My pre-workout routine normally involves 5 grams of creatine monohydrate and some BCAA’s mixed with water, however I’ve not considered using a balm pre-workout beforehand, so this was a first for me.
Why Heat Up Your Body Before A Workout?
I used to suffer a lot with injuries back in the day, however rather than having a frail injury-prone body, it was simply a failure to prepare.
If your tendons, joints or muscles are cold, they’re more stiff, you need to warm them up before training (hence warm-ups).
The heat applied can help to open and expand the blood vessels, so blood can flow freely through, allowing more oxygen to reach the muscles.
Increasing blood flow is important for a great workout and to prevent injuries. This is also why I do a 5 minute cardio session before starting weight training.
How Does The Mission C Pre-Workout Balm Heat Your Muscles?
The secret is largely down to one key ingredient, camphor, or Cinnamomum camphora, a terpene from the camphor tree.
This waxy, transparent ingredient is used in some supplements as a nasal decongestant or to prevent coughing, however the reason why its pivotal to this product is its ability to improve blood circulation.
Camphor has been shown in this study to ‘activate heat-sensitive transient receptors’, creating a warming sensation.
Why Include Arnica?
Arnica is fast becoming a key buzzword in the health industry, much like CBD, due to the growing list of benefits.
Several studies have been conducted into topical arnica treatments, showing how it can provide pain relief after post-eccentric exercise and can reduce swelling and sore muscles.
When training, one of the most important factors is recovery, as this can allow you to repair your muscles in time for the next workout, without your training being restricted by fatigued muscles.
Many runners I’ve met have used arnica creams before and after a running session in training for a marathon, highlighting how it helped them with reducing muscle aches.
Why Include Lavender Oil?
Lavender essential oil offers very different, yet equally useful benefits for your workout recovery.
Lavender can help improve your quality and quantity of sleep thanks to its calming and sedative properties.
So why is this useful? Muscle building hormones are produced while you’re sleeping, while sleep enhances protein synthesis and is arguably the most undervalued aspect of training. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you won’t see the results you’re after.
Some of the best advice I got was that muscle fibres are torn while in the gym and are then repaired while sleeping, so if you’re only getting 6 hours sleep, you’re not allowing your body to grow.
Lavender can help to stimulate the production of melatonin, which is the crucial hormone for instigating a good quality nights sleep.
Lavender also has anti-inflammatory, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, helping to reduce inflammation and improve blood circulation.
How Does It Smell?
The scent you instantly get is the menthol ingredient, much like if you used Vicks VapoRub, so it brought back those childhood memories of rubbing it on my chest.
How Well Does It Rub In?
Very easily, I rubbed a finger in and then onto the area of skin I wanted to target, which was dependent on what muscles I was training that day.
It easily rubbed into the skin, but following previous advice from a dermatologist, I made sure to rub it in for 20 seconds to ensure proper absorption into the skin. Make sure to rub it in circular motions onto the skin.
How Much CBD Does This Contain?
A single 50ml tub contains 1,000mg of CBD, which is much higher than your average CBD muscle balm, with most containing between 300-500mg.
This was a CBD isolate, meaning they’ve purely extracted CBD, without the other cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids. This also means that you shouldn’t find any THC in this product, which is backed up by the lab report they have printed.
Where Can I Order This From?
You can order the 50ml Mission C Pre-Workout + CBD Heating Muscle Balm from their website for £34.99.
