The Best CBD Lotions, Creams, And Balms For Pain & Quick Recovery From Muscle Soreness

CBD products are a really great addition to any athlete’s recovery routine – and in particular, using CBD balms, muscle rubs, lotions, and salves is a popular and growing trend among runners, cyclists, and other athletes who are looking to support training recovery, or are dealing with pain, inflammation, and fatigue.

This post shares the best CBD lotions, creams, balms and salves we’ve come across for athletes that are designed to support fast recovery and temporary pain relief.

We hope our CBD creams and lotions reviews help you choose the best one to try, if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below as I have used all the CBD products on this list.

Keep reading to see the list, or click here to jump down to first learn more about using supplements such as CBD balms and lotions.

Best CBD lotions, creams and balms for athletes – Table of Contents

• Best CBD Cream for Athletes
• Best CBD Balm for Athletes
• Balm With An Essential Oils Aroma
• Best CBD Lotion (Full-Spectrum)
• Smooth CBD Topical Recovery Balm (Full-Spectrum)
• Read our Guide to CBD lotions For Athletes

All the CBD topicals on this list are made with either broad-spectrum or full-spectrum CBD extract, from companies that lab-test their products for purity, third-party verification, and potency.

Read our guide more about the difference between full and broad-spectrum CBD products and why competitive athletes should always ensure their chosen CBD brand lab-tests each batch of their products, they know all the ingredients and can access lab test results.

1. Level Select CBD Cream | Best CBD Cream For Athletes

• CBD Topical type: Cream
• Broad or Full-Spectrum: Broad-Spectrum, THC-Free
• Lab-Tested: Yes
• CBD Contents per 1oz: 600mg (Level 3)

To learn more about this CBD cream and Level Select’s other incredible CBD creams and products, read our In-Depth Level Select CBD review next.

With a relatively high concentration of CBD per 1oz for their most potent Level 3 formula, Level Select’s CBD cream (and roll-on option) are designed with athletes from all backgrounds to help with workout and injury recovery.

With a cooling mint formula that is non-greasy to apply and soaks in quickly, they’re easy to use without worrying about staining clothes or waiting around before getting dressed post-workout.

Level Select’s CBD recovery topicals are also available in lower concentrations of 1200mg and 900mg per 3oz tub, if you’re not looking for the most potent option available.

This CBD cream (as well as the roll-on) is sold at a price point that represents excellent value for money for non-GMO, US-grown, third party lab-tested CBD products, at only $50 for a 3oz tub containing 1800mg of CBD – or as low as $30-$35 per tub when bought on a monthly subscription.

This is a great CBD cream for pain because of how potent the concentration is – that’s 60mg of CBD for one application, and 1800mg per tub.

We have tried a wide array of Level Select’s CBD products and can honestly say they are one of the best one-stop shops for CBD products for athletes.

This ‘Level 3’ high potency CBD cream is especially awesome and our top pick as the best CBD creams sfor all the reasons mentioned above.

Level Select is one of our favorite CBD brands as they sell so many different high-quality CBD products (including yummy CBD gummies) at an affordable price.

2. Venga CBD Recovery Balm | Best CBD Balm For Athletes

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To learn more about Venga CBD’s other great products, read our in-depth Venga CBD review next.

• CBD application type: Balm
• Broad or Full-Spectrum: Broad-Spectrum, THC-Free
• Lab-Tested: Yes
• CBD Contents per 1oz: 500mg

Venga CBD is a CBD company specializing in recovery products for athletes and is founded by runners and athletes who know all about pushing your limits when it comes to endurance sports.

I first noticed the power of this CBD balm when I ran a 30k mountain race in the Swiss Alps with the UTMB OCC ultra marathon 5 days later.

I rubbed it on my leg muscles after Matterhorn Ultraks and felt repaired and ready to run UTMB OCC 5 days later.

That impressed me but what really blew me away was just how good my legs felt the day after my mountain ultra-marathon race – which involved a total moving time of 10.5 hours in the mountains.

I can only attribute it to this CBD product that I smothered over my legs after the race. This is why it currently holds the crown as our chosen best CBD balm for athletes.

That, and it being THC-free is important for competitive athletes.

Venga CBD’s Recovery Balm was the first CBD products I ever tried and I still highly rate this brand after continuing to use them over the years.

