Many have experienced it before, some even get it very often – the cramp! Although the pharmaceutical industry still wants us to believe that the intake of magnesium provides a remedy here, the knowledge about the causes has come much further in the meantime.

 

For us athletes, especially endurance athletes, three different main causes have emerged, and magnesium deficiency is not listed here.

1. One of the known causes is that the muscles are not properly prepared and trained. This includes the right intensity, duration and important regenerative measures such as stretching.
2. A lack of water, i.e. dehydration, is also one of the most common causes. During sport, it is not about drinking as much as we feel thirsty, but as much as we really need. In endurance sports, especially during long sessions, the rule of thumb should be 0.5 - 1 liter of fluid per hour. This amount can vary from person to person depending on the conditions (temperature, humidity, intensity, duration). Incidentally, water is also removed from the body when carbohydrates are consumed, so that even in winter, when you may not be sweating so much, it is sensible or necessary to consume water.
3. Another common cause that is completely underestimated by many is sodium deficiency. In contrast to the non-athletic population, who often consume too much sodium, athletes tend to have an insufficient intake. Particularly in endurance sports, where we are active for several to many hours and this is accompanied by a large loss of sweat, additional intake is usually the right remedy against possible cramps. Whether by taking a salt tablet, electrolyte tablets, salty energy gels (e.g. Salty Caramel or tomato gel) or adding a little table salt to your water bottle - there are many ways to take precautions here.

As a guide, 1-2 g of table salt (not sodium!) per hour can be used as a guide. This value fluctuates so much because genetically predetermined is how much sodium we have in body sweat. Who doesn't know the athletes who develop strong salt marks on their sportswear, while others don't have any with the same load.

Important: It's all about balance, too little sodium/salt is just as unbeneficial as too much. Therefore, it should also be remembered that many sports drinks already contain about 1g of table salt per liter. Energy gels also contain sodium or table salt. This means that in the end you can't avoid working out a meal plan.

By the way, 1g sodium = 2.54 g table salt!

Now we come to the magnesium:

The proportion of magnesium in the body's own sweat is very low compared to sodium (salt), in some cases just 1/100. Therefore, we normally always absorb sufficient magnesium through our normal diet. If this is not the case, we recommend supplementing before or after exercise, as magnesium affects the entire musculature, including the intestinal muscles. Therefore, intake during exercise can quickly become counterproductive and lead to diarrhea.

 You can find more statements of this series on this overview page ...