Does smoking weed break down muscle?

[BiggNasty]

Hi im into lacrosse and bodybuilding. I play D which requires a fair amount of strength and quickness. I have been lifting for about 3 years now and just started smoking three weeks ago. I have heard rumors that smoking pot makes you weak and gets you skinny. Is any of this true?

[sheist]

i can't see it gettin u skinny, as Delta-9-THC stimulates appetite and reduces nausea and vomiting by binding to special receptors found in your nervous system.

It DOES however make u drowsy and alters ur perception.. Depending the strain u consume, u can feel hyper or tired, reflective, emotional, etc..

[BiggNasty]

Thats good to know.

What about getting fat from all the food you eat when you have the munchies?

[sheist]

idk... my body weight hasn't really changed... i'm pissed, i was countin on it... i figured this would be perfect for weight gain, cus i'm scrawny :(

[mrdevious]

Thats good to know.

What about getting fat from all the food you eat when you have the munchies?

meh, just eat an organge or something healthy if you have the munchies.

however it won't make you weak, it's just one more of those backward logic statistics anti-weed groups use. "skiny guys smoke weed, therfor weed makes you skinny", of course what really happens after years of smoking if you're not responsible and do it too much, you end up sitting on your ass getting high all day, which of course leads to muscle atrophede.

believe me, I've seen some hugely strong guys who smoke pot, and I've been seeing more results than ever working out in the past year even though I've been smoking for almost 2 years. This is just another one of those nonsense claims like it'll make you go psychotic, or leave all your friends, or become schizophrenic, or lose all your testosterone..... well the list goes on forever, but stoners know this to be only scare-tactics considering non of us EVER see it happen. it's right up there with "masturbation makes you go blind".

[daima]

I find that cannabis and excercise go hand in hand. The other post is right on. Eat Healthy. I eat about a bag of apples every two days, and i also eat a lot of peanuts,bananas, cashews, etc etc. It's good to also have a conatiner or two full of carrot sticks handy. Drink water and fruit juices instead of soda pop and other sugar drinks. When i go on hikes i take rice and help seeds and roll it into little balls to munch on. Great stuff and it makes good for a healthy turd.
dai*ma :D :dance: :thumbsup: :stoned:

[Easy Roller]

I'd say smoking definatley.....hinders muscle development....and alcohol....But only if your smoking everyday!If your just getting hgh on weekends then it's ok....

Other people may say different but I'm only going by my own experiance ....When I worked out at school I piled on the muscle and lived drug free and ate well.....At Uni I played Rugby and Struggled build muscle through all the drink and ganja....Also during my gap year I smoked away all that bulk...You can see it in ones face if they've lost weight due to months of the stoner lifestyle

[free2puff]

i dont think so

[BestTonicIsChronic]

Nah weed dosnt make you skinny but it dose REALLY LOWER your ambition which i find i really need to do any weight lifting or exercises but on the munchies thing i get the munchies from hell when i start coming down but ive never gained any wight ive been doin weed for about a year now and ive been 165lbs (respectively) for like 4 yrs now. But i also skip breakfasts and i might have a high or abnormaly high motabolism

[Lit Up]

nah, weed doesnt harm your muscle mass, i smoke daily i also wokrout 5 days a week, cardio and weights since im in football at my college im on a strict workout schedule. but i have my scheduled smokin times, usually at night since im so busy durin the day. all in all, no harm in it

[princ3]

um i have been smoking probly about 5 years and i know people that have for about 20 and this information you are talking about it scare tactics and i have never know any of this to be true i ama soccer player and i smoke, i still play to my full potental (though im never high at a game or practice)
leading my team in scoring and other team injuries lol and bact to back districs lol

[beachguy in thongs]

While Cannabis preserves cells, it doesn't make sense that it'd degenerate anything other than cancerous cells.

[BDubz26062]

weed does make u lazy..but i doubt it breaks down muscle

[sevkex]

in my experience with lifting weights and being a pothead at the same time i just got bigger and probably put on an extra few pounds of fat...id say not to worry about it harming your body in any way if you are such an active person, just eat healthy like everyone else has said. When i stopped lifting weights (it was a PE class in high school, im now in college) i went from 200 pounds to 160 in a matter of like 8 months, and I smoked a lot more weed in that time so it might make you skinnier, it might just be my metabolism though

[BigHomie]

Arnold Schwarzenegger used to smoke weed back when he was into competitive bodybuilding... of course he was using steroids too... I guess that doesn't prove anything... nevermind

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

it makes you skinny at most, it doesnt negate your muscles, it negates your fat.


not often i see a fat stoner, and if i do, they are light and casual users.

