Category: Personal Training

Magnesium For Exercise And Recovery

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for overall health, yet its role in exercise and physical performance is often overlooked. From producing energy to supporting muscle function and recovery, magnesium is a key part of your workout success. In this article we’ll explore how magnesium impacts exercise performance, reduces muscle soreness and aids in recovery. As well as providing practical tips to ensure adequate intake.

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The Importance Of Magnesium For Exercise

Sufficient magnesium is essential for peak exercise performance
| Sufficient magnesium is essential for peak exercise performance

Exercise puts your body under significant physical and metabolic stress. To meet the demands of physical activity, your body relies on several key minerals, including magnesium. This essential mineral is involved in over 300 biochemical processes, many of which directly affect physical performance and recovery.

One of magnesium’s main functions is to support energy production. During exercise, your muscles require a steady supply of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This is the molecule that powers all cellular activity. Magnesium activates the enzymes responsible for ATP synthesis, ensuring your muscles have the energy they need to sustain movement(1). Without adequate magnesium, energy production becomes less efficient, potentially leading to early fatigue and reduced performance.

Magnesium also plays a critical role in muscle contraction and relaxation. When you move, calcium floods into your muscle cells to trigger contraction. Magnesium then counteracts calcium, allowing muscles to relax. This balance is essential for preventing cramping and maintaining smooth, coordinated movements. If magnesium levels are low, your muscles may contract too forcefully or fail to relax properly. This increases the risk of spasms, cramp and discomfort during or after exercise.

Magnesium For Exercise Recovery

Woman recovering from exercise needs magnesium
| After a hard workout, magnesium is involved with many aspects of recovery

Recovery is just as important as the workout itself, and magnesium is vital to this process. After exercise, your body begins repairing muscle tissue, replenishing energy stores and reducing inflammation caused by physical exertion. Magnesium contributes to each of these steps, making it a key nutrient for effective recovery.

Protein synthesis is the process of repairing and rebuilding muscle fibers. Once again, magnesium plays a significant role. It helps to regulate the enzymes that facilitate protein formation, speeding up muscle repair and growth. For athletes or anyone engaging in regular strength training, maintaining optimal magnesium levels can help recovery between workouts and promote stronger, more resilient muscles.

Additionally, magnesium has anti-inflammatory properties that help calm the body after intense physical activity(2). Exercise-induced inflammation, while a natural part of the recovery process, can lead to prolonged soreness and stiffness if not managed properly. By reducing inflammation magnesium helps your body recover faster and feel less fatigued.

Preventing Cramps And Muscle Soreness

Muscle cramps are a common issue for those who exercise regularly, especially in high-intensity or endurance activities. These involuntary contractions can be caused by imbalances in electrolytes, one of which is magnesium. When levels levels are low, nerve signals can become overactive and lead to painful muscle cramps.

Magnesium also helps alleviate post-exercise soreness, DOMS, by promoting better blood flow. Improved circulation means more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to tired muscles, while waste products like lactic acid are removed more efficiently. This reduces stiffness and speeds up recovery so you feel ready for your next workout sooner.

Magnesium, Stress And Sleep

Exercise causes stress to your body and mind, magnesium helps regulate your response to this stress. One of its key functions is to balance cortisol, a hormone that increases during physical activity. Elevated cortisol levels can slow recovery, impair sleep and even contribute to muscle breakdown over time. Magnesium helps keep cortisol under control to ensure your body recovers in a balanced state.

Sleep is another critical factor in recovery and magnesium also plays an important role here. By calming the nervous system and promoting relaxation, it helps improve the quality of your sleep. Restful sleep allows your body to repair damaged tissues, restore energy and prepare for future workouts. If you often struggle with sleep after intense exercise, ensuring adequate magnesium intake might make a noticeable difference.

Meeting Your Magnesium Needs

woman taking magnesium which helps pre and post exercise
| If you can’t get enough magneium from your diet, supplements are cheap and convenient

Despite its importance, magnesium deficiency is surprisingly common. It is estimated that 50% of people in some populations don’t get enough(3). Athletes and those who exercise frequently may be at an even greater risk due to magnesium loss through sweat. Ensuring you consume enough magnesium through diet or supplements is crucial for maintaining peak performance and recovery. Read about signs of low magnesium.

Good dietary sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes. For those who struggle to get enough through food alone, magnesium supplements can be a convenient option.

Massage With Magnesium For An Exercise Boost

While magnesium alone offers impressive benefits for exercise and recovery, accompanying it with massage therapy can amplify its effects. Magnesium helps muscles relax and recover, while massage improves circulation and relieves tension. Together they create a powerful combination that supports faster recovery, reduced soreness and enhanced performance.

Massage also enhances the delivery of essential nutrients to the muscles, including magnesium, while aiding in the removal of waste products. If you’re looking to maximise your recovery, adding regular massages alongside a magnesium-rich diet or supplementation can make a noticeable difference.

If you want to know more about how massage can help you reach your fitness goals, read how massage can improve exercise results.

Summary

Magnesium for exercise is a vital part of any fitness routine. From boosting energy production and improving muscle function to speeding up recovery and reducing soreness. It plays a critical role in optimising performance. Ensuring adequate magnesium intake can help you push through tough workouts, recover more effectively and achieve your fitness goals.

For even better results, combine magnesium with massage therapy to take your recovery to the next level. Together, they provide the support your body needs to perform at its best, day after day.

Book A Mobile Massage 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

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 Tight 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. Click to read about signs of low magnesium. 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