California Gym Allows Members to Toke While They Train

Lace up your sneakers and get ready for the first and, so far, only, weed-friendly gym to open soon in San Francisco.

Power Plant Fitness will allow edibles and vaping on-site to start with and eventually will add an outdoor smoking deck.

The philosophy of the fitness club includes the use of cannabis as a tool for focus and recovery.

New members will take a “cannabis performance assessment” under staff supervision to determine the “most optimal ways to consume,” explained cofounder Jim McAlpine.

“We are focused on the athletic side, not the cannabis side,” McAlpine told Tech Insider. “And helping our members figure out the best way for them to ingest their cannabis.”

Founder of the 420 Games – a series of athletic events held annually to promote the healthy use of cannabis – McAlpine has the same attitude toward the gym.

“It won’t be a place to get high and just screw around.”

The gym seeks to underscore the mission of the 420 Games, which is to show that pot smokers are not lazy and unmotivated and to encourage responsible pot use and a healthy lifestyle.

Some athletes find that an edible provides the physical or mental motivation they need for a long run, a circuit-training workout or a fast-moving Zumba class.

For others, Power Plant Fitness will provide a safe haven for weed lovers who need to unwind with some bud and barbells after work.

With legalization on fire around the country, many athletes and regular folks looking to stay fit, swear that weed has performance-enhancing qualities such as easing anxiety and increasing their pain threshold so they can push themselves during workouts.

Elite triathlete, Clifford Drusinsky, a Colorado gym owner who also leads training sessions fueled by edibles, told the Men’s Journal that he does his workouts while high.

“Marijuana relaxes me and allows me to go into a controlled, meditational place. When I get high, I train smarter and focus on form.”