The 3 Best Types of Magnesium Supplements for Athletes
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Magnesium is an essential mineral that your body doesn’t naturally produce, so it must be obtained via your daily diet or supplementation. Yet it’s estimated that as many as 50% of Americans may not consume enough magnesium in their diet, and this can be especially problematic for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
Magnesium is lost through sweat and is involved in many processes that increase with physical activity, such as carbohydrate and fat metabolism, energy production, protein synthesis, and healing. It’s essential for over 600 enzymatic processes from the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy currency of the body, to helping with muscle relaxation, heart and brain health, and physical performance. It can also help improve sleep and alleviate soreness.
Although magnesium is found in many foods, such as whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and nuts, very few foods are considered to be magnesium-rich. For this reason, magnesium supplements can be a great asset for athletes.
In this guide, we’ll explore the most effective magnesium supplements tailored specifically for athletes:
Magnesium Malate
Magnesium L-Threonate
Magnesium Glycinate
Each of these supplements has been selected based on their ability to enhance energy levels, support muscle function, aid in muscle recovery and post-exercise soreness, and promote deep, restful sleep.
We’ll also dissect the scientific research supporting the use of magnesium supplements for athletes. You’ll gain insights into how these supplements work at a biochemical level, recommendations on dosages and timing to align with training schedules, and the potential side effects to be aware of.
If you want a quick summary of each supplement, here’s what we’ll cover in more depth below:
| Magnesium Malate | Magnesium L-Threonate | Magnesium Glycinate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What It Does | Enhances energy levels, supports muscle function, protein synthesis, and bone health. | Improves cognitive function, memory, learning, attention, focus, and sleep quality. | Improves exercise performance, promotes bone health, regulates nerve and muscle function, manages blood sugar and inflammation. |
| Mechanism of Action | Combined with malic acid for increased bioavailability. | Combined with threonic acid to pass through the blood-brain barrier more effectively. | Combined with the amino acid glycine for better absorption, known as "chelated" magnesium. |
| Clinical Research | Demonstrated positive impact on energy metabolism, muscle recovery, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. | Shown to improve brain health, nerve pain, and memory. Positive effects on sleep as reported by Dr. Andrew Huberman and other experts. | Linked to improved muscle performance, grip strength, lower-leg power, knee extension torque, ankle extension strength, maximal isometric trunk flexion, rotation, and jumping performance. |
| Recommended Dosage and Timing | 220 mg daily with food. | 145 mg 30-60 minutes prior to sleep. Daily dosage varies by age and gender. | Generally recommended to take with food; dosage may vary based on individual needs. |
| Safety and Side Effects | High doses may cause diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramping. Interacts with certain medications. | Generally well tolerated, but high doses may cause digestive discomfort. Start with recommended dosage and adjust based on tolerance. | Well tolerated, fewer gastrointestinal side effects than other magnesium supplements. High doses may cause diarrhea, gastrointestinal irritation. |
Magnesium Malate
Magnesium Malate is a bioavailable form of an essential micronutrient involved in muscle and nerve function and energy production. It’s derived by combining magnesium with malic acid, a naturally occurring compound found in fruits.
What It Does
Magnesium Malate can help enhance energy levels and support muscle function. It plays a vital role in various bodily functions, including energy metabolism, muscle function, protein synthesis, and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. It promotes the proper functioning of enzymes involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions throughout the body. It also supports the conversion of vitamin D into its active form to support bone health, immune system, brain function, and sleep quality.
As Patrick Dixon, Senior Director of Human Performance at Momentous, says: "Not all magnesium is the same. Magnesium Malate is readily absorbed and cost-effective in support of hundreds of metabolic processes that include bone strength, muscle function, and heart health."
Mechanism of Action
Magnesium isn’t absorbed easily by the body, but when combined with malic acid to make magnesium malate its bioavailability is increased. In fact, this study showed it to be the most bioavailable form of magnesium.
Clinical Research Supporting Its Efficacy for Athletes
The research supporting the benefits of magnesium supplementation, including magnesium malate, is robust and well established. Multiple studies have demonstrated the positive impact of magnesium malate on energy metabolism, muscle recovery, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. Scientific literature consistently highlights its role in enzymatic reactions, ATP synthesis, muscle relaxation, and mood regulation.
This study showed how magnesium deficiency can lead to increased oxygen requirements to complete submaximal exercise and a reduction in endurance performance.
Chronic magnesium deficits can increase the production of free radicals, which have been implicated in the development of several chronic age-related disorders. This study showed that maintaining an optimal magnesium balance all through life may help in the prevention of oxidative stress and chronic conditions associated with aging.
