Magnesium is required for hundreds of enzymatic reactions in the body, including muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve signalling, energy metabolism and bone structure. It is also one of the minerals most commonly short in a normal diet, and hard training raises the demand rather than lowering it. TWO FORMS, TWO JOBS Most magnesium supplements use a single form. This one uses two, because they are not interchangeable. Magnesium bisglycinate is chelated to glycine, the form most associated with relaxation and sleep quality. Magnesium malate is chelated to malic acid, which sits directly in the cycle the body uses to produce energy. One is for winding down, the other is for the work. Together they cover more ground than a double dose of either. NOT MAGNESIUM OXIDE Magnesium has a reputation for sending people to the bathroom. That reputation belongs almost entirely to magnesium oxide, the cheapest form and the one used in most supplements, which is poorly absorbed and largely passes straight through. Chelated forms are absorbed rather than tolerated, which is the difference between a supplement you keep taking and one you abandon. A DAILY FOUNDATION Ninety-five milligrams of elemental magnesium per capsule, one to two capsules a day with food. This is not a product you feel on the day you take it. It is one of the handful worth taking consistently for years, sitting underneath the training and the food rather than on top of them.
