[article]ZMA - Gain 2 1/2 Times More Strength Naturally!

Stickler*

Active member
This was meant to go together with my post in the HGH Results Thread. I had mentioned taking a supplement 4 years back called ZMA and thought I would post this. I just grabbed a quick reference from bodybuilding.com b/c it came up quickly on google.. if i find legit studies i'll post them here unless someone wants to put something up. Regardless, here is just a quick blurb from them regarding the supplement combo:

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ZMA Info And Products
Gain 2 1/2 Times More Strength Naturally!

1. What is it and where does it come from?

ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic mineral formula. It contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate plus Magnesium Aspartate and vitamin B-6, and is an all-natural product that has been clinically proven to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscle strength in trained athletes.



2. What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?

Don't get me started! There is a large body of scientific evidence supportive of ZMA. Zinc and Magnesium are commonly depleted from your body. Studies have shown that supplementing with 30mg of Zinc and 450mg of Magnesium per day can elevate testosterone levels up to 30%!
The most talked about study is the following. Lorrie Brilla, PhD, a sports performance researcher at Western Washington University, recently reported that ZMA significantly increase free testosterone levels and muscle strength in NCAA football players. These ZMA study results were presented by Dr. Brilla on June 2, 1999, at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle, WA, and were published in the official ACSM journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 31, No. 5, May 1999.

Specifically, Brilla reported that "a group of competitive NCAA football players who took ZMA nightly during an eight-week spring training program had 2.5 times greater muscle strength gains than a placebo group. (250% better results!) Pre and post leg strength measurements were made using a Biodex isokinetic dynamometer." The strength of the ZMA group increased by 11.6% compared to only a 4.6% increase in the placebo group.

Basically, this means that if you went up 10 pounds on your bench press in eight weeks without ZMA, you WOULD have went up 25 pounds in that same period if you had been taking ZMA.

Brilla further explained, "The muscle strength increases may have been mediated by the anabolic hormone increases in the ZMA group. The ZMA group had 30% increases in free and total testosterone levels compared to 10 percent decreases in the placebo group... The ZMA group also had a slight increase in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels compared to a 20 percent decrease in the placebo group. This study shows that anabolic hormone and muscle strength increases can be induced in already strength-trained athletes by using a novel zinc-magnesium preparation."

Many other studies have shown the same results! No wonder bodybuilders around the world are seeing better gains than ever before. No question about it, ZMA has the scientific research and real-world anecdotal evidence to launch it to a level previously held only by creatine. And the NFL has taken notice!

Another benefit is better sleep. ZMA should be taken 30 - 60 minutes before bed. Most people notice they can fall asleep deeper and then sleep more deeply. Don't be surprised if you start having very vivid dreams while taking ZMA!



3. Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?

Any bodybuilder looking to gain strength, increase athletic performance, and muscle mass should consider taking ZMA. There have been many studies showing that most athletes are deficient in zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B-6. This is not a good thing for any athlete! The effect of zinc depletion on muscle function was tested on eight male subjects. This study demonstrated that muscle endurance, or total work capacity, declines rapidly with acute zinc depletion and the degree of the decline is correlated with the reduction in plasma zinc concentration. Many other studies show that after participating in regular intense exercise athletes' levels of zinc and magnesium decreases deeply.


4. How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?

The dosage and proportion is very important. You can't just take a multi-vitamin to get these results. Most successful ZMA products have: Vitamin B6: 11mg, Magnesium: 450mg, Zinc: 30mg. This product is all-natural and there are no known side effects. It is safe for men and women.
Republished from Clayton South's Health Facts.
 
I remember the hype about this stuff a while back. Did it do anything for you?
 
I remember also. I even bought some. I didn't notice enough difference to keep
taking it. My thinking is - if it really works it would be huge ( or the FDA would be
trying to make it by Dr.'s Perscription if not banning it) I have seen many many
things come and go - usually in a few years they try to put it out there again to
catch any suckers they missed the first time. If it really worked that great dont
you think everybody would be using it. There has only been a few things that have
stuck around - Protien, glutimine, creatine and mabey a few others - that is because
they have some benefit. Most of the other stuff hits big - everybody buys it - then
you dont hear about it anymore. They sound good but just dont work. (just my
opinion)
 
i happened to use this twice in life.... once while on GH and once while not using GH... i used it in combination with GH to ensure deep sleep for recovery.... either way i can say it did help for deeper sleep while not taking serostim... so either way i can't sya it helped either way for anabolic response.. but overall sleep aid.. id' say it helped me a bit.. but nothing more i can really say about it.. the only reason i put it up is because of the GH Results thread i made reference to zma.. and i thought i'd at least validate my thread with further info on my cycle products and potential reasons for the response... not sure how expensive it is at the moment.. but for a deep sleep aid.. i'd say it might be worth it if it's under 20 bucks for a substantial supply... anything more than 30 for less than 30 days.. i'd say not worth it... but it has been about 4+ years since i took the supp...
 
I had great results with ZMA.
I slept sounder but not longer.
I slept for 3-4 hours and felt like it was 7 hours..
I recovered faster as a result of the deeper sleep.

You get what you pay for so go with a company with a great reputation.
 
If it helps you sleep more deeply, I just may go get some. I really need some good, deep sleep.
 
It does help you sleep deeper quicker for alonger period of time...
I wish I coudl say you will sleep 6-7 hours but it won't. You will sleep dead to the world for 3-4 hours though.. DEEP ASS SLEEP!!!
 
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