[BuD MaN]

when you smoke weed, your body uses up a shit load of all your vitamins and nutrients to process the THC , i dunno if that would contribute to muscles shrinking, but this process causes "the munchies", so your best bet would be to smoke up, get the chron munchies that you would usually put on weight with, but then go to the gym and turn that fat into muscle...i have tried getting fat but with my physical genetics its immpossible for me to get over 70 kgs, I duno what kgs is in lbs...You bloody Americans with your maveric ways...

[BuD MaN]

ill just add that Pot has zero caleries

[iamenfuego]

doesnt weed speed up ur motabilism so u can actually lose a lil bit of wieght if u dont eat when you have the munchies. this is just what a friend told me im not sure though.

[Crispyfried]

Marijuana reduces inflammation, so should help to prevent muscle breakdown. And people tend not to gain weight when they smoke marijuana, supposedly because they are more interested in smoking pot than eating. And stress increases muscle brakdown, so if pot relaxes you, that alone should help to preserve muscle mass, and you grow new muscle when you're sleeping, so if pot makes you sleeping then there is yet another way for pot to help you gain muscle. And less sleep is linked to obesity, so more pot and more sleep should help you to stay lean and strong as long as you get enough exercise and eat right.

[trishia06]

Now this is just an observation, but I've seen guys have more interest in exercise when they're high. It seems like my husband can have a smoke and lift in front of the tv for hours. When we're dry...well, let's just say that's when he starts shrinking. People with weak stomachs too, smoking seems to help them keep it down more easily.

[gramzzilla420]

...i have tried getting fat but with my physical genetics its immpossible for me to get over 70 kgs, I duno what kgs is in lbs...You bloody Americans with your maveric ways...
one kg. weed = 2.2 lbs x 70 kgs = 154 lbs ...

[MegaOctane12]

I thought weed can help with thing's like arthritis so why would it reduce muscle strength. I work out but just when I feel like it. The only reason the weed would affect your muscle would be making you too fucking lazy to do anything.

[IslandBabe420]

I've Been Smoking Now For 8 Years Constantly No Joke Give Or Take 10 Times Per Day. I'm An Active Person And I Stay Fit. I'm A Sophomore In College With Straight A's. Honestly, Its Different With Every Person. The Only Thing I Would Be Concerned About Is Lung Cancer They Say Pot Can Give You Lunch Cancer But Its Actually Genetic So I Would Advise You Not 2 Smoke If Someone In Your Family Has Passed Away From Cancer. Other Than That If You Feel That Your Muscles Are Weaker And Your Gaining Weight Just Quit. It Makes Me Chill And Relaxed. I Have The Worst Anxiety You Could Ever Imagine But I Don't Want 2 Get Hooked On Xanex So I Smoke Pot Instead. :) Hope That Helped Have A Great Day

[StickyfingahZ]

Yeah,just puff after your workouts,You'll get awesome rest,and we know rest is when you build muscle,AURYTE!

[daihashi]

Honestly I don't feel anyone here has given you an adequate answer.

THC binds to Estrogen and progesterone receptors in your body; albeit very low. Estrogen (above normal/in excess) in males is responsible for weaker bone mass which results in lower muscle mass since the amount of muscle you can maintain is directly proportionate to the amount of bone mass you have.

Estrogen is also responsible for decreased metabolism and making your body predisposed to storing food into fat cells rather than trying to utilize that energy (part of this is also contributed to lower metabolism).

In addition progesterone can aromatize into estrogen; which can be even worse. Ever heard of bitch tits.. well that usually happens due to hormones that aromatize in the male body. This sudden build up of 'female' hormone will create a lump in your chest/breast. This is breast tissue forming. The reason this happens is because just like females, males have the exact same glands in their breasts as women. Theoretically men can lactate and breast feed. Yep yep.

Marijunana has also been prove to shrink testicles (as much as I hate to admit it, mine have definitely gotten smaller since I've become a daily smoker). The testicles are the main part of the male body responsible for testosterone production. Naturally if you inhibit these then you lower your total free test. in your blood stream. This is very important in strength/mass gains.