Recommended Dosage and Timing
Momentous recommends taking 220 mg daily with food. Individual results may vary, but you can typically expect improvements in energy levels, reduced muscle soreness, and enhanced overall performance and vitality with consistent use over time.
Safety and Side Effects
Too much magnesium from food does not pose a health risk in healthy individuals because the kidneys eliminate excess amounts in the urine. However, high doses of magnesium from supplements often results in diarrhea that can be accompanied by nausea and abdominal cramping.
Some types of medications have the potential to interact with magnesium supplements or affect magnesium status. A few examples include antibiotics, bisphosphonates, and diuretics.
Try Momentous Magnesium Malate
Momentous Magnesium Malate is NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport certified, ensuring it is free from banned substances and contaminants and trusted by professional athletes worldwide.
Magnesium L-Threonate
What It Does
Magnesium L-Threonate is a naturally occurring micronutrient that passes through the blood-brain barrier more effectively than any other form of magnesium, ensuring you get more of this critical nutrient delivered to where it’s needed most—your brain.
This means Magnesium L-Threonate can help improve cognitive function, including memory, learning, attention, and focus. Its calming effect on the brain can also help improve sleep quality.
Mechanism of Action
Magnesium L-Threonate is sourced through a meticulous manufacturing process that combines magnesium with threonic acid, a byproduct of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). It is a novel magnesium compound (identified in 2010) and patented as MagteinⓇ.
It is a highly bioavailable form of magnesium that can cross the blood-brain barrier more effectively than any other magnesium, activating NMDA receptors (the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain). This can make it effective in improving brain health and cognitive function.
Clinical Research Supporting Its Efficacy for Athletes
This study showed how Magtein can improve brain health and function, while this study showed how magnesium L-threonate can help nerve pain and memory.
In this episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about the positive effect magnesium L-threonate can have on falling asleep. Many sports medicine experts and top athletes have anecdotally reported improved sleep for athletes using magnesium.
Recommended Dosage and Timing
Take three capsules (145mg) 30-60 minutes prior to sleep. Initial improvements are usually felt within seven days, although it’s estimated that four weeks of supplementation is required for optimal improvements to be felt. Long-term benefits are best achieved with regular daily supplementation.
Safety and Side Effects
Magnesium L-Threonate is generally well tolerated. However, high doses may cause digestive discomfort, such as diarrhea or stomach cramps. It is recommended to start with the recommended dosage and adjust as needed based on individual tolerance.
Try Momentous Magnesium L-Threonate
Momentous Magnesium L-Threonate is third-party tested with both Informed Sport and NSF Certified for Sport certifications, which means it is tested for up to 300 banned substances and contaminants, making it an ideal, highly trusted choice for athletes.
Magnesium Glycinate
What It Does
Magnesium glycinate, sometimes known as magnesium bisglycinate, is formed by combining magnesium with the amino acid glycine. It is highly bioavailable and easily absorbed through your small intestine. It can offer a number of benefits, including improved exercise performance, promoting bone health, regulating nerve and muscle function, managing blood sugar and inflammation, and more. It’s available as a supplement in tablet, gummy, and powder forms.
Mechanism of Action
The chemical bond between magnesium and glycine allows the body to absorb and use magnesium more effectively, which is why it's sometimes called "chelated" magnesium.
Clinical Research Supporting Its Efficacy for Athletes
This comprehensive review of magnesium in relation to exercise performance showed positive links between magnesium and muscle performance, including grip strength, lower-leg power, knee extension torque, ankle extension strength, maximal isometric trunk flexion, rotation, and jumping performance. This study looked at the role magnesium glycinate supplementation can play in heart health for athletes (namely premature ventricular contractions or premature atrial contractions).
Recommended Dosage and Timing
The recommended daily dosage depends on your gender and age:
For men: 400 mg for ages 19 to 30, 420 mg for ages 31 and older
For women: 310 mg for ages 19 to 30, 320 mg for ages 31 and older
For children: 80 mg for ages 1 to 3 years, 130 mg for ages 4 to 8 years, 240 mg for ages 9 to 13 years
For teens: 410 mg for males ages 14 to 18 years, 360 mg for females ages 14 to 18 years.
Safety and Side Effects
Magnesium glycinate is typically well tolerated, especially when you take it in small doses. However, if you ingest high doses of any magnesium supplement, you might experience side effects, such as diarrhea, gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting and worse. If too much magnesium builds up in your body, as can happen if you have kidney disease, you can have serious side effects.
Magnesium glycinate may have fewer gastrointestinal side effects than other magnesium supplements. So magnesium glycinate might be easier to tolerate in someone who had diarrhea while taking magnesium or who already deals with loose bowel movements.
Emma-Kate Lidbury
Emma-Kate Lidbury is a freelance writer and editor with 20 years of experience working in the health and fitness world.
