Magnesium is essential for muscle function, cellular energy, and repairing tissue—but if you take it for recovery, when should you expect to feel the difference?
To get clarity on timing, dosing, and the best forms of magnesium for your muscles, we spoke with Reuben Chen, MD, a board-certified sports medicine physician and chief medical officer at Sunrider International.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: How long do you need to take magnesium to see improvement in muscle recovery?
Chen: Most people start noticing reduced muscle soreness and faster recovery within one to four weeks of consistent daily magnesium supplementation.
If you’re severely deficient, you might feel some changes sooner. For example, you may feel a difference in exercise-induced cramps or soreness within a few days.
But in general, magnesium’s deeper recovery benefits take longer to build. Some benefits, like reduced inflammation markers, better sleep quality, and improved muscle repair processes, typically become more pronounced after four to eight weeks.
Your timeline also may vary based on:
- Your baseline magnesium level
- Training volume
- The type and dose of magnesium you use
How Much Magnesium Do You Need a Day?
For muscle recovery in active adults, the most commonly studied and effective dose is 300 to 500 milligrams (mg) of elemental magnesium per day, said Chen, with the option to split it into two doses.
This range reliably raises muscle magnesium levels and improves perceived recovery in athletes.
However, higher doses increase your risk of gastrointestinal side effects like diarrhea, cramping, and nausea, without additional recovery benefits. On the other hand, doses below 250 mg may not do much in people who aren’t deficient.
For athletes training intensely, Chen said a more individualized approach may be beneficial: The sweet spot appears to be around 4 to 6 mg of elemental magnesium per kilogram of body weight.
What Type of Magnesium Should You Take?
According to Chen, magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, and magnesium citrate are generally the best-absorbed and most effective forms for muscle recovery and exercise performance.
Each type of magnesium comes with unique advantages:
- Glycinate: This form is easier for your body to absorb, is gentle on the stomach, and offers a calming effect, which can be especially helpful if sleep quality affects your recovery.
- Malate: This form supports cellular energy production, making it particularly useful for athletes or anyone with a high training load.
- Citrate: This form is highly bioavailable and inexpensive, although it may cause loose stools at higher doses.
These forms are preferred over magnesium oxide or sulfate because your body absorbs them more easily, said Chen. That means they raise magnesium levels inside your muscle cells more quickly, helping your muscles relax, repair, and produce energy more efficiently after exercise.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Tarsitano MG, Quinzi F, Folino K, et al. Effects of magnesium supplementation on muscle soreness in different type of physical activities: a systematic review. J Transl Med. 2024;22(1):629. doi:10.1186/s12967-024-05434-x
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National Institutes of Health. Magnesium fact sheet for health professionals.
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Fatima G, Dzupina A, B Alhmadi H, et al. Magnesium matters: a comprehensive review of Its vital role in health and diseases. Cureus. 2024;16(10):e71392. doi:10.7759/cureus.71392
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Cepeda V, Ródenas-Munar M, García S, Bouzas C, Tur JA. Unlocking the power of magnesium: a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding its role in oxidative stress and inflammation. Antioxidants (Basel). 2025;14(6):740. doi:10.3390/antiox14060740
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