James stands at 6’3″ (1.91m) and weighs between 135kg-140kg through the year, with a mind-bending 260kg bench and 360kg deadlift, he’ll be competing in the Arnold Sports Amateur Strongman competition in Ohio in February 2019. James already holds the title of Isle Of Wight’s Strongest Man 2018.

As well as competing in Strongman full time, James is also a father with a full time job.

Pushing myself as an Open-class competitor in Strongman requires a full-time commitment, but unfortunately, it’s sport without much opportunity to go full time. That means, like many of the guys, I need to maintain a full-time job as well as my number 1 job in life which is being a father to my son.

Not only is the physical stress on my body a constant reminder of this workload, but I also struggle with the stress and anxiety of trying to balance it all.

James Williams, Amateur Open-Class Strongman & Isles Of Wight Strongest Man 2018

When Nordic approached me with their CBD oil, I’d heard of other athletes using it and figured it might help to reduce my day-to-day aches and joint pain. What I didn’t expect was just how much of a difference it would make, but what really surprised me, was how much it would help me to deal with the overloading stress from fitting everything in. Athlete mental health isn’t something that us men talk about often, but I think that needs to change.

Like most guys, I’m a skeptic until proven otherwise, so I used the oil (and more recently the muscle rub) for quite a while until I was confident it was actually working. I noticed my sleep improved and my body was coping with recovery much better. Especially when going for 1 rep maxes in big compound lifts like Deadlift, Squat, Benchpress and Log Press, I use the muscle rub every morning on my joints and combined with the oil, I’ve really noticed the difference.

Nordic Botanics products are now an everyday part of my training supplements, both for my physical health and more importantly, my overall mental balance.

James Williams, Amateur Open-Class Strongman & Isles Of Wight Strongest Man 2018

Supporting people like James who have such a passion for their sport and are already giving every last inch of themselves every day their responsibilities as an athlete and father are at the heart of why we created Nordic’s Athlete Sponsorship program. James is an inspiration to men and women everywhere, and we’re excited to see his career go from strength to strength!

Standing at 6’5″ (1.98m) Jamie is in fact the tallest bodybuilder to be awarded his IFBB Pro card (It’s much more difficult for taller bodybuilders to achieve the proportioned physique that bodybuilding judges look for – for comparison Arnold Schwarzenegger is 6’3″).

We have been supplying Jamie with our natural CBD oil throughout his preparation leading up to his recent victory, and Jamie said it was a crucial component in his brutal training regime.

As any bodybuilder knows, the training leading up to a competition is not only the most vital, it’s also the most painful. Every day you’re pushing your body to it’s extreme limits, but you’re severely limiting your calorie and carbohydrate intake compared to what it’s been used to the rest of the year. This increases aches and pains and also causes a huge hit to mental health. You need to dig deeper every morning and remember why you love the sport, but it’s difficult.

Obviously I was skeptical about how CBD oil could help, but within a few days I could already feel the difference in my overall pain management and joint inflammation. I’m used to listening to my body very closely, and I almost wanted to believe that all the hype I’d heard from other bodybuilders using Nordic’s oil was just a placebo effect. But with deeper and more restful sleep and less pain after intense sessions, it allowed me to have a better training-life balance and find that extra bit of willpower on those difficult mornings. I’m excited to work with a company who know their product in such detail and really understand athletes and what we go through for our sport.

Jamie Christian-Johal, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder

As well as our CBD Oil, Jamie also uses our new CBD Muscle rub product for topical relief. Heavier bodybuilders like Jamie will benefit from applying this to lower back, pecs, quads, hamstrings and glutes, especially after intense compound exercise days such as Squats, benchpress and deadlifts.

We’re not only excited to be working with Jamie, but also thrilled to see that he won his IFBB Pro card during our sponsorship (We decided not to announce new Sponsorships until the athlete has had a chance to really test our CBD products so that they are giving honest and unbiased feedback).

You can follow Jamie on Instagram for daily bodybuilding motivation (and also plenty of laughs!). Jamie is also a business owner and we strongly recommend visiting Ilkeston Gym and Fitness if you’re in the UK.

Josh has been competing on bodybuilding stages since 2010, with a successful career in UKBFF before transitioning to NABBA and eventually winning the prestigious NABBA Mr Universe Class 1 in 2017.

Bodybuilding is judged on overall mass, symmetry and conditioning. To compete at Josh’s level, athletes must lift weights for many hours, 5 or more days per week, performing thousands of reps throughout the week!

This intense training load places huge stress on the muscles as they are constantly being stimulated to grow in every direction. A bodybuilders life is usually one of constant aches and inflammation!

To be the best, I’ve always made sure I’m giving my body every healthy advantage possible. I began to experiment with adding CBD oil to my daily vitamin and food supplement stack to see if it would help with recovery as much as I’d heard from some of the other pros on the circuit.

 

I was massively surprised at how noticeable the effects were, and immediately started looking for a premium brand to use long term. That’s when I found Nordic Botanics and their oil was a perfect fit for me.

 

– Josh Maley

CBD oil has been proven to have none of the psychoactive effects of THC (the part of Cannabis that makes you feel

‘high’ or ‘stoned’). This means it doesn’t dull your focus or pump during exercise! Instead, multiple studies have shown CBD oil to be particularly effective at reducing muscle inflammation, muscle pain, muscle spasms, back and joint pain. These are just some of the benefits of CBD that might help a bodybuilder with recovery (which in turn, allows for more training and/or a better quality of life as a bodybuilder).

Nordic Botanics CBD oil is available to buy from our online store. We are based in the UK and ship to all countries where CBD oil is legal.