effects of marijuana

[Jared]

i am canadian and as you may know marijuana is pretty much legalized here now, I am very serious about bodybuilding and have been doing it for about 6 years now, and one of my favorite things to do is smoke a joint after a good hard workout, i've never really wondered about the effects of pot on bodybuilding except the fact that it probably effects the lungs, i was wondering if anyone knows the true side effects of smokin pot when body building, any info would be appreciated, thanks

One side effect is that pot does tend to lower your natural testosterone levels. The munchies also tend to wreck any diet you may be trying to stick to.

[Lee J B]

Hmmm well you cant be that serious about it then if you smoke a joint nevermind after a workout lol. It wreaks havoc on your training dont do it.

[goloid]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/...in529462.shtml


ive heard he used to smoke before working out for much of his career

they may be stretched a bit--i cant imagine he would have done it everyday

[Cougar]

Weed tends to make you relax and give you the munchies, as aforementioned. If you don't have those problems, then it's not a problem.

From what I can determine, it's not good for your training, but it's not devastating either- certainly less so than cigarettes or alcohol. Ask yourself how much you want the ideal body and how much you want to smoke weed and find a balance point.

[Jock]

The effects of marijana on testosterone levels is disputed and even questioned. Some say that this claim was fabricated by governments simply to get fitness enthusiasts/gymrats/bodybuilders to stay away from pot.

Of course you have to be aware of the effects of smoking tobacco and the munchies wrecking your diet.

Jock

[melteye]

Most information you find on Marijuana is propaganda. I have spent hundreds of hours researching and reporting on the effects of Marijuana physically and mentally.

Let's clear up a few things:

Marijuana does not lower testosterone levels and does not cause impotence. If you smoke the seeds, which your not suppose to do, your sperm count drops temporarily. But if your smoking the seeds your ignorant, you need to remove them because they combust and waste marijuana. They also contain no THC.

Marijuana is not physically addictive, but it can be mentally addictive to people with addictive personalities. Your not going to crave it horribly and drool uncontrollably when you don't smoke It's much easier to stop then smoking or drinking.

Marijuana should not be taken by people below the age of 16 or who haven't reached sexual/physical maturity. It can cause an amotivational disorder and, in extremely rare cases, slows sexual development.

Unlike alot of people think one joint is NOT equal to 20 cigarettes. Tests have shown that that tobacco and marijuana both contain about the same amounts of poisons. Unlike tobacco users marijuana users only smoke 1-3 joints a day (except for some people). Marijuana has not shown any signs of causing cancer, but that doesn't mean anything. Combusting any plant matter creates tars and poisons, including Carbon Monoxide which basically murders hemoglobins So it does effect physical performance... Less oxygen to your muscles.

My suggestion is to invest in a glass bong. The water filters out a large amount of tars and poisons and THC isn't attracted to water. If you are short on cash just buy a 12-14" glass bong, the more water in holds in the base the better (flared bottom). If you have alot of money and want the healthiest experience possible invest in a "Dealer's Cup" or a PHX bong. The PHX's are amazing, email me if you want pictures and/or links.

Overall I say marijuana use + physical activity is fine. Just monitor yourself and see if it effects your performance in low oxygen situations... If using a bong your safe... At least compared to tobacco users... they're screwed.

[mustang GT]

Marijuana can destroy your lungs. I wouldn't want to huff and puff and cough while lifting and cardio and that's one of the many reasons that I don't smoke that stuff.

[heibrin]

Smoking sh*t definitely lowers your testosterone levels (a friend of mine was involved in a study regarding this).

Then it there is always the effect on the lungs, heart, brain, brain, brain, brain..., throat and lymphatic system.

I.m.o.: do your smoking, and when you do not have a need to escape stop the habit and focus 100% on your training. You cannot 'achieve' both 'goals' at the same time.

[Cougar]

Heibrin: that's assuming you feel compelled to smoke quite a bit, every day.

I smoked out off and on over several months of my own training and still managed to make good gains in both strength and mass. They're NOT incompatible pursuits.