This could be offset by something called HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) which is a hormone that is extracted from pregnant womens piss. However this is illegal without a script and I'll stop talking about this then. Basically it tricks the body into thinking your pituatary gland is releasing a hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH) which in turn signals leydig cells throughout your body to produce testosterone. *note* HCG is only beneficially in instances where your testes shrink and can only be prescribed by a doctor. Which I'm 99% sure won't happen as they typically don't prescribe it to men.

The reduction in testosterone production leads to loss of lean body mass as well as becoming predisposed to storing food as fat.

With all that said, The occassional joint will not harm you at all. Even smoking daily would not harm your strength and mass gains due to the amount of thc that binds to the estrogen and progesterone receptors in your body. Additionally if you're currently active and working out then you are off setting any negative sides marijuana has sine you're increasing testosterone production anyway naturally.

There are 3 things you need to have in check to gain mass/strength:

1. Diet. This is the key component. Diet diet diet. Muscle mass is about 70% diet and about 30% lifting weights.

2. Proper form. When working out lifting a light weight with proper form and proper eccentric/concentric timing is much more important than lifting as much weight as you can. I roll my eyes at idiots at the gym who go and load 400lbs on the bench press only to see them with their feet hovering off the ground and their back arched upward as far as they can. This is horrible form and just looks stupid to a trained person.

3. sleep/rest. Your body gains strength/muscle mass when you are sleeping and rest. This mostly has to do with D wave sleep and release of GH which in turn triggers the release of IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor -1). These hormones in combination of testosterone and several other smaller hormones that are responsible for muscle/body repair. Get about 8 hours of sleep a night (this is enough to compete about 5 cycles of sleep. 1 cycle, all the phases of sleep including rem, can be completed in about 90 minutes if memory serves me correctly). Try to catch a nap if possible too.. a 90 minute one is best naturally.

Good luck on your gains :thumbsup:

[daihashi]

I find that cannabis and excercise go hand in hand. The other post is right on. Eat Healthy. I eat about a bag of apples every two days, and i also eat a lot of peanuts,bananas, cashews, etc etc. It's good to also have a conatiner or two full of carrot sticks handy. Drink water and fruit juices instead of soda pop and other sugar drinks. When i go on hikes i take rice and help seeds and roll it into little balls to munch on. Great stuff and it makes good for a healthy turd.
dai*ma :D :dance: :thumbsup: :stoned:

Your diet seems very high in fruits and juices which are also very high in fructose. Fructose is a sugar which is not readily usable by your body. Initially fructose will be stored in your liver; however those stores are rapidly filled and the rest will be stored into fat cells.

This is all dependant on your bodies metabolism however since it's different on a person by person basis.

Ideally though if trying to gain *strength* I would not recommend a diet with so much fruit in it.

For carb sources green leafy vegetables are best in a diet geared toward strength gains.

[daihashi]

when you smoke weed, your body uses up a shit load of all your vitamins and nutrients to process the THC , i dunno if that would contribute to muscles shrinking, but this process causes "the munchies", so your best bet would be to smoke up, get the chron munchies that you would usually put on weight with, but then go to the gym and turn that fat into muscle...i have tried getting fat but with my physical genetics its immpossible for me to get over 70 kgs, I duno what kgs is in lbs...You bloody Americans with your maveric ways...

You can no more turn fat into muscle than you can turn water into wine (unless you're Jesus). That's a really bad misconception that majority of the world population shares.

To gain weight just eat everything insight.

Weight gain is easy... eat more calories than you utilize in a day.

Weight loss is a bitch. So many other factors come into play when you cut calories that inhibit your ability to burn fat effeciently.

[daihashi]

It's truely amazing, and I'm not trying to insult anyone and apolgize if I do, how misinformed and uneducated people are in relation to fitness and THC on the human body.

Really it amazes me that everyone here basis their opinion just on what they see instead of understanding the inner workings on THC and the body.

This leaves lots of room to hand out bad advice to people and keeping them from reaching their goals. Just something everyone may or may not want to think about before just blurting something out they don't fully understand.

Again I'm sorry if that came across as ass-holish.