3. CBDPure Muscle & Joint Formula | Best CBD Lotion

To learn more about CBDPure’s CBD products , read our in-depth CBDPure review next.

• CBD Topical type: CBD Cream/Lotion
• Broad or Full-Spectrum: Full-Spectrum
• Lab-Tested: Yes, this CBD cream is lab tested
• CBD Contents per 1oz: 83mg (250mg CBD in one 3oz tube)

CBDPure’s Muscle & Joint Formula 250 CBD Cream is a topical CBD cream (called a cream but applies more ike a lotion in my experience) formulated for rapid absorption.

Unlike other CBD cream options on this list, the CBDPure lotion is made using full-spectrum, rather than broad-spectrum CBD making it very effective CBD cream for pain and more specifically for joint pain.

This CBD cream has been developed for those of us with active lifestyles, and it combines the benefits of CBD with botanicals like menthol and white willow bark (aka nature’s aspirin).

The menthol actually gives a pleasant tingling sensation when applied to the skin which I enjoy.

This CBD cream smells pleasant, and because it’s non-greasy, it absorbs into the skin cleanly and quickly.

You only need to apply a pea-sized amount of this CBD lotion directly to the affected area where you may be experience muscle or joint pain which means the product lasts a good amount of time as the tube has 3oz. of CBD cream in it.

Coming in at $40 for one tube this is also a reasonably priced full-spectrum CBD cream for pain.

The relatively low entry price makes this a smart choice for those on a budget when it comes to trying a CBD pain cream for the first time (although note that this includes 250mg of full-spectrum CBD in a 3oz bottle compared to other, more potent options on this list.

By the way, if you’re looking for a CBD balm because you have foot pain from running or hiking (or similar activities) then also consider getting an inexpensive pair of toe spacers, that can really help with foot pain and alignment.

Also read our tips to recover from plantar fasciitis at home, and check out the Alleviate Therapy foot massager if you have issues specifically to do with plantar fasciitis – it’s a great tool for recovery!

4. Beam CBD ‘The Fixer’ | CBD Balm With Essential Oils Aroma

• CBD application type: Salve
• Broad or Full-Spectrum: Broad-Spectrum, THC-Free
• Lab-Tested: Yes
• CBD Contents per 1oz: 500mg

Beam Organics is another CBD company founded by former professional athletes. As former Ironman triathletes and marathon runners, they know a thing or two about pain and the need for effective recovery products.

Beam’s CBD product range is grouped into four categories, ‘balance’, ‘performance’, ‘recovery’ and ‘sleep’.

Within each of these categories, they offer a blend of products, from a CBD powder that you make into a hot drink to aid sleep, to CBD oil and this CBD balm for relief from soreness (which is part of the ‘recovery’ range).

I like the soft texture of Beam’s CBD salve, and the aromatherapy benefits, as it is infused with organic Lavender and Eucalyptus oils, two of my favorites.

Other CBD balms on this list also feature these essential oils, however, something about this blend makes it stand out when it comes to the overall aroma.

Like the other CBD pain cream options on this list, it is designed to not only help with soreness relief but also inflammation.

If you’re going to use a CBD cream regularly, it can be more cost-effective to buy them on a monthly subscription, and when you do this with Beam’s ‘the fixer’ balm, the price drops from $75 to $60 a month.

That being said I always recommend that you try the product as a one off purchase before subscribing, just incase the product isn’t right for you.

Eitherway, if you fancy trying Beam products, use the code ‘TRYBEAM‘ to get 15% off your order.

5. Miraflora Recovery Balm | Smooth CBD Topical Recovery Balm

To learn more about Miraflora’s CBD products , read our in-depth Miraflora CBD review next.

• CBD type: Balm
• Broad or Full-Spectrum: Full-Spectrum
• Lab-Tested: Yes
• CBD Contents per 1oz: 500mg

Miraflora’s CBD recovery balm is another full-spectrum CBD topical for pain relief, inflammation and recovery, specifically designed with athletes and people with an active lifestyle in mind.

This CBD recovery balm has a really smooth texture and it is not greasy like some CBD cream products can be. The ingredients that help provide this texture include shea butter and extra virgin coconut oil.

The smell of this CBD pain relief topical is nice, and not too potent either – part-aromatherapy, part-medicinal, on account of it also including lavender, eucalyptus, and menthol essential oils (similar to the other CBD balms listed above).

