Are you missing a vital mineral? - Reducing muscle soreness, cramps and fatigue

Years ago, I would often experience severe leg cramps. At weekends, I was training regularly for rowing and commonly doing back to back long distance endurance sessions, as well as extra training during the week. Despite the advice of the time, i.e. replace potassium levels, eat a banana, drink plenty of water or add a little salt; I would still experience excruciating muscle spasms. None of these seemed to work.

I also still have photos from the 2002 London marathon where I’m clutching my legs in agony after 20 miles. It’s likely I hit the runner’s ‘wall’, but both my legs were seizing up with intense spasms in the last 6 miles. Why did my recovery take so long? I was cramping for at least two days after the event. No amount of Lucozade Sport or water helped at the time. So much for replenishing vital electrolytes!

Years later, my late father in law – himself a retired doctor, recommended to me, that taking extra magnesium would help. I had never previously heard about this. It’s not common exercise nutrition advice in the UK; however you may hear about this in Austria, other parts of Europe and the US. For the last few years, I’ve included this as part of my nutrition in preparation and recovery for endurance events and intensive training.

Do I get cramps any more? Very rarely if ever. Do I experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after a tough training session? Nowhere near as much as I used to.

Over five years ago a work colleague of mine had bought the book, The Magnesium Miracle by Dr Carolyn Dean. I also bought a copy to add to my reading list. All I can say is, it’s a fascinating read. It goes into depth about the benefits of magnesium for a range of other health conditions, including fibromyalgia, stress as well as for exercise. Here's a quote:

When your muscles are engaged in the rapid fire contraction and relaxation of physical exercise, if there is too much calcium (the initiator of contractions) and too little magnesium (the initiator of relaxation), muscle cramps and build-up of lactic acid can result. Even though most athletes and coaches don’t know it, magnesium is one of the most important nutrients athletes can take

If you want to learn more, I suggest getting a copy of the book, visiting Dr Dean’s website.

If you are considering magnesium as an extra supplement for the purposes of reducing muscle soreness or for other conditions, I recommend you take time to consult with your pharmacist or a specialist sports medicine doctor first.