We all know the importance of recovery when it comes to training performance.
Unfortunately, many of us struggle to get in the recovery we need due to time constraints, lack of quality sleep, and nutritional deficiencies.
That’s why any aid we can find to help us improve recovery can have a dramatic impact on our training and performance.
In that regard, one supplement that is becoming increasingly popular and well-researched is magnesium.
Magnesium is an essential dietary mineral, the second most prevalent electrolyte in the human body, and involved in more than 300 chemical processes inside your body.
Most importantly to runners, magnesium plays a critical role in energy production, muscle recovery, improved sleep and bone development.
Yet, about 75% of runners are deficient in magnesium. So, is supplementing with magnesium something that could help your performance and recovery?
In this article, we’re going look at the research on…
- How magnesium can enhance training and recovery.
- Why magnesium supplementation can improve your quality of sleep.
- Why athletes are more prone to magnesium deficiency.
- How to supplement magnesium effectively.
Why Magnesium is Important for Performance and Recovery
Exercise Capacity
One of the main performance benefits of proper magnesium levels and potential supplementation is an increase in muscle oxygenation and aerobic capacity during high intensity exercise.
One study demonstrated that running, swimming and biking times significantly decreased when participants were given magnesium supplementation.
The data indicated that this was due to improved blood oxygenation.
Recovery from Workouts
The literature has demonstrated that magnesium supplementation can help runners recover in a myriad of different ways – from injury prevention to improved sleep.
Looking directly at post-workout recovery, a 2019 study on biomarkers of exercise damage (inflammation, creatine kinase, Interleukin-6) measured the speed of recovery between a control group and a group supplementing with 500mg/day after downhill running.
The authors concluded that magnesium supplementations significantly improved recovery times as well as reduced muscle soreness post-workout.
Lower stress levels
In addition to the pure aerobic benefits, the athletes given magnesium in the same study also experienced a lower stress response to the intense exercise, indicating less recovery would be needed after the session.
Magnesium and Testosterone Levels
Scientific research has uncovered evidence that low magnesium levels, especially in older men, may be connected to lower testosterone levels.
A 2011 study by researchers at the University of Parma in Italy demonstrated a strong correlation between magnesium levels and testosterone levels among almost 400 men age 65 or older.
In short, the higher the concentration of magnesium in the blood, the more testosterone each subject had.
Another study published by Vedat Cinar and colleagues in the journal Biological Trace Element Research examined whether increasing magnesium levels with a supplement had any effect on testosterone levels in martial arts athletes training for 90-120 minutes per day.
Cinar et al. found that the group who supplemented with magnesium experienced a significantly larger increase in testosterone levels than those who did not.
Now, testosterone is important here because it’s one of the most critical hormones we produce when it comes to exercise performance, helping improve both muscle strength and recovery.
Stronger bones
For runners who suffer from stress fractures, and women in particular, many studies have shown that magnesium supplementation can enhance bone mineral content, which can help strengthen bones and prevent bone-related injuries.
Reduction in Muscle Cramping
Another specific benefit to runners is that magnesium supplementation may help reduce cramping.
Skeletal muscle, responsible for your muscle contractions, stores approximately 35% of the body’s total magnesium.
The function of magnesium found in skeletal muscle is to work against calcium to prevent inappropriate firing.
As such, when serum magnesium levels are low, the chance of cramps increases dramatically.
Supplementing with magnesium may therefore be especially important for marathon runners.
Why Magnesium is Important for Sleep
Better sleep can accelerate muscle repair, enhance metabolism, sharpen concentration, and make you more motivated to get in your harder workouts.
That said, as much as we understand the critical role sleep plays in the recovery process, most runners simply can’t find the time to consistently get in the quality sleep they need.
So, what if we could find a way to maximize the sleep we can get by squeezing every bit of benefit out of the precious hours we are able to snooze? That’s where magnesium may come into play.
Reduces Cortisol Levels for Deeper Sleep
Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone and works to control your mood as well as your sleeping patterns.
The most common reason for elevated cortisol levels is stress, which can come from our daily work, family and other obligations.
Luckily, numerous studies have shown that supplementing with magnesium can lower coritisol levels and improve the length of time in a deep-sleep state.
This in turn helps maximize the recovery benefits of the sleep you are able to get, even when you’re not getting enough.
Why Runners are at Greater Risk of Magnesium Deficiency
To start, magnesium deficiencies are more common in developed countries because refined grains are poor sources of magnesium and other sources of magnesium, like nuts and leafy vegetables, are not a common staple in most diets.
Second, the magnesium we do eat from foods isn’t easily absorbed. Magnesium bioavailability appears to be in the 20-30% range.
Therefore, most of us are already at risk of magnesium deficiency due to our normal diets.
For runners in particular, studies have shown that sweating significantly depletes magnesium levels. One study showed that as much as 12% of daily magnesium loss could be attributed to sweat loss.
Numerous studies have also demonstrated that serum magnesium concentrations in marathon runners immediately following a race were significantly lower than prerace values due to sweat loss (and again could contribute to cramping issues many marathoners face.
How to Supplement Effectively
If you’re looking to supplement with magnesium, you should aim to take 300-400mg daily, preferably in the evening as this will help more with sleep.
That’s why I personally use, and recommend, MAS Sleep.
It’s basically a magnesium supplement and a sleep recovery aid all-in-one.
But, it’s not designed to “knock you out” or use heavy-doses of ingredients like melatonin to make you feel drowsy.
Instead, it’s designed to improve your recovery through sleep with ingredients that reduce stress, promote deep, r.e.m sleep and improve overall sleep quality.
I have used stand-alone magnesium supplements in the past, but I prefer the “double whammy’ MAS Sleep gives me with both the efficacious dose of magnesium along with the natural sleep ingredients.
In short, based on all of the available research, adding a quality magnesium supplement to your daily routine can be one of the easiest ways to improve sleep, recovery and training performance.
