Category: Personal Training

Magnesium For Tight Muscles – Does It Work?

Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in a variety of bodily functions, including muscle health. You’ve probably heard that if you take magnesium for tight muscles it can help. But how effective is it at relieving muscle tension and promoting relaxation? Let’s take a look at how magnesium affects muscle health and how it can be a useful accompaniment to massage.

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How Magnesium Helps Muscles Relax

Magnesium helps 300 reactions in the body including relaxing tight muscles
| Tight muscles can be helped by magnesium

Magnesium is involved with more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body(1). This includes muscle function. By assisting with the regulation of calcium levels in muscle cells it allows for proper contraction and relaxation. Without enough magnesium your muscles can become overly excited, which can contribute to tension, cramping or spasms.

When you have sufficient magnesium they can contract and relax more efficiently, reducing the risk of tightness. This is why taking magnesium for tight muscles can help to reduce discomfort.

Magnesium And Muscle Cramps

Magnesium deficiency is often associated with muscle cramps, especially in athletes and people who engage in regular physical activity. When magnesium levels drop too low, muscles may not fully relax, leading to the sensation of cramp or stiffness. Increasing your magnesium intake can help alleviate these this by supporting the muscles ability to relax.

If you suffer from cramps, particularly during the night, magnesium might offer some relief. It’s important to note, however, that it’s always best to talk to a healthcare provider if cramps persist. They could be caused by other underlying issues.

Magnesium For Tight Muscles Caused By Stress

Stress is another common contributor to tight muscles, particularly in the neck, shoulders and back. Stress can cause your body to remain in a “fight or flight” state, keeping muscles tense for prolonged periods. Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system which may help reduce stress levels and associated muscle tension.

Eating foods high in magnesium may support your body in managing stress and help your muscles relax more naturally.

How Much Magnesium For Tight Muscles?

For women it is recommended you get around 300mg of magnesium per day while for men it’s around 400mg (2). But be sure to check with your doctor how much is best for you personally as medications can affect or be affected by magnesium. The best way to get magnesium is through your diet from foods such as:

  • Dark chocolate
  • Avocados
  • Nuts
  • Legumes
  • Seeds
  • Whole grains
  • Fatty fish
  • Bananas
  • Leafy greens (3)

If you can’t manage it you can always try magnesium supplements. They’re relatively cheap and with several different types to try.

Do I Still Need A Massage For Tight Muscles?

Woman massaging tight shoulder muscles as magnesium is an aid not a solution
| Tight muscles can be helped by magnesium but are not a substitute for massage

Although magnesium can help relax muscles and prevent cramps, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t address underlying issues. Muscle knots, scar tissue or tissue damage will still require massage therapy which will also help to break up adhesions and relieve tight muscles. Like other supplements, magnesium can assist your treatment in the same way as stretching and corrective exercises.

In Summary


Magnesium is a vital mineral that can support muscle relaxation, reduce cramps and even help manage stress-induced tension. If you’re considering trying magnesium for tight muscles however, remember that it’s no substitute for a professional massage.

How To Book A Mobile Massage Or Personal Training In York

If you would like to book a mobile massage or personal training in York please contact me on 07713 250352 or email david@massageinyork.co.uk. Includes sports massage, deep tissue massage and Swedish massage. For more information on booking click here

Mobile Personal Training In York

david hields personal trainer
| I am a qualified massage therapist, personal trainer and has a PTLLS teaching qualification

My name is David Hields and I am an advanced personal trainer offering mobile personal training in York. I qualified in 2008 and offer strength and conditioning, technique correction, weight management, nutrition and more. I have also been a sports massage therapist here at Massage In York for 10 years (qualified 2005). It is often very useful to utilise both fields.

For example, by combining personal training and sports massage I can identify and correct tight hamstrings that hamper your deadlift progress. Or upper back pain caused by a tight and weak trapezius. Followed by exercises to strengthen the muscles provided during personal training. And there are many other benefits, so let’s take a closer look at some of them.

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One-To-One Mobile Personal Training

One of the most obvious benefits of a mobile personal trainer is that I come to you. So whether you just prefer to exercise at home or need to be there, perhaps because you have young children you can’t leave, this is an ideal solution. Maybe you can only get to the gym when it’s really busy and don’t like to queue. Or maybe you just don’t like a lot of people watching you when you exercise. Or it could just be that the class you want to do is always fully booked in advance.