[melteye]

Mustang GT: Do your research, Marijuana is less damaging to the lungs then tobacco... This is a FACT not an opinion.

heibrin : In all the research I've participated in none have shown drops in testosterone levels (besides seeds, which is temp), this is false information from old biased research.

But don't take my word for it, thats what your brain is for. Use it people. If you want to "beleive" in your own thing go ahead, it's your choice. I'm not saying everyone should smoke, but those who do shouldn't be bombarded with lies and mistakes so that they feel guilty... Marijuana has and always will be "healthier" then Alcohol and Tobacco.

ps. If I accidently insult someone in this thread I apologize. I have nothing whatsoever against anyone here, I just get into agruements I respect all of you, including your opinions.

[melteye]

From: Institute of Medicine, Marijuana and Health, Washington,D.C.
National Academy Press, 1988

"The smoke from any burning plant contains hundreds of chemicals that may have biological effects . . ."

"Cannabis smoke is similar to tobacco smoke in that it is a mixture of very small particles and a gas-vapor phase. Both the particulate and vapor phases contain many identified and probably some still unidentified constituents that, based on clinical experience with tobacco smoke, must be assumed to be potentially harmful. The amounts of some materials in tobacco cigarete and marijuana cigarette smoke are compared in Table 3. Toxic substances, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrosamines occur in similar concentrations in tobacco and marijuana smoke; so do the amounts of particulate material known collectively as "tars"." (pg 15)

[Editorial comment by Jon Gettman: The cancer risk in the most part comes from the smoke, not from the cannabinoids. This is an artifact of the delivery system, not the drug (it comes from burning the plant material, not the cannabinoids). As many of you know, THC has a lower vaporization temperature than the plant material it is contained in, and as Lester Grinspoos and others often point out, a vaporizer could be designed to vaporize the cannabinoids without burning the plant material and producing smoke filled with tars and other particulate matter. Also, the composition of the plant and its smoke has been known since the 1970's, and this didn't prevent Leo Hollister and the National Academy of Sciences from noting that marijuana has therapeutic potential.]

Table 3 : Marijuana and Tobacco Reference Cigarette Analysis of Mainstream Smoke (pg 17)

Strange Abbr: mcg: microgram C? : known Carcinogen (X means yes)

A.Cigarettes
Units Marijuana Tobacco
(85mm) (85mm)
Average Weight (mg) 1115 1110
Mositure (%) 10.3 11.1
Pressure Drop cm 14.7 7.2
Static Burning rate mg/s 0.88 0.80
Puff Number 10.7 11.1


B.Mainstream Smoke
I. Gas Phase Units Marijuana Tobacco
Carbon Monoxide % 3.99 4.58
mg 17.6 20.2
Carbon Dioxide % 8.27 9.38
mg 57.3 65.0
Ammonia mcg 228 199
HCN mcg 532 498
Cyanogen (CN)2 mcg 19 20
Isoprene mcg 83 310
Acetaldehyde mcg 1200 980
Acetone mcg 443 578
Acrolein mcg 92 85
Acetonitrilebenzene mcg 132 123
Benzene mcg 76 67
Toluene mcg 112 108
Vinyl chloride ng 5.4 12.4
Dimethylnitrosamine ng 75 84
Methylethylnitrosamine ng 27 30
pH, third puff 6.56 6.14
fifth puff 6.57 6.15
seventh puff 6.58 6.14
ninth puff 6.56 6.10
tenth puff 6.58 6.02


II. Particulate phase Units Marijuana Tobacco
Tl particulate - dry mg 22.7 39.0
Phenol mcg 76.8 138.5
o-Cresol mcg 17.9 24
m- and p-Cresol mcg 54.4 65
Dimethylphenol mcg 6.8 14.4
Catechol mcg 188 328
Cannbidiol mcg 190
D9 THC mcg 820
Cannabinol mcg 400
Nicotine mcg 2850
N-Nitrosonornicotine ng 390
Naphthalene mcg 3.0 1.2
1-Methylnaphthalene mcg 6.1 3.65
2-Methylnaphthalese mcg 3.6 1.4
Benz(a)anthracene ng 75 43
Benzo(a)pyrene ng 31 21.1


Sources cited by the Institute of Medicine:

Hofmann, D., Brunnemann, K.D.,Gori,G.B. and Wynder, E.L. On the carcinogenicity of marijuana smoke, pp 63-81. In Runeckles, V.C. (ed) Recent Advances in Phytochemistry New York: Plenum Publishing Corp., 1975.

