Combining Push Ups with Lighting Kush Up
Marijuana and training are one of my favorite combos. I really enjoy a good run after an uplifting strain, like Blue Dream, or even going into the gym on a heavy strain like Gorilla Glue, and swinging some kettlebells around. Either way, the results are the same. A sense of focus and determination fueled by proper nutrition and cannabinoids, followed by a euphoric release of endorphins as my autonomic nervous system is jumpstarted by the physical activity. This is another reason I consume cannabis as part of my health and wellness routine, which is to calm my central nervous system after training. As much as I enjoy swinging around kettlebells, and going on trail runs, I don’t go in the gym every single day, and I don’t run every day either. I do, however, always make time for calisthenics at home, or even out and about.
There are no excuses when it comes to calisthenics, which is one of the main reasons I love them, and they are my go to for maintaining my strength and physique. Even the most repeated excuse of all time, “I don’t have enough time”, is no match for 15 minutes of bodyweight work. At any point, in any given day, at just about any place in the world, you can drop and do some push ups. Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Ok, how about some air squats then? Remember to push through your heels. There is literally no excuse! Ever stood in line at the grocery store? Try some calf raises while you’re waiting! With calisthenics, you can achieve a higher elevation in your fitness, your mobility, and your overall health, in as little as 15 minutes a day.
Bodyweight work can be for anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re someone wanting to start a fitness routine for the first time, or if you’re a veteran fitness professional, bodyweight training is an excellent addition to any health and wellness routine. The easiest way to come up with a bodyweight routine is to stick with a few push, and a few pull exercises. My go to moves, after a few bong rips, are push ups, dips, pull ups, and hanging leg raises alongside calf raises, lunges, squats, wall sits, and the simple plank! All of these exercises are basic, and can be found on any search engine if you’re unfamiliar.
I suggest if you’re just starting out, or are crunched for time, start with just squats, push ups, and planks. I recommend these because squatting is a functional human movement, and the full body strength benefits of this alone are worth making it a staple of your training. Once you’re comfortable with squats, move on to wall sits. Sometimes I’ll smoke a joint while doing wall sits for an extra challenge, but that’s advanced work! Push ups are on the list because they offer a wide range of benefits for the upper body like the chest, shoulders, arms, and core. Core brings us to the simple plank, which can be altered for more difficulty as you improve. I’ve been known to burn a joint while mid plank as well, but again, advanced practices!
I encourage you to bring calisthenics into your overall training. It’s easy, extremely beneficial, and can be done almost anywhere. I recommend the squats, push ups, and planks to start, but if you can get in pull ups on top of those, then you’ve got a great place to begin building you strength and improving your mobility. If you’re interested in incorporating cannabis into your training, start out slow. If you’re already consuming cannabis and training like an animal, then I tip my shaker bottle full of Nutiva hemp protein at you.
