In the Western world, we rarely think about balance. Instead, we have a winner-take-all mentality. In the mainstream world, the winner has been calcium. In the supplement world, the winners have been zinc, Vitamin D, and fish oil.
Vitamin D is necessary for human health, and zinc has a reputation for increasing testosterone. Most guys are taking some form of zinc, Vitamin D, and fish oil.
I hadn’t given much thought to magnesium’s usefulness outside of a sleep aid. I’d often take ZMA before bed time.
As it turns out, magnesium is the Vitamin D of minerals:
Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis
In the Magnesium Miracle (yeah, I hate the title, too), the author claims that supplementing with magnesium increases testosterone level. The research supports her claim. Here’s one of many scientific studies from PubMed:
This study was performed to assess how 4 weeks of magnesium supplementation [approximately 1 gram] and exercise affect the free and total plasma testosterone levels of sportsmen practicing tae kwon do and sedentary controls at rest and after exhaustion… Our results show that supplementation with magnesium increases free and total testosterone values in sedentary and in athletes. The increases are higher in those who exercise than in sedentary individuals.
In other words, guys who lift weights will get more of a benefit than couch monkeys.
Magnesium also has potential anti-aging effects:
Optimal nutritional and hormonal statuses are determinants of successful ageing. The age associated decline in anabolic hormones such as testosterone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a strong predictor of metabolic syndrome, diabetes and mortality in older men. Studies have shown that magnesium intake affects the secretion of total IGF-1 and increase testosterone bioactivity… In a cohort of older men, magnesium levels are strongly and independently associated with the anabolic hormones testosterone and IGF-1.
The problem, the author of Magnesium Miracle notes, is that magnesium is hard to absorb.
Not all magnesium forms are equal. If you took a gram of magnesium oxide, your best case absorption would be 100 mg.
Most of us have inadequate stomach acid and lack the bacteria needed to process magnesium. Thus, some magnesium is less available than other forms.
So what’s the solution? There are two – one obvious, and one you’ve probably never heard of.
Epsom salt, which is something we think of old people using, is high in magnesium. The magnesium is absorbed through the skin after a 20 minute soak. Epsom salt is used by old people because it reduces inflammation – thanks to magnesium.
I used to soak in Epsom salt after a really hard Brazilian Jiu Jitsu workout. Now I regularly soak it in.
The next solution is the best one. It’s so effective that I wouldn’t have believed it.
Magnesium oil is not really an oil at all. It’s a concentrated solution of the magnesium chloride (which, when taken orally, is poorly absorbed). Some people make their own, but the stuff is inexpensive enough that I’d avoid the hassle.
As I already eat a high magnesium diet, I started supplementing with 200 mg of topical magnesium. The results surprised me.
A screwed up elbow healed about 50% faster than it should have. My workouts have also been especially good. I’ve had more energy and felt stronger.
There are several different brands. They all come from the “Ancient Zechstein Sea.”
Yes, I laughed when typing about a supplement that is responsible for 300 necessary biological process and comes from the Ancient Zechstein Sea. It certainly sounds silly.
But I’ve tried every sort of supplement. The placebo effect doesn’t work well on me, as I’ve seen it all.
Since magnesium oil is so inexpensive, it seemed like a cool experiment.
I noticed an immediate impact with magnesium oil. More energy, and – most telling – more aggression. I have a greater urge to break things and say, “No, fuck that,” when someone annoys me.
I’ve personally used the Ancient Minerals brand. The Swanson brand is about $5 cheaper (once you factor in cost of shipping), and is supposed to be the same thing. You can also buy bath flakes - a sort of super concentrated Epsom salt.
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Thanks for the heads up on this stuff.
sold!
wait, I took a look here and they said soy was high in magnesium…
I thought soy reduced testosterone….
They still mentioned spinach so i suppose popeye was right
It’s the phytoestrogens in soya that are estrogenic.
And look into Taurine too.
