Written by Michal Kaminski, BJJ black belt and doctor in Sports Medicine.

Ever wonder how it works, that no matter how tired you are or how bad your whole body hurts, you will still drag yourself to another training, and never get enough of it?

You probably already heard the term “runner’s high” somewhere. The name comes from the distance runner’s world and describes a phenomenon of sudden and transient onset of pleasure, relieved anxiety, and higher pain threshold. It emerges in our body as a response to hard exercise or bursts of high-intensity workout.

It’s already been confirmed that any form of physical activity can provide us a good mood boost that can last for several hours. The science spent a lot of time trying to explain the phenomenon itself, and while we discovered some interesting facts, a lot of questions about it still stay open.

Previously, it was suspected that it was the so-called endorphins, chemicals produced by your own body in response to pain, responsible for the high. But nowadays, we discovered that the answer is not so simple. Probably it’s a mix of many different hormone responses at various levels, with endocannabinoids playing the most important role.

So, what are those endocannabinoids? It’s a number of substances that your body releases for the fine-tuning of other systems. They attach to cannabinoid-receptors, special proteins, present in almost all systems of the body. Yes, these are the same ones that react with marijuana and are responsible for all its effects. (If you want a deep dive about that I invite you to visit my blog article: Cannabis and Athletic Performance).

What might be the utility of it? It’s been supposed that the runner’s high is some kind of neurobiological reward to motivate us to run and keep running – which practically means – to get food, hunt, and fight. Moreover, it’s also about doing it together with fellow humans. We already have evidence that training in a team creates a higher pleasure surge than doing a similar one alone.

It’s still unclear why not everybody experiences that, why people experience it with various magnitude, and if there’s any connection to the duration or intensity of the exercise. As with everything in life, whatever makes us feel good can also make us mildly addicted. There’s a sort of withdrawal effect when those endocannabinoids aren’t delivered. That’s why you miss your BJJ trainings so much and become grumpy whenever you are forced to take a break.

So, are we indeed all junkies? Maybe not in the traditional sense, but jiu-jitsu and its euphoric effects are undeniable. It’s a cocktail of biology, psychology, and love for the sport that keeps us coming back for more. Next time you find yourself eagerly anticipating your next roll, remember – you’re not just chasing a win, you’re chasing that unbeatable high. Embrace it, because it’s a testament to the powerful connection between mind and body that jiu-jitsu fosters. Keep training, stay high, and enjoy the journey!