CrossFit Games

CBD and the Importance of Being NSF Certified for Sport in CrossFit

May 6, 2022 by
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If 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games qualifier Larissa Cunha taught the CrossFit athlete anything, it’s to be extra diligent with exactly what they put in their body.

Remind me: Cunha received a two-year sanction from CrossFit LLC last summer after two of her supplements were contaminated with the banned substance Ostarine.

It’s stories like Cunha’s that led CBD company cbdMD to go through the rigorous and expensive process of ensuring their products are recognized and trusted by NSF International—a product testing, inspection, and certification organization—explained cbdMD’s Senior Director of Communications Tyler Miller.

“We have done everything in our power to make this as trustworthy, as tested, as tried and true of a product that we possibly can.”

Why NSF is Important: The NSF International Certified for Sport product designation is a designation recognized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as well as other sporting bodies, such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA and LPGA.

  • “It’s the gold standard,” Miller said of the NSF certification, adding that cbdMD is the only CBD company that currently holds this certification on any of their products.
  • Currently, because the process of becoming NSF Certified for Sport is so expensive, just two of cbdMD’s products—their 1,500 mg CBD softgels and their 1,000 mg CBD PM softgels—have the coveted certification so far.
  • Acquiring this designation involved testing their products for various contaminants and illegal substances, including THC, which is especially important as CBD isn’t currently regulated at the federal level, Miller explained. In this sense, having the NSF Certified for Sport designation behind two of their products provides ”an added layer of trust,” for the CrossFit athlete.
  • That being said, beyond the NSF Certified for Sport designation, cbdMD also works exclusively with NSF GMP-registered facilities—which stands for good manufacturing practices—meaning their processes and products have been heavily scrutinized by NSF. 
  • “They come in and they observe the labs and make sure everything’s up to standard, up to code, that everything is done correctly. That’s kind of like the trusted seal of approval,” Miller said. 

The CrossFit-cbdMD Connection: cbdMD has become a popular company in the CrossFit community in recent months, with CrossFit Games veterans Justin Medeiros, Brent Fikowski, Noah Ohlsen, and Annie Thorisdottir all on board as a part of Team cbdMD. 

One of the main reasons these Games athletes take cbdMD is to improve their sleep, Miller explained, but also research shows many have found CBD to be helpful for recovery, as well as muscle and joint pain. 

‘It is just kind of like another supplement to add to your routine,” Miller explained.

“CrossFit athletes obviously have a heightened outlook on what they put in their body, what they use for fuel, for performance, for recovery…so what this kind of does is solidify that we have done everything in our power to make this as trustworthy, as tested, as tried and true of a product that we possibly can,” Miller said of his company’s due diligence.

Second, CrossFit athletes “put their body through hell in these workouts, so when you’re outside of the gym you want to make sure you’re doing the things to take care of your body, and CBD is another thing…that will just help you perform to the best of your ability,” he said. 

Miller added: CrossFit and cbdMD “really do go hand-in-hand…You can’t operate at an optimal level without proper recovery, without taking care of your body, without giving it supplements and additional nutrients to operate at the highest level.”

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