Weed and fitness apparently go well together, and the Power Plant Fitness gym, in San Francisco, wants to prove that once and for all by allowing clients to consume cannabis in various forms, while they work out. Power Plant Fitness advertises itself as the world's first cannabis-friendly gym.
Before you get the wrong idea about this place, it's important to mention that Power Plant Fitness "won't be a place to get high and just screw around," quite the opposite.
Co-founders Jim McAlpine and Ricky Williams claim that they are "focused on the athletic side, not the cannabis side," and that they want to tackle the stereotype that pot users are lazy.
The new gym will use cannabis as a tool to improve members' concentration and speed up their post-workout recovery. McAlpine says he experienced the positive effects of weed while skiing, and that gave him the idea to try it in a gym environment.
To make sure that people use cannabis solely to improve their athletic performance, Power Plant Fitness requires new members to undergo a "cannabis performance assessment" under the supervision of specialized staff to determine the best way of consumption for each individual.
For some people, eating a pot brownie may be the kick they need to complete a circuit training workout, while for others it may just be too much and actually make them unable to work out. Essentially, this process helps the staff determine the "optimal way to consume" cannabis for each member.
"We will be helping our members figure out how is best for them to ingest their cannabis," McAlpine told Tech Insider, adding that Power Plant Fitness will allow the consumption of various cannabis edibles and vaping on site, and plans to add an outdoor smoking deck for those who want to enjoy pot the old fashioned way.
The company will also launch its own line of edibles for pre-workout focus and post-workout recovery, a press release mentions.
There's a catch, though. You have to have a doctor's note if you want to get in! Power Plant Fitness gym is registered as a dispensary lounge and only allows the consumption of medicinal marijuana. This statues allows patients and caregivers, or suppliers, to exchange and use cannabis goods in public.
"If you use it right, cannabis takes the things you love and lets you love them more," Jim McAlpine says. "With fitness that can help get you into the zone, into eye-of-the-tiger mode."
The world's first cannabis gym is set to open in May 2017, in San Francisco.