I just ordered some. Does it matter where you spray it? Like on your legs after doing squats or just the same place every day for consistency?
It shouldn’t be absorbed find no matter where you put it. Whether “spot” sprays will lead to less muscle soreness is an interesting question. If you try it, please report back.
I have been using it for four weeks. I have been using 10-12 sprays before bed.
The first two weeks I “spot” sprayed and noticed that my post work out muscle soreness was lessened in duration. For example, I would no longer be sore on Friday morning from my Tuesday lifting. This effect continued after I stopped “spot” spraying. For the last two weeks I just sprayed my torso every time (easiest). The same effect continued.
I bought the salts in bulk and have started taking baths. Recovery time has been reduced. Less soreness. This is good stuff.
Why doesn’t everyone just be a smart guy and take, I dunno, testosterone?
Go to your doc and tell them you ain’t feeling so good lately and get him to put you on HRT. No need for pro bodybuilder level doses, just enough to keep you looking and feeling healthy.
Certainly makes a lot more sense to me. Probably something I will be doing as I get into my 40′s and beyond.
Because magnesium juice doesn’t require PCT.
Could you please share your daily diet and supplement regiment with us. Perhaps with a sample meal plan for a day. Thanks.
Yep.
Where did you find the chart? I always thought citrate was well absorbed but had digestion issues and oxide was poorly absorbed.
I have the swanson magnesium spray. Works great if I remember to use it.
Thanks for the great tips! I’m getting right on this starting with the epsom salt soak.
I’ve been taking 50mg Zinc (300% dv they say), and l-arganine daily for about a month now. From what I read online, it would lead to harder erections and you would shoot more. Well it’s true, along with a 4 day lifting schedule, nutritious diet, and proper rest your going to drown your girl. Thanks for the tip on magnesium, I’ll have to check it out.
Will have to try some of this
Looking forward to the diet/supplement breakdown
What’s your BJJ belt rank, D&P? Planning to start training soon myself
Been on the oil since you posted this, feeling a little better and refreshed not sure if placebo or not yet, but it does make the wounds(scabs and cuts) burn on my body and caused a couple rashes to to happen, surely its the body getting used to it, , so it is doing something( btw I’m using “derma mag”) excited to see a month in action, I will say my anxiety has been down, but still could be placebo. We will see!
The first night it gave me muscle spasms. That was my body’s way of telling me there was a serious deficiency.
As I’m new to the supplement scene (except workout stuff) maybe you could list off “the necessities” because all this stuff I read about this and that makes my head spin.
I’m taking fish oil already. Going to add magnesium now. Add zinc and vitamin d in addition to these as well? Any others?
The oil stings a little bit after putting on. A little itchy too, but totally manageable. I tried taking 400mg magnesium tablets and it gave me diarrhea, so I got the Swanson brand oil, How long did it take for you to start feelin a difference? You said immediately, so maybe within a few days?
what do you guys think about d-aspartic acid?
It was released to much hype 3 or so years ago. Since then, I haven’t heard any real-world success.
Got some of the Swanson brand. First application itched. Second application was about 25% as itchy. Read thats part of the process of getting your levels up. I’ve probably got enough to get me to my next stripe, we’ll see how it goes.
I’ve been using the magnesium oil for a week now, 2x daily and it isn’t really itchy anymore. I’ve been pretty active in the gym and changed programs recently, so can’t really tell if any differences I’m feeling are due to increased time in gym and changed program, or due to the magnesium oil supplement.
Update: Put the magnesium on right after you towel dry yourself from the shower. It will absorb better and when I put it on right away, I don’t get itchiness or a salty film anymore.
I’ve been doing 10×3(10 sets of 3 reps, 45 sec, at a 5RM) and have NOT gotten sore. Recovery is great. My sleep is pretty good too. It seems like I can wake up earlier and only need 6, instead of 7/8 hours of sleep. Don’t feel any hornier/aggressive, but I like the effects I’m getting.
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