Does Magnesium Help Reduce Muscle Soreness?

A 2024 systematic review looked specifically at magnesium supplementation and muscle soreness in physically active people and found that oral magnesium supplements generally reduced muscle soreness, improved performance and recovery, and showed a protective effect on muscle damage [1]. However, only four eligible trials were found, so the evidence base is still small [1].

A broader 2024 scoping review on magnesium and skeletal muscle reports that supplementation can improve exercise recovery and reduce muscle soreness and inflammation in athletes and various patient groups, especially when deficiency or low intake is present [2]. It also notes that benefits are less clear in people who already have adequate magnesium levels [2].

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 10 days of 350 mg/day oral magnesium in college-aged men and women significantly reduced muscle soreness 24–48 hours after an eccentric bench press session (about 1–2 points lower on a 0–6 scale) and improved perceived recovery and exertion, with trends toward better performance [3].

In recreational runners, 7 days of 500 mg/day magnesium before a 10 km downhill run reduced IL‑6 (an inflammatory cytokine) and lowered perceived muscle soreness for 24–72 hours post-exercise, but did not change creatine kinase or maximal muscle force [4].

These trials support a modest but meaningful reduction in soreness and a better subjective recovery experience with short-term oral supplementation.

A 2025 randomised, double-blind study tested a commercial magnesium gel applied to the thighs before and after 40 minutes of downhill running. It found no difference between magnesium and placebo gels in soreness, strength loss, creatine kinase, or IL‑6 up to 48 hours post-exercise [5].

This suggests that, at least with the dose and product tested, topical magnesium does not help DOMS [5], in contrast to the more encouraging findings for oral supplementation [1] [3] [4].

Magnesium is involved in:

• Energy metabolism and glucose handling during exercise; deficiency can increase lactate buildup and soreness [1].

• Inflammation and pain signaling, partly via effects on IL‑6 and NMDA receptors, which can influence pain perception and central sensitisation [4] [2].

• Muscle relaxation and vasodilation, which may ease feelings of tightness and discomfort [2].

The scoping review notes that magnesium does not act like a classic painkiller but can reduce soreness indirectly through these mechanisms [2].

Dosing, Timing, and Who May Benefit Most

The systematic review suggests that individuals doing intense exercise may need 10–20% more magnesium than sedentary people, ideally taken in capsule form about 2 hours before training, and keeping levels within the recommended range even in the off-season [1].

However:

• Positive studies generally used 350–500 mg/day of oral magnesium for about 7–10 days around the exercise bout [3] [4].

• Benefits seem more likely when baseline intake or status is low; one review cautions that most well-nourished athletes with already adequate magnesium may see smaller or no benefits [2].

In addition to magnesium there are a number of other nutrients and strategies you can use to improve muscle soreness.

• Tart cherry, pomegranate, beetroot, and other polyphenol-rich foods
  These have anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant effects and repeatedly show small-to-moderate benefits for muscle soreness and recovery after hard training [1] [2] [3] [4].
  

• Omega‑3 fatty acids (fish oil)
  Omega‑3s can modestly reduce soreness and some markers of muscle damage and inflammation, especially when taken for several weeks before intense exercise [5] [6] [7] [8] [4].
  

• Protein and amino acids (whey, BCAA, HMB, creatine)
  Adequate daily protein supports muscle repair. Supplements like whey protein, BCAAs, HMB, and creatine have shown benefits for reducing soreness or muscle damage markers and supporting strength recovery in some studies [1] [2] [6] [9] [4].

• Curcumin and other plant extracts
  Curcumin, ginseng, and broader polyphenol/anthocyanin supplements show moderate evidence for reducing soreness and inflammatory markers after exercise [1] [6] [9] [10].

Important: Many of these work best when taken consistently and with magnesium. Very high, long‑term doses of antioxidants might blunt training adaptations, so it advised to use them strategically during your training cycles rather than all the time [1] [11] [4].

Beyond supplements, several simple recovery tools can meaningfully change how sore you feel in addition to good magnesium intake.

You don’t have to buy a stand‑alone magnesium product to benefit from it. MARCHON’s Multivitamin and Sleep formulas both provide meaningful amounts of magnesium, and they’re designed to work at different times of day:

Daytime: Multivitamin

• Take your standard serving of the MARCHON Advanced Multivitamin with breakfast or lunch.
• This contributes to your baseline daily magnesium intake (100mg elemental), alongside other key micronutrients that support energy, muscle function, and recovery

Night-time: Sleep formula

• Take the MARCHON Advanced Sleep product 30–60 minutes before bed as directed.
• This adds an evening dose of 200mg elemental magnesium alongside sleep‑supportive ingredients (like calming amino acids or botanicals), aligning with research showing magnesium can modestly improve sleep onset, deep sleep, and next‑day functioning in people with poor sleep quality 12451819.

Used together, the multi + sleep stack spreads magnesium across the day, supports total daily intake, and ties your larger magnesium strategy to two critical levers for recovery: overall micronutrient status and sleep quality.

Magnesium is one helpful piece of the recovery puzzle.

Combining it with polyphenol‑rich foods (like tart cherry), appropriate protein, possibly omega‑3s or curcumin, plus practical methods such as massage, cold‑water immersion, active recovery, and solid sleep offers the best evidence‑based approach to reducing exercise‑induced muscle soreness.