:stoned:

[TheSmokingMonkey]

Couldn't find anything definitive, but there is a good disussion on this forum:

Cannabis / Weed / Marijuana and Muscle Building - Body Building (http://www.myfit.ca/forums.asp?topic=Cannabis+%2F+Weed+%2F+Marijuana+a nd+Muscle+Building&TopicId=332&ForumId=39)

My instinct would be that as long as you were conscientious about your nutrition and workouts, it wouldn't have much effect one way or the other.

[daihashi]

My instinct would be that as long as you were conscientious about your nutrition and workouts, it wouldn't have much effect one way or the other.

Exactly!! but still it's good to be informed on how thc and cbn interacts with your body in terms of fitness. My only reason for my drawn out post :)

[the image reaper]

I have personally suffered from 'bong-bicep' ... it's an increase in bicep size, due to repeated gestures with the designated 'bong-arm' ... I recommend equal reps per side, to maintain bicep symmetry, and ever-increasing water levels to maintain strength ... :wtf:

[SparkSomeChange]

Smoking absolutley doesnt hinder muscle growth. I started seriously lifting about the same time as I started smoking ( 2 years ago ) and ive been making noticeable gains the whole time. Don't forget to do cardio too, muscles without endurance is nothing impressive. I definatly felt slowed down after smoking weekly when I went on a run, so I cut down, and I have no complaints. Good luck!

[kronic420]

it makes ur lungs stronger but ur lungs not a muscle =/

[maxsuperdanks]

I'd say smoking definatley.....hinders muscle development....and alcohol....But only if your smoking everyday!If your just getting hgh on weekends then it's ok....

Other people may say different but I'm only going by my own experiance ....When I worked out at school I piled on the muscle and lived drug free and ate well.....At Uni I played Rugby and Struggled build muscle through all the drink and ganja....Also during my gap year I smoked away all that bulk...You can see it in ones face if they've lost weight due to months of the stoner lifestyle


My lord this is more bullshit than I can actually handle.


Yes, a weekend of drinking will take away a weeks worth of training (kinda, it varries from person to person)

But smoking ganja doesn't do shit.


I'm a personal trainer, THC doesn't hinder muscular hypertrophy, what does are lactic acid buildup (which keeps the muscle in a longer catabolic or muscle burning phase) which causes delayed onset muscle soreness (not a good indicator of a good workout, just one with high volume your body isn't accustomed to). The other thing hindering muscle growth would be an amino acid induction profile which is too small, thus not creating enough or the right kind of proteins to build the muscle, or depleted glycogen stores over a long period of time.

No one here can explain the science behind how THC or any cannabinoid would hinder or stop muscle development in any way.

No one can, because it doesn't.

[maxsuperdanks]

it makes ur lungs stronger but ur lungs not a muscle =/

It will develop your exhaling and inhaling muscles (intercostals they are called)

[NaughtyDreadz]

if you need to gain weight... what worked for me, was eating 2 who lasagnes during the day as a substitute for for lunch and dinner, along with the other 3 meals you should be eating... but as far as working out, na man, drink an expresso and you'll be fine.. also helps if you blaze a sativa or something more sativa dominant rather than an indica strain. but if you want to put on weight, you need to eat complex carbs and protein mix... whole wheat lasagne has plenty of both...

[andbaxt]

.. Of course the best people to take advice from is gpoing to be the addicts themselves because lets face it .... they must know ... their brains are top of the class for thinking .... I DONT THINK SO.....


Yeah lets everbody listen to the idiots who's brain is not able to function correct due to shit they smoke and take.
They are the ones that say they are okay and no harm is being done to others or themselves........ these are the people that are ale to think clearly about everday things and get on with what is required.
These are the people that are mothers of very young children in need of a stable parent who will be there to look after them but cannot because the mother is off her head with crap in her system, BUT that does'nt matter to her because she knows she can look after her kids (yeah sure she can) ... IN HER HEAD ONLY ... because the people around her can see what is happening in the real world and not just inside the addicts own unstable knackered brain.


I have personally seen and been with persons on smoke and I myself have never ever wanted to take shite and never will and therefore have always been able to see just how it changes the persons perspective an thinking in reality of daily living.
I have seen mothers breakdown and their children at risk and in danger beause the mother cannot see that her children are playing with electrical appliances to feed themselves due to the mother being off her head ...


SO YEAH.... I reckon the best ones to give advice are the ones off their head.

BULLSHIT with a big capital "B".
If you really think the best ones to listen to are the ones smoking crap then you are obviously one who is also on the shite because anyone who does not take or smoke shite are the ones who know what it does to the addict and how it effects people around them ...


