Supplements

Who isn't looking for that extra edge when they step into the weight room? Whether you want to boost your performance, build more muscle, or lose body fat, everyone is looking for a way to achieve their fitness goal better and faster. Nutrition is the key to your results. While a healthy diet filled with vegetables, fruits, and super foods is still the most ideal way to get in your nutrients, supplementing with certain ingredients can provide a number of benefits.

Magnesium is a very powerful mineral that hosts a number of benefits that you, the fitness enthusiast, can benefit from. Let's take a look at the top 4 ways magnesium can help you in the gym.

4. Better Sleep

Sleep is the time of the day when your body is able to shut down and activate the essential recovery processes. This is when growth hormone is released, for example, and this hormone plays a role in helping with recovery and repair. If you want to see great results, you must get enough sleep. Magnesium is one way of supporting your sleep schedule. Studies suggest that magnesium supplementation before bed can promote better sleep, which means better recovery. (1)

3. Hormone Support

Magnesium is a popular addition to many supplements that focus on hormone support. Whether it's a hormone balancer for women or a testosterone booster for men, magnesium is a very useful compound for your body's natural hormone levels. Studies show that when you supplement with magnesium, you may be able to directly support hormone levels. Healthy hormone levels are very important as too much or too little of a hormone like estrogen can produce undesirable side effects. (2)

2. Increased Immunity

Walking into the gym, you risk walking through a cloud of germs and sickness. One way you can prepare your body for the onslaught of illness lurking in the weight room is through magnesium supplementation. Magnesium has been shown to have a positive impact on our immune systems. When you supplement with magnesium, along with a healthy diet, you may be able to boost your immune response. That means less illness and better recovery. (3)

1. Boost Overall Performance

Last but not least, magnesium may be able to boost your actual performance. One study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine demonstrated that cyclists supplementing with magnesium saw an increase of performance up to 14% while those being tested on the bench press saw a boost in strength of up to 11%. If you want to boost your performance inside and outside of the gym, magnesium may be able to help. (4)

Conclusion

It's important to note that despite all of these benefits from magnesium, it must be taken as a part of a healthy diet AND exercise program. It's great on its own but even better when it supplements a healthy lifestyle. Looking for a great magnesium supplement? Click here to check out our incredible collection of magnesium supplements.

References

1. Abbasi B, Kimiagar M, Sadeghniiat K, Shirazi MM, Hedayati M, Rashidkhani B. The effect of magnesium supplementation on primary insomnia in elderly: A double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Res Med Sci. 2012 Dec;17(12):1161-9.

2. Cinar V, Polat Y, Baltaci AK, Mogulkoc R.Biol. Effects of magnesium supplementation on testosterone levels of athletes and sedentary subjects at rest and after exhaustion. Trace Elem Res. 2011 Apr;140(1):18-23. doi: 10.1007/s12011-010-8676-3. Epub 2010 Mar 30.

3. M Tam, S Gómez, M González-Gross and A Marcos. Possible roles of magnesium on the immune system. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 1193–1197. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601689

4. Lindsy S. Kass, Philip Skinner, and Filipe Poeira. J Sports Sci Med. A Pilot Study on the Effects of Magnesium Supplementation with High and Low Habitual Dietary Magnesium Intake on Resting and Recovery from Aerobic and Resistance Exercise and Systolic Blood Pressure. 2013 Mar; 12(1): 144–150.

Many of my articles intended to debunk common myths surrounding the perceived effectiveness of certain supplements in the world of fitness. On the other hand, although sometimes the effects can be inconsistent, creatine generally works, there's no question about that and with the currently available scientific data to back this up, I am in no position to criticize its efficacy. However, the increase in strength and energy comes at a cost, kidney damage, liver problems, muscle camping, diarrhea, impaired thermoregulation and death just for starters. Or is it really?

The well-publicized side effects of creatine are generally hypothesised theories based on how the supplement works inside the body under extreme doses. Creatine is an organic acid that is synthesized by the kidney, pancreas and liver to help to supply energy to the body by increasing the formation of ATP. Theoretically, creatine uptake in muscle can result in an increase in fluid retention hence may affect the body's fluid balance and ability to dissipate heat. On the other hand, the body needs to get rid of and compensate for the extra creatine consumed, which puts extra strain on the kidneys and liver. The association between creatine use and liver and kidney damage was thus made based on a few case reports and small changes in organ function indicators.

The theorized side effects have their scientific merits. However, if used properly, hardly any of the proposed side effects of creatine have been confirmed in well-controlled, randomized studies conducted on healthy subjects. Of course, you should not use creatine if you have an underlining health condition, especially kidney or liver problems, and you should not overdose, which may result in unwanted side effects. But if you are perfectly healthy, not allergic to any of the contents in the supplement that you ingest, and follow the proper guideline of oral creatine supplementation, it is very safe.

How much creatine should I use then? One should always strive to achieve the best results with the lowest dose possible. According to the Mayo Clinic, a typical loading dose could be anywhere around 9-25 grams daily (depends on body weight) with good fluid intake for 4-7 days and a typical maintenance dose would be 2-20 grams daily for 5 days up to 12 weeks depends on body weight. This is just a general guideline and you should always tailor your regime based on your own circumstances. But remember, the effect of creatine can be inconsistent between different people and if you feel that the creatine you are taking does not give the expected result, it may not be the problem of dosage but the efficacy of the supplement itself.

All in all creatine is safe supplement to use when taken properly.