When topping a plant I know that it's a big stress to them, but during the time they are recovering do lower nodes / branches grow a lot faster than normal? thanks
Yes when topping the plant generates more energy to lower growth, it is called "Apical Dominance". And topping is not as stressful as people let on. These plants are very resilient and respond well, even with more "stressful" training techniques.
I just topped mine the other day and leaf production has skyrocketed. More leaves can't be a bad thing.