Somebody has to keep things interesting in the developing world of legal cannabis and Jim McAlpine is happy to be the guy who pushes the envelope in that regard.
In addition to being the executive director of the New West Summit, he’s also the president and founder of the 420 Games and proprietor of quite likely the nation’s only cannabis-friendly gym — Power Plant Fitness.
“Cannabis and athletics is kind of my gig,” McAlpine says.
He’s even the co-owner of an edibles line called Canna Athlete.
“It’s a brand that has THC and CBD products for focus and recovery and that kind of stuff that is in line with the gym and the 420 Games,” McAlpine says.
McAlpine’s gym concept stems from his high school days of smoking with his friends and working out in his parent’s garage, but the realization of the 420 Games and Power Plant Fitness is much more nuanced then it would seem at first blush.
For starters, Power Plant Fitness is, first and foremost, a gym. Adding a dab of cannabis to the formula seems to have polluted the message for many outlets who reported on Power Plant’s planned openings in San Francisco and San Jose, California in 2017 and McAlpine’s partnership with former NFL star Ricky Williams only further distorted the goal of the business.
The gym simply gives patrons the option of consuming cannabis in a room adjacent to the main workout area, McAlpine says. Cannabis use isn’t mandatory. In fact, McAlpine wants Power Plant newcomers to go through an interview process and a supervised trial run before they can pump iron and puff cannabis.
At the 420 Games, McAlpine asks competitors not to smoke at all. For him, the competition is about changing the perception of what a cannabis user looks like, he says. McAlpine hopes putting health-conscious and athletic individuals center stage will overpower the negative image of the lazy stoner on a couch.
The 420 Games feature a 4.2-mile course of varied calisthenics in succession. Announcers at the events guide competitors through sections of the course, which include dexterity-based tire runs, pivot races and keg-carrying races. At different intervals, participants are instructed to perform more traditional exercises like lunges, push-ups, frog jumps and burpees. Attendees watching the events can be heard gasping with equal amounts of awe and sympathy for competitors.
McAlpine hosted five 420 Games in 2017. Since his goal is to change the public perception of what a cannabis user looks like, he has consistently held the events at popular outdoor venues in major recreational hub cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. The events have plenty to offer after the sweat has dried, including beer gardens, live music performances, industry vendors and at the end of it all, hopefully, McAlpine says, a few changed perspectives.