Does Getting High Help You Workout Harder?

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Forget any type of over the counter supplements, the best performance enhancer for your workout may just be none other than marijuana.

Despite its taboo status, more and more athletes are turning to the drug to fuel their workout regimen. By now, the benefits of medical marijuana are well known. The drug is known to alleviate pain, decrease nausea and improve mood. If you were a long-distance athlete wouldn't you want these same benefits? According to Mark Ware, a professor at McGill University and executive director of the Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids, marijuana may very well help athletes get into a zone and enable them to focus on repetitive tasks.

Further scientific studies suggest that the use of marijuana may play a role in getting the coveted "runner's high." According to Andrea Giuffrida, an associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, endocannabinoids may act like endorphins in increasing your pain threshold to push you through an intense workout. Meanwhile, other research found that small doses of THC actually increased motor activities in mice, suggesting that a bit of pot could equal a little extra speed. Before you rush to put some in the air before your next workout, know that research has also shown that marijuana slows reaction times and encourages riskier decisions. It should also be noted that marijuana use has shown to increase heart rate up to 20 percent or more up to three hours after smoking, which obviously is a disadvantage for an athlete.

To find out more about the possible benefits of marijuana and exercise, as well as athletes' testimonials, read the full story over at Men's Journal.

[Men's Journal]

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