You probably haven’t heard of “cannasthenics”, which is fair because it’s a word I made up to combine calisthenics and cannabis–an incredibly effective way to get stronger, get leaner and get to know your body. First, a little bit about calisthenics.
In a nutshell, calisthenics is a type of strength and resistance training, like weightlifting. However, you don’t lift heavy things—you lift yourself. And you don’t progress by increasing weight—you decrease leverage. Think of it like this:
Getting stronger:
Weightlifting : increase weight. Calisthenics: decrease leverage.
Decreasing leverage can be hard to envision, so I’ll give you an example. Try a standard push-up. Not too bad, right? Now, with your stomach on the floor, lower your hands as close to your waist as possible. Try the push-up again. If you did it right, it should be a lot harder than the standard push-up—maybe near impossible. The further you lower your hands, the less leverage you have and the more effort you need to lift your entire body. This approach can be strategically applied to any bodyweight exercise to help you gain superhuman strength, burn pesky fat and improve motor skills.
Every calisthenics exercise is a compound movement, and requires effort from more than one muscle to be achieved (isolation movements focus on one muscle group at a time). That’s why it’s a great way to stimulate your nervous system, which enhances mobility, core control and body awareness. It’s also one of the many reasons training calisthenics and consuming cannabis makes your whole body feel euphoric. Here’s what it was like for me, along a workout you can try at your gym, at home or anywhere with a pull-up bar.
Get your blood pumping with full-body, low-intensity movements.
Blood flow:
First, the warm up. You can create your perfect warm up with this foundation.
Repeat until you break a sweat or need a break. Whichever comes first.
During the blood-flow exercises, I was focused closely on my breathing. I was able to maintain control, boost stamina and refine my movements as I got tired.
Mobility:
Warm-up your joints through their full range of motion.
Repeat until you feel loose. Add in other joints as needed.
My pain tolerance felt higher, enabling me to stretch farther and longer than usual. It also gave me more confidence for my workout, as greater flexibility can make the movements easier and lower my chances of getting injured.
Positional Drills:
Help your brain help your body maintain quality form during your workout.
Adjust hold-lengths and rest-times as needed.
There was a stronger connection between my mind and each individual muscle¬. I could pick out each one (Like when you listen to a song and can distinguish each instrument from the whole mix) and zero-in on the muscle that’s out of place or not pulling its weight.
Now, it’s time for the reps and sets. If the routine below is too easy, add reps and sets or decrease your leverage. If it’s too difficult, start with easier, more comfortable variations first. You’ll get there soon.
Round one:
Chest and Back.
Rest 45 seconds between exercises. Rest 1-2 minute(s) between rounds. Perform each round 3 or more times.
I started with a ton of explosive energy in my back and chest. Typically, when I’m not high, the reps go up, my stamina goes down and I fail right around the prescribed number of reps. This time, I found myself surpassing the prescribed reps by quite a bit. I thought about pain less, while at the same time, I embraced it.
Round two:
Shoulders, Legs and Abs
Same rest times and round repetitions as above.
With all the ways cannabis benefits your control, awareness and mobility, you’ll be surprised at how strong you’ll feel after you finish. That’s why, when done correctly, cannasthenics—or pairing cannabis with any type of exercise—can help you form a stronger and healthier mind-body connection, and build superhuman strength with practice.
