haven't heard anyone talk about marijuana in this light

Very possibly because it has no benefit for this purpose.

This would maybe make you gain mass, but a much larger fat-to-muscle ratio than you would without it, as cannabis and its chemical components are well known for having endocrine suppressing effects. There are some studies that suggests that it may increase estrogen levels as well. When testosterone are lowered, you are going to have a much harder time with exercise, sleep and motivation, the three keys elements to success. Also remember that you mostly crave sweets when you're high, meat and sweet potatoes are most likely not going to be satisfactory.

I'm a huge fan of having a smoke once in a while, but do not use it too often. Being under daily influence of any drug causes adverse effects, and mostly all of them negative.

Speaking from personal experience i can certainly confirm the munchies. I am not familiar with the endocrinological aspects of marijuana smoking - but weed-cravings certainly seems focused on 'sweet' food that wouldn't exactly help you gain muscle. People are different however. I suggest you try it a few times post-workout to test it. It COULD also, possibly, aid your workout - Like PhysiqueRescue said it helps you reach a trance like state of mind that could be beneficial.

That said you're gonna have to put up with alot of BS when you suggesting stuff like this. People still cling to the idea that 'unless government endorses it it is dangerous and wrong!" VB's comment is an excellent example of this. Honestly, i thought such stupidity died when people realized how dangerous Statins are even though they are pushed by the medical community like you wouldn't believe it. Ultimately the legal status of drugs is a matter of politics and not so much science, unfortunatly.

Some of these responses are kinda lame and laughable. Do what you feel. I think, like most of this, it depends on the person. And, to credit whoever mentioned this already, it depends on what kind you get. Personally, I can enjoy this and not be hungry at all, or be able to control the "munchies". Sometimes, though, if I do it and then have something with sugar, I start to get binge crazy.

I can say that it has helped me sleep on VLC days and occasionally gets rid of anxiety. I've been able to work out, often not over-thinking the time or other life issues and just focusing on the workout. Try it out, see how you react, and see if it works for you. Not every question is to be PaleoHacked.

The estrogenic effects of marijuana could also lead to hunger I believe.

I have no evidence to prove this.

But the calories would mostly be stored as fat if you did it enough to lower your testosterone and DHT which would probably lead to other problems as well.

All I know is that at one time, fed up with the rigors of constant strength training in a competitive goal (strongman), I gave up my daily 3gms on ibuprofen for a small amount of weed. It worked better for pain management, and if I listened carefully after a hard workout and the following meal, I think I could hear my muscles growing.

hi

i don't know much on the technical side of how or why the effects of marijuana happens.

NOTE: the real name is not Marijuana, it is called cannabis sativa. I know this may be off topic, but if you want to learn more about it which i am sure you know already, press the link to below for more information regarding how amazing this natural plant is. ( its in the form of a song, its long but VERY informative)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCqlW09B7PY

...and back to the topic, from what i know, different strands of cannabis sativa can cause different effects. Some may induce a very big appetite or some may induce a never ending laughing episode or others may make you feel lazy. It is all in the strand from my experience or what I have been told by others.

But if you want to add mass and you need an appetite, doesn't lifting heavy weight induce an appetite and if not, just try some supplements or just force feed! It ain't easy to force feed because when i do it, my body say no more but i push on to the point where i will throw up,literally, but it works so just forcing is better imo.

cannabis sativa is fine though ;)

Good Luck!

Best thread ever, curious to hear your results.

I just hope that you don't get hungry enough to eat the weights and then forget about it . . .In all serious though, the only "bro-science" semi-positive thing I have heard is that in a "different" state of mind, some people can better access that mind/muscle connection and actually work harder. I have NOT heard anything about appetite stimulating effects of cannibis to gain weight. Why not just go with the GOMAD (Gallon of Milk A Day) approach, it'd probably be cheaper unless raw milk is contraband where you live and you were doing something illegal anyway.

-Matthew @ PhysiqueRescue

Dude, are you stoned?

