Magnesium and Your Performance

Trace Mineral…

There are numerous benefits that magnesium supplementation can give you in improving your athletic training, performance and recovery. Many athletes do not consume enough of this vital mineral, which can lead to reduced exercise capacity, impaired performance and poor post-exercise muscle recovery. Let’s explore the role magnesium plays in healthy physiological function and more importantly, why you, as an athlete, need supplemental magnesium as a regular part of your nutritional regime.

Magnesium is a vital nutrient that is involved in many important physiological processes, including energy production, muscle contraction, muscle relaxation and keeping our cells healthy. Magnesium is an essential mineral that is necessary for over three hundred reactions within the body! Magnesium plays a pivotal role in cellular energy production. It is necessary for the production of the body’s major form of energy – ATP (adenosine triphosphate); therefore a deficiency of magnesium may make you feel tired and low in energy. A scientific study on magnesium found that female endurance athletes who took magnesium supplements were able to run at maximal intensity for longer, and had increased VO2 max. If you want some extra energy to help you go harder for longer, take some extra magnesium today!

Do you get muscle cramps?

As mentioned previously, magnesium is necessary for normal muscular contraction and relaxation. Low magnesium levels are associated with an increased incidence of muscle cramps, which can often be reversed with the addition of magnesium supplements. In one research trial, swimmers taking magnesium supplements during their training and competitions found an 86% reduction in muscle cramps. The reductions occurred after only three days of supplementation. If muscle cramps are an issue for you, adding some extra magnesium to your supplement regime is a must.

Magnesium for better Magnesium recovery

Magnesium depletion may also be associated with structural damage to muscle cells, impairing post-exercise muscle recovery. Magnesium is, therefore, crucial for maintaining muscle health, and may assist in recovery after exercise. A recent study on the use of magnesium in 1,453 adults demonstrated that higher serum (blood) magnesium levels were associated with better muscle integrity and function. This included grip strength, lower-leg muscle power, knee extension torque and ankle extension strength. These results highlight the importance of magnesium for improving muscle function and performance.

As you already know, for athletes to perform at their best they need to ensure that they are well hydrated and take in extra electrolytes lost during intense exercise. Magnesium is a critical electrolyte, along with potassium, sodium and chloride. It is important for athletes to replace magnesium as intensive training can lead to depletion via sweat and urine. If you become deficient in magnesium, it is often difficult to restore the levels back to normal, particularly if you do not take supplements. Many athletes are magnesium deficient; therefore, supplemental magnesium is an important part of any serious athlete’s nutritional program. However, not all magnesium supplements are created equal.

Magnesium is required for more than 300 biological reactions in the body, including those involved in the synthesis of fat, protein, and nucleic acids, neurological activity, muscular contraction and relaxation, cardiac activity and bone metabolism. Even more important for athletes is magnesium’s pivotal role in both anaerobic and aerobic energy production, particularly in the metabolism of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the ‘energy currency’ of the body. The synthesis of ATP requires magnesium-dependent enzymes called ‘ATPases’. These enzymes have to work extremely hard; the average human can store no more than about 3oz of ATP, yet during strenuous exercise the rate of turnover of ATP is phenomenal, with as much as 15kgs of ATP per hour being continually broken down and reformed.

An antioxidant role for magnesium?

Until recently, magnesium has had something of a Cinderella status among sports nutritionists, many of whom have not appreciated just how important optimum magnesium status is for athletic performance. However, it now seems that magnesium has another surprise to reveal, as new research indicates it may play a vital role as an antioxidant, helping to protect the body from the potential ravages caused by oxidative stress (cellular damage occurring as a result of oxygen generated free radicals within the body).

Although other minerals such as copper, zinc and selenium are known to be involved in activating enzymes that deactivate free radicals and thus protect the body, the possible role of magnesium as an antioxidant nutrient is extremely surprising to say the least. That’s because unlike other antioxidants, magnesium is not ‘chemically speaking’ considered adept at accepting and passing on electrons (something that characterizes all other antioxidant molecules). However, despite this fact, a growing body of recent evidence suggests that adequate dietary magnesium is essential for the control of oxidative stress.

Since this mineral is so important for energy production, it has a major effect on exercise capacity and fitness. In a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled scientific study, athletes given magnesium experienced increased peak oxygen uptake and significant increases in endurance performance, compared to the group taking the placebo “sugar pill”.1

Magnesium deficiency is a potential problem for athletes in particular as intensive training can lead to depletion of this crucial nutrient. If you become deficient in magnesium it is often difficult to restore your levels back to normal from dietary sources alone.

You are what you eat…

Magnesium is found in a wide range of foods, especially green vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes and chocolate. Animal products such as milk and meats supply some magnesium, although less than the plant based foods. Refined foods are generally low in magnesium. Unfortunately most diets today are deficient in magnesium and it can be difficult to get enough magnesium from your diet alone, especially if you train hard. In fact, a recent scientific study found that the daily intake of magnesium in 76% of Australian men and 86% of Australian women was below the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). Why is this? Can’t you just eat more greens, chocolate and take a multi vitamin? Not always, as some forms of magnesium aren’t easily absorbed and modern lifestyles and training regimes may increase your magnesium requirements beyond what food and a multi vitamin can give back.

Put some magnesium in your training bag!

The type of magnesium you choose is important, If you feel low on energy and are having a hard time boosting muscle recovery and supporting healthy muscle function, don’t spend one more cent on fancy supplements without first building a powerful foundation of magnesium as contained in Ionic Revive.