Guide to CBD Lotions, creams and balms For Athletes

Why are CBD lotions popular for athletes look for support with pain relief and soreness?

CBD (Cannabidiol) is a plant-based, all-natural, anti-inflammatory supplement that is widely recognized as being well-suited for endurance athletes’ therapeutic needs.

CBD does this by working in synergy with existing systems within the body to help alleviate, inflammation, soreness, loss of mobility, stress, anxiety, and insomnia.

Many people looking for cream topicals for pain relief consider CBD as a supplement that can help with soreness and recovery.

These products are not marketed as pain relief products, rather they’re described as being topicals for use in alleviating soreness and aiding recovery.

Benefits of CBD topicals

There are many benefits of using topical cbd products, in our experience it can help alleviate the following issues which are also common amongst other runners and athletes:

• stiffness and immobility that comes after endurance runs, whcih is common in areas such as backs, necks and hips.
• joint swelling in your knees, wrists, ankles, and hands due to the anti-inflammatory properties of CBD.
• shin splints, plantar fasciitis, arthritis, and tendonitis (including achilles tendinitis).

Using a CBD cream for such soreness offers a more targeted and localized manner than using just CBD oils and soft gels – and you use it much in the way you would use other plant-based muscle rubs such as Arnica.

If you have sensitive skin I always recommend that you try a small amount of CBD cream on the back of your arm and leave it for a few hours to ensure you don’t have any reaction to any other active ingredients that may be included in the mixture.

It’s always good practice to do this with new skin care products that you haven’t used before, just incase you have a reaction to it and get a rash or something worse.

Using CBD muscle rubs after exercise

As an example of when an athlete may benefit from using CBD topicals or pain relief cream like this, I will massage a CBD topical balm or salve into my legs if they’ve taken a heavy beating during a strenuous run to help reduce inflammation and recover faster.

Becoming a stronger runner starts with a good recovery routine and using a CBD cream that helps me recover more quickly – and I’ve talked about this in various mountain running race write ups in the past.

Whether you’re an ultrarunner in training, sprinter, cyclist, weight-lifter, CrossFit athlete, or simply an active person in general then it’s definitely worth trying one of these products and seeing if it works for you, too.

You may want to try one of our recommended CBD topicals if you have muscle aches, are recovering from an injury, or seeking a CBD cream for pain or relief from post-workout muscle soreness.

Given the benefits outlined above, it’s also easy to see how these cbd topical creams, salves or lotions can also be beneficial to people with other forms of soreness, aching and inflammation, such as those dealing with arthritis and recovery from non-athletic injuries.

The difference between broad-spectrum and full-spectrum CBD creams

It’s important to understand the difference between broad and full spectrum CBD creams and lotions, especially if you are a competitive athlete required to pass drug tests.

CBD is legal in the US, however, to be legal in the US CBD creams and other products must have less than 0.3% THC.

The reason for this is that THC, the compound found in large quantities in marijuana, occurs in very small quantities in full-spectrum CBD.

Full Spectrum CBD typically includes more hemp plant extracts than Broad Spectrum, and this may include up to 0.3% THC that naturally occurs in the hemp plants used to make the CBD topical.

Broad-spectrum CBD also contains several such plant compounds, but it is typically entirely free of THC as it is not harvested from the whole plant, only certain parts.

Therefore if you are looking to avoid THC in any CBD that you ingest (such as oils, gummies, and other edibles), broad-spectrum is something to look out for.

Even though our understanding is that CBD creams won’t affect drug tests in the same way anyway (as you don’t ingest them and they don’t enter your bloodstream) many companies offering broad-spectrum CBD will ensure their lab testing process certifies that their CBD creams or lotions as well as any, oils and other products, are THC-free.

If you’re interested in the value of CBD products for anxious or active pets read our post on the benefits of CBD for dogs next!

It’s important to consider that if you are subject to drug testing you may want to avoid using any CBD products or at least be thoroughly knowledgeable about the contents of the products and the rules of your testing organization.

Do this to ensure any products you are using do not result in a positive test for THC (for example, if the THC content of your chosen CBD salve is higher than permitted).

WADA has some guidance on their website which should be a good starting point, and it’s worth consulting with a professional for further advice on the subject.