Having a personal trainer at home solves all of these problems. And you don’t have to deal with York’s traffic. Plus it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any equipment. Although I bring some free weights and resistance bands for you to use, there is a bodyweight exercise for just about every muscle. This means you can do some training on your own between sessions.

Goal-Specific Personalised Sessions

| One-to-one personal training at home

Head over to Google, Instagram or YouTube to look for a home workout and you’ll get literally millions of results. But how many of those workouts actually cater to your unique goal? How many are the right length for the time you have available? Do they incorporate exercises you like or know how to do correctly? Do they take into account any injuries or limitations you have? And are they easy or hard enough for your fitness level?

My mobile personal training sessions take all of this into account and more. Each workout is specific to you and includes everything I’ve just mentioned. If you don’t like or can’t do a certain exercise we can substitute it for another. Having an off day and your energy levels aren’t where they usually are? No problem, a personal training session can be adjusted at any time. And one thing a YouTube video definitely can’t do is keep an eye on your technique.

Personal Training For Technique Correction

woman having personal training at home
| Having good exercise technique helps you get the most from your workouts and prevents injury

Having a good technique for any exercise is an essential part of training. Whether you’re lifting heavy in the gym to build strength or working out at home for general fitness. As I mentioned earlier, tight or weak muscles can actively contribute to incorrect technique. And tight or weak muscles lead to incorrect technique. Not only can this affect your results it can lead to issues elsewhere in your body. Left untreated you are also far more likely to develop an injury that could become chronic and prevent you from training altogether.

A common example is weak glutes forcing the lower back to over compensate and causing lower back pain. And a serious but not uncommon result of this is one or more slipped discs. The best way to avoid this is to have good technique from the start. But it’s never too late to check your form, or to have someone do it for you.

As a personal trainer and massage therapist with many years experience I can correct your form and have a very good idea of what muscles are causing the issue. This is not something you’re going to get watching a YouTube video or even at a group class in a gym. While the instructor might be very knowledgeable there is just no way they can correct the form of 30 people while teaching a class. With a one-to-one personal trainer I can.

Mobile Personal Training For Injury Rehabilitation

If you’ve been unfortunate enough unable to properly work out due to an injury, rehabilitation can be a valuable part of your recovery process. Especially if it was serious enough to require an operation. But the mobilization and strengthening exercises you received probably aren’t the most effective, leaving you frustrated and hindering your progress. Plus you might not be doing them correctly and not feeling any benefits. You could even be making things worse.

With a mobile personal trainer that comes to your home you can be sure you are doing the right exercises the right way. And if you combine this with some massage therapy to the affected and surrounding muscles you can help to speed up your recovery.

Assisted (PNF) Stretching

Although stretching should be an integral part of any workout it’s often neglected. Either it’s done as an afterthought and rushed, done incorrectly or skipped altogether.

A personal training session can include a demonstration of which stretches to do and correct technique so that you’re getting the most from them. But what if you’re lack of flexibility is a serious issue and you want to speed up the process of improving? That’s where assisted stretching can help. Also known as PNF stretching(1), which stands for Proprio Neuromuscular Function, it basically involves me stretching your muscles for you!

Mobile Personal Training And Massage In York

As mentioned earlier, I am a fully qualified massage therapist as well as an advanced personal trainer. This comes in very useful for diagnosing issues, treating them and providing ways to prevent their return in the future. The following is an example of how I have helped one of my previous clients.

Karen initially booked massage to help with severe lower back pain and upper back pain that went up into her neck. She also had frequent migraines and difficulty sleeping. Prolonged sitting at work had caused her to have extremely tight QL muscles in her lower back. And this had affected her erector spinae muscles along her spine as she hunched over a desk for long periods. The upper back pain was from extreme tension in her trapezius which was also likely the cause of her migraines.

After a few massages to loosen her muscles I advised she have some personal training sessions. The idea was to help her to strengthen what were very weak muscles from lack of use. She agreed and I showed her some exercises for her lower back but also her hips. As well as some for her trapezius that would help her overall posture. She then alternated each week between massage and personal training and is now pain free and migraine free. She is also much more aware of correct posture to prevent these issues returning. Currently she is using her personal training sessions for a home workout to help with weight loss and toning up.

This example highlights how massage therapy can loosen tight muscles, while personal training strengthens them, creating a perfect balance for improved performance. This helps to achieve better, longer lasting results and it’s all done in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Book Mobile Personal Training

If you would like to book a mobile personal training session in York please contact me on 07713 250352 or email david@massageinyork.co.uk. For more information on booking click here