Dan W made a great point that "less is more" It only takes a little bit to experience the high from Cannabis. Most people over do it when they do smoke which is why you have the stigma of pot smokers being lazy. Yes I've been lazy if I've smoked too much but when I don't I experience what PhysiqueRescue talks about. I also have to say I like what Alexander had to say along with everybody that responded to that thread. I guess the only way to find out what will work is to try it. Don't get crazy and remember less is more. :)

Great question! Fun reading what everyone has posted so far. If you do this, pick your strain wisely. Have your post-pot meal (s) ready so you are not tempted to eat something you will regret. Once you're full off of healthy food you're mind wont be thinking about craving sweets or whatever (usually). Since you wanna gain weight anyway you could always have some paleo treats ready to go. After a few times of smoking your body gets used to what's going on and you can pretty much control your hunger. Also you get really thirsty, and i find if i drink lemon water, tea or just plain water it fills me up and the need to over eat goes away. Not that over eating would be a problem for you. A side note: it does cause me to break out, but its different for everyone, im super sensitive to any hormonal changes. And at times i felt like my blood sugar dropped fast, not sure if it actually did or not but it replicated my hypoglycimic feelings of low blood sugar. Also the majority of the times, coming off the high ive become exstremely anxious. But like i said, im very sensitive to any chemical/hormonal changes, so for you it could be totally different! Sorry for any typos im on my ipone and there's no way im gonna read back over this to fix anything! :) so pls no grammar comments like we're in 5th grade!

I sincerely hope you didnt want a serious, objective, answer.

In those that dont have the tendacy to over smoke the stuff, cannabis is a pretty darn safe and non-addictive drug. Only around 6% of people who try it, go onto use it regularly. Compared that with 90% with alcohol or around 95% with nicotine, cocaine, or heroin. Admitedly its fairly habitual for that 6%, but I think on the basis of measures of general addiction, withdrawl and so forth, it could probably be considered less harmful and less addictive than caffiene, and thats what some studies have said (not saying its true, or not, but it is low on addiction scales)

Its estrogenic effects are minimal compared with its cousin hops, found in beer, for which its estrogenic effects are so strong it causes contact dermatitis. So if you drink beer, cannabis is the least of your worries, estrogen wise.

I cannot comment on its effect on leptin however.

For hunger induction, nasea reduction, nerve pain or smooth muscle relaxation, cannabis is pretty unparalleled. It also releases melatonin (which may be too much if it drains your gland from overusing the stuff and why stoners dont dream), and probably has other anti-oxidant effects.

Of course it does have side effects, such as (until cessation of use) short term memory loss, lowering of sperm motility, some increased risk of psychosis (not as much as with alcohol, and certainly no where near strong stimulant drugs) and, as well some amotivational syndrome in those that over use it. I am not aware of any proven long term effect that doesn't resolve with cessation tho (doesnt mean there isnt any of course).

I cant really answer your question on leptin, and as far as estrogen goes yes its true, but its not as bad as beer in this regard (or almost all regards). But I just thought id try to post up something objective, coming from someone who has partaken, done research, knows neuropshychology and no longer touches the stuff.

It definately increases hunger. And that probably is useful for bulking, but id stay away from very regular usage of any drug if it can be avoided. Messes with your bodies balances.

There are cannabinoids in chocolate (in trace levels). Chocomine has some pretty decent stimulants in it too. I am not sure its effective for appetite increase as well, but can be used to boost a workout. Or you could try one of the bulking formulaes containing echinacea isolates. But, like chocamine, one cant be sure if those particular cannibinoids actually stimulate hunger effectively. And again, id recommend against very regular usage of any drug, if it can be avoided. The body is a complicated mysterious beast after all.

As a side note, endocannibinoids are strongly implicated in the runners high, moreso than endorphins. Supplementing with archanoic acid (sp?) boosted endurance excercise by 30% duration. Unfortunately AA is also pro-inflammatory, and pot itself has too much in the way of direct cb1 agonism to be useful for endurance gains. But its worth noting that cannabinoids are most likely involved in endurance, and particular kinds of cannabinoids, particularly the endo kinds may give functional boosts to performance (probably the more selective kinds, as opposed to broad acting marijuana).

Endocannabinoids themselves are also involved in pregnancy and injury. They serve as a kind of physical stress adaptor. This, and the effect on melatonin, is probably a good motivation to not to use pot too regularly (In addition to habituation in those minorities that find themselves in that situation)

As far as the strain talk goes, there is some chemical truth to this. Strains higher in thc, but lower in cbd are more stimulating. But then again those lower in thc and higher in cbd are less of psychosis risk factor. There are thousands of cannabinoids in pot, and it is often said in science that pot is 50% stronger than would be expected from its thc content alone. We dont know much about those other cannabinoids. Also often underplayed is the role of terpenes (chemicals that occur in other plants). Linalool for example is the principle relaxant in lavender. There are many others in pot, in various concentrations. The particular scent is the give away re:terpene content.

I did read somewhere that THC (or something else in pot) strongly inhibits leptin binding. case in point A while ago I smoked a joint (no tolerance), ordered two large thin crust pizzas for delivery and ate both within 30 minutes. I was still hungry :(

marijuana can induce a sharp but short lived increase in heart rate and bp. so depending on your workout, I would wait an hour afterwards before you take a smoke.