DO NOT LISTEN ADVICE FROM SOMEBODY WHO SMOKES OR TAKES ILLEGAL DRUGS .....



Example: my name is joe bloggs and you are okay with cannibis and other crap cos it does makes me feel fantastic and who needs friends and family anyway.. I should know because i have smoked it for years. . .


This is the sort of advice ya all reading in these posts ... AND THEIR MAINLY ADDICTS giving advice ... YOU IDIOTS .....

[middieman440]

i heard thc lowers testosterone levels

[MuddyPaws]

My lord this is more bullshit than I can actually handle.


But smoking ganja doesn't do shit.


I'm a personal trainer, THC doesn't hinder muscular hypertrophy, what does are lactic acid buildup (which keeps the muscle in a longer catabolic or muscle burning phase) which causes delayed onset muscle soreness (not a good indicator of a good workout, just one with high volume your body isn't accustomed to). The other thing hindering muscle growth would be an amino acid induction profile which is too small, thus not creating enough or the right kind of proteins to build the muscle, or depleted glycogen stores over a long period of time.

No one here can explain the science behind how THC or any cannabinoid would hinder or stop muscle development in any way.

No one can, because it doesn't.


THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Seems the only negative effect definitely proven of MJ is paranoia...lol

:thumbsup:

In the 80s they tried making us believe that MJ use by males would increase Estrogen levels to the point where extended use COULD POSSIBLY lead to breast development :wtf:

No boobs here yet...

[GetThisOrDie]

What the hell is wrong with that andbaxt person?

Is she really trying to make herself out to be the sane one amidst a bunch of "addicts"?


anyways... Ive found it very hard to lose weight and build muscle while smoking indicas. I was using sativas everyday and was able to lose 70 pounds and go running daily and put on good upper body very easily. Didnt see any problems with the thc and muscle building/weight loss... but ive been using pure indicas lately and I dont want to move. Havent ran in a couple weeks and I gained 4 pounds from these crazy indica munchies.

Like naughtydreadz said, SATIVA. If you want to lose weight or build muscle then stay away from the indicas in my oppinion.

[middieman440]

it was proven thc lowers test levels,test is what builds muscle,if your going to smoke up dont do it on a day your lifting,i used to hit the gym all the time but cant anymore.

but always remeber good food lots of rest and a healthy lifestyle will make good changes to your body, never lift then after smoke up makes the whole lifting thing worthless.

yes it makes u hungry and you can gain weight but u want muscle not regular weight, eat like a pig lift like a bull grow like a cow...


drinking deteriates muscle growth,smoking means no oxygen to your muscle causes hert rate to go down/up also not good

i personally used to lift on m/w/f smoked in between and on weekends never had a problem...

if someone else says it doesnt effect you in a bad way is wrong, i did it i found out what worked right and what didnt work...

and also you are the only person who knows what your body needs nobody else since well its YOUR body...

take one month going to the gym normally as you do with out any smoking for a month,then do it another month where you smoke up and see if theres a diffrence, this is the best way to find out for yourself..

im no doctor or anything special im just someone who was in your shoes at one point in time!

good luck

[Green Love]

I've Been Smoking Now For 8 Years Constantly No Joke Give Or Take 10 Times Per Day. I'm An Active Person And I Stay Fit. I'm A Sophomore In College With Straight A's. Honestly, Its Different With Every Person. The Only Thing I Would Be Concerned About Is Lung Cancer They Say Pot Can Give You Lunch Cancer But Its Actually Genetic So I Would Advise You Not 2 Smoke If Someone In Your Family Has Passed Away From Cancer. Other Than That If You Feel That Your Muscles Are Weaker And Your Gaining Weight Just Quit. It Makes Me Chill And Relaxed. I Have The Worst Anxiety You Could Ever Imagine But I Don't Want 2 Get Hooked On Xanex So I Smoke Pot Instead. :) Hope That Helped Have A Great Day

Everyone is suspectible to cancer, despite genetics. Depends on you and what your body can take. Never noticed a difference between not working out, while smoking pot vs. working out and smoking pot, because I have asthma, smoking a joint only increase my sympthoms. I would personally think that smoking anything espically pot would cause the loss of oxygen to move throughout your body, causing fatigue.

[middieman440]

heres a very good go ask a real doctor. theres your answear.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!