lifestyle tips below may help to alleviate the symptoms of muscle soreness.
Muscle soreness is triggered by inflammation and swelling as the body tries to respond to the damage caused by these tiny muscle tears. Whilst it may feel uncomfortable, inflammation helps to increase blood flow and help nutrients to reach different parts of the body. Remedies with anti-inflammatory properties can help.
Causes of Muscle Soreness
DOMS, or delayed-onset muscle soreness, describes the painful and stiff feeling in our muscles that we can experience following a workout. DOMS can occur after a session of high-intensity exercise, or even after trying an exercise for the first time. Symptoms of DOMS can start to appear a day or two after you exercise, but should start to ease off after around three days.
What causes DOMS exactly? We build muscle fibre by exercising, which in turn can produce tiny microscopic tears in our muscle fibres. Our body works to rebuild muscle around these tears, helping the muscle to grow. Unfortunately, these muscle gains come with a temporary side-effect: inflammation.
More Tips for Improving Muscle Recovery
Exercise
It might feel like the furthest thing from your mind when you’re feeling sore, but some active recovery can really help. Keep moving with some light, low-intensity exercise like swimming or walking, and you’ll be able to maintain some mobility even when stairs feel like a challenge.
Massage
Wait until around 48 hours after your session, then gently massage the area using a foam roller or your hands to encourage blood flow and relax the muscles. Our CBD Body Salve is great for localised areas of tension; hand-blended with natural organic ingredients, this deep conditioning balm won the 2021 Cannavist Award for 'Best CBD Skincare' and contains a nutrient-rich blend of essential oils.
Heat
Try taking a warm bath or applying a heat patch to affected areas to ease muscle stiffness.
Rest
Our bodies regenerate during the deepest stages of sleep, so proper rest is essential for physical recovery and prevention of injury. Improve the quality of your sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and restored with our top sleep tips.
Love Hemp Ambassadors
From top athletes to healthy food bloggers, our Love Hemp ambassadors already factor CBD into their daily routines to help them maintain balance whilst hitting their peak fitness and wellness goals.
Kamaru Usman
UFC Welterweight Champion and Love Hemp ambassador, Kamaru Usman uses Love Hemp CBD to boost sports performance and aid recovery. His favourite product is our award-winning CBD Body Salve:
“That’s the one that I use all the time. I’m sore and achy all the time after training - I’ve always got bumps and bruises!”
Gilbert Burns
UFC Welterweight athlete Gilbert Burns also uses our body salve as part of his daily regimen.
Anthony Joshua
Love Hemp partner and former World Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua is even on a mission to spread awareness of CBD and the positive impact that it can have on everyday wellbeing:
“Love Hemp is a great brand with an amazing vision. The ability of CBD to improve people’s everyday lives is undeniable".
"Everyone should be able to experience and enjoy the many benefits CBD provides. I look forward to working with Love Hemp to achieve this goal".