Hoffmann, D., Patrianakos, C., Brunneman, K.D., et al. Chromatographic determination of vinyl chloride in tobacco smoke. Anal Chem 48:47-50, 1976.

Brunnemann,K.D., Lee, H.C., and Hoffmann, D. Chemical studies on tobacco smoke. XLVII. On the quantitative analysis of catechols and their reduction. Anal. Lett. 9:939-955, 1976.

Brunnemann, K.D., Yu, L., and Hoffmann, D. Chemical Studies on tobacco somke. XLIX. Gas chromotographic determination of hydrogen cyanide and cynogen in tobacco smoke. J Anal. Toxicol. 1:38-42, 1977.

[melteye]

"Marijuana damages the reproductive system

This claim is based chiefly on the work of Dr. Gabriel Nahas,
who experimented with tissue (cells) isolated in petri dishes, and
the work of researchers who dosed animals with near-lethal amounts of cannabinoids (i.e., the intoxicating part of marijuana). Nahas' generalizations from his petri dishes to human beings have been rejected by the scientific community as being invalid. In the case of the animal experiments, the animals that survived their ordeal returned to normal within 30 days of the end of the experiment. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system." -ICLU Drug Task Force

I'll find a better source of information in a minute.

[melteye]

"Marijuana smokers generally don't chain smoke, and so they smoke less. (Marijuana is not physically addictive like tobacco.) The more potent marijuana is, the less a smoker will use at a time.

Tobacco contains nicotine, and marijuana doesn't. Nicotine may harden the arteries and may be responsible for much of the heart disease caused by tobacco. New research has found that it may also cause a lot of the cancer in tobacco smokers and people who live or work where tobacco is smoked. This is because it breaks down into a cancer causing chemical called `N Nitrosamine' when it is burned (and maybe even while it is inside the body as well.)

Marijuana contains THC. THC is a bronchial dilator, which means it works like a cough drop and opens up your lungs, which aids clearance of smoke and dirt. Nicotine does just the opposite; it makes your lungs bunch up and makes it harder to cough anything up.

There are benefits from marijuana (besides bronchial dilation) that you don't get from tobacco. Mainly, marijuana makes you relax, which improves your health and well-being.
Scientists do not really know what it is that causes malignant lung cancer in tobacco. Many think it may be a substance known as Lead 210. Of course, there are many other theories as to what does cause cancer, but if this is true, it is easy to see why NO CASE OF LUNG CANCER RESULTING FROM MARIJUANA USE ALONE HAS EVER BEEN DOCUMENTED, because tobacco contains much more of this substance than marijuana.

Marijuana laws make it harder to use marijuana without damaging your body. Water-pipes are illegal in many states. Filtered cigarettes, vaporizers, and inhalers have to be mass produced, which is hard to arrange `underground.' People don't eat marijuana often because you need more to get as high that way, and it isn't cheap or easy to get (which is the reason why some people will stoop to smoking leaves.) This may sound funny to you -- but the more legal marijuana gets, the safer it is."

Off Topic: Yesterday I was kicking my punching bag in my garage and connected a bit off (bag was swinging)... Ended up hitting with the top of my foot near the toes and bending my ankle straight along with all the small joints in my foot. For a few minutes it just "hurt" and hours later it became so bad I could no longer put ANY weight whatsoever on the entire foot... Using crutches I had from a few years ago... Today it feels much better, I can use about 25% of my weight on it, and it seems like the ankle is fine, just a few joints on the right side of my foot. Should I still see a doc or wait a few days?

[1more]

Originally posted by melteye
Should I still see a doc or wait a few days?

Have some cones to numb the pain!

If its starting to get better, give it a few days, take it easy on it, theres not too much a dr can do if its a sprain/strain....
could rub some tiger balm into it, i think it fixes everything!