Even as a child, I was unable to contort myself into a bridge in PE. So, at 49, I’m astonished to have bent myself into a position even more extreme.
To stretch my quad muscles, I’m kneeling, arching backwards until my head dangles upside-down, and I’m gingerly resting my forearms on the ground. (It’s similar to the Reclined Hero pose, if you’re a yoga buff.)
I’m midway through Cannabliss, a hot new exercise class, and I can’t help but wonder if my new flexibility is, at least in part, thanks to the Cannabidiol (CBD) patch stuck to my arm.
CBD is a new trend in wellness. The number of people using the oil is rising amid claims it helps with anxiety, insomnia, and muscle and joint pain.
It is derived from hemp and, like the recreational drug marijuana, belongs to the cannabis family.
But, unlike marijuana, CBD contains only minute levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component that gets you high.
Anna Maxted, 49, (pictured) tested out Cannabliss exercises classes at Gymbox in London which combines stretching, slow breathing and deep massage movements while wearing a CBD-infused patch
CBD, in any quantity, can’t get you high and is legal (though any over-the-counter CBD product must contain no more than 0.2 per cent THC).
But why exactly am I wearing a CBD-infused patch as I try to contort myself into the shape of a pretzel? The idea is that CBD could boost the effects of this challenging, recovery-focused stretch class.
Firas Iskandarani, a master trainer at Gymbox, stresses that Cannabliss is innately relaxing thanks to a combination of stretching, slow breaths and deep massage of areas such as the glutes and quads.
The more relaxed your muscles are, the deeper you can sink into a stretch. So if you use a transdermal (meaning active ingredients are delivered across the skin) CBD patch — best applied on a fatty area of your body — you might, he says, ‘get more bang for your buck’.
A patch, which looks like a large, green, plastic plaster, is handed out to everyone who wants one at the start of the class at no extra cost. The CBD diffuses into skin shortly after you apply the patch, and is at its most effective in the following two hours.
Keeping our joints mobile is crucial if we’re to maintain pain‑free flexibility as we age. Yet, like many middle-aged women, my fitness regimen is focused on cardiovascular and strength exercises; any stretching I do is cursory.
I learn the error of my ways when we begin with glute exercises (perch one buttock on a hard, apple-sized rubber ball and roll firmly around on it).
Firas calls this ‘the easy part’, but every spot feels sore, as though I’m pressing on a bruise. The fact it hurts tells me it’s necessary.
‘This helps you relax the area and increase the pliability of the muscle,’ he says. Essentially, this class helps you to be your own physiotherapist.
Firas says our massaging and stretching should register five to seven out of ten on the pain scale. If the discomfort is too extreme, your muscles will contract and resist, so don’t stretch until you feel your muscles relax.
I grit my teeth, thinking, I’d be grateful if this CBD patch accelerated that relaxation. But, certainly initially, I’m unaware of it having any effect. (The patch can affect blood pressure medication, so do seek your GP’s advice before using it.)
Anna (pictured) was told by master trainer Firas Iskandarani, that a lot of moves involved in Cannabliss are to try and re-set positions caused by spending time in stagnant positions
The class, says Firas, is for those ‘who spend a lot of time in stagnant positions, hunched over and leaning forward at a desk’.
This weakens and shortens the muscles at the front of your pelvis, putting strain on your lower back. Hunching for long periods also tightens the muscles that pull the shoulders forward, promoting bad posture. This can cause more problems if you train, as you risk injury if you lift weights (or, indeed, anything else) with poor form.
‘A lot of what we do in Cannabliss is to try to get you to re-set position,’ says Firas.
The class also suits those who love strength training and cardio, but aren’t fans of yoga or Pilates.
Thanks to my sedentary job, my lower back is often achy and stiff, and my stretch-avoidant exercise regimen is likely not helping.
As Firas explains: ‘Sometimes, if you do a lot of muscle strengthening work, it has the effect of reducing mobility and flexibility in the joints.’
I’d arrived at a Central London branch of the Gymbox chain, where the class is held, stressed after a frenetic day, which of course compounded my physical tension.
But, halfway way through the class, during a relatively non-taxing ankle-stretch, I realise I’m relaxed, smiling and enjoying it. Is this because of the CBD patch, or have I simply warmed up?
Firas says: ‘Spending some time doing long, deep breaths, yin breathing, or belly-breathing, has really positive effects if I’m trying to get more range in a stretch.
‘A lot of people tell me after doing this class: “I had the best night’s sleep of the week.” The breathing and the CBD patch catalyse everything and make the relaxation exercises work more effectively.’
It’s only afterwards that I realise I was so determined to stretch correctly that I paid little attention to my breathing technique.
When we did the pigeon pose — you sit with one leg bent in front of you, the other lengthened behind you, which stretches the hip rotators (in the buttocks area) and the hip flexor muscles that run along the front of your thighs and pelvis — I speed-puffed my way through it. Not ideal.
‘If I’m in the pigeon position and I take a few really long breaths — an eight-second inhale, ten-second exhale — on the eight-second mark of my exhale, I feel myself sinking into the position more deeply,’ says Firas.
Anna (pictured) says she was able to sleep deeply and overall felt loose after completing the Cannabliss class
‘By lengthening the breath, you’re lowering the heart-rate and telling the body: “Look, it’s OK, we can chill.” ’
After the class I feel achy, but I’m also buzzing like a bee. It’s remarkable because I don’t feel I worked particularly hard — I didn’t sweat — but clearly I’ve coaxed lazy, stubborn muscles into long, powerful stretches.
I peel off the patch as soon as I get home. That night, I’m so tired I drift off on the sofa.
When I fall on to my bed, my limbs feel as if they’re melting into it.
I sleep deeply, and the following day, even though there’s some stiffness from being stretched to my limits, overall I feel loose, with barely a murmur from my grumbly back.
I’m impressed. This pleasing physical sensation of warm, deep relaxation lasts all day.
Cannabliss is an excellent, effective stretch class, regardless of whether or not you go for broke with a CBD patch.
Firas stresses that some people feel zero effect from using it and that, even if you do, it could be a placebo effect.
But my impression is that the CBD patch may well have enhanced my ability to relax, and enabled me to sink into some challenging stretches.
Or maybe it just made me believe I was capable. I call that a fitness win either way.
The Cannabliss class is available at a selection of Gymbox’s London branches. Membership — with unlimited classes — is from £71 a month (gymbox.com).