Magnesium is one of the most important minerals that ensures the health of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, proper metabolic processes. It also helps with the formation of bone tissue. Bodybuilders gaining muscle mass, often under the influence of adrenaline, lose magnesium from the body rather quickly.
Supplement Overview
This supplement serves many purposes in the athlete’s body:
- formation of bone tissue
- Provision of proper muscle contraction, including heart. A lack of it causes the deposition of salts in the muscles, affecting the vessels in a negative way as well
- metabolic processes: assimilation of vitamins, transportation of chemicals, protein synthesis, breakdown of carbs and the conversion of glucose into energy
- conduction of nerve impulses
- removal of toxins
- restoration of strength, general fatigue, muscle weakness and convulsions prevention
Magnesium absorption
There are certain nuances to the absorption of the compound:
- vitamin B6 improves the absorption of the compound, ensures its penetration and fixing inside the cells of organs and tissues
- it is best absorbed from organic compounds, for example, salts of lactic or aspartic acid (lactate and magnesium citrate). Inorganic salts (common magnesium sulfate) are absorbed worse
- the absorption of it is worse when there is an excess of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and fats. Alcohol and caffeine also affect the absorption in a negative way.
- many tasks involving magnesium are performed in conjunction with vitamins D and C
Daily intake
For men: up to 30 years – 400 mg. After 30 years – 420 mg.
For women: up to 30 years – 310 mg. After 30 years – 320 mg.
When gaining muscle, bodybuilders should increase the dosage up to 500 mg daily.
Foods rich in magnesium
This table illustrates, which foods have the highest content of magnesium
Products | Magnesium content (mg/100g) |
Wheat bran | 611 |
Pumpkin seeds | 534 |
Sesame seeds | 351 |
Almonds | 304 |
Pine nuts | 234 |
Peanuts | 185 |
Walnuts | 169 |
Spinach | 87 |
Kidney beans | 63 |
Dried dates | 59 |
Sunflower seeds | 58 |