ZMA...Opinions?

[Princess L]

  I was wondering, if sublingual ZMA, would work better than the oral version. Do any of you guys know

SUCKMYMUSCLE

Probably slightly more bioavailable - just guessing tho 

  Guess what? ZMA does boost T, but ONLY if you're exercising really heavy. The latest suff I've seen about it suggest, that ZMA, produces the highest elevations of T when one is doing heavy compound lifts, like the dead-lift and squat.
 

Just playing the devil's advocate here, cuz I am not for or against ZMA (as lifters, we can all use the components), BUT - those exercises in and of themselves are high test boosters. 

The take home message:  GUYS ~ DO YOUR SQUATS AND DEADS whether you're supplementing or not!

[WOOO]

i was taking zma, until I read about the increased risk of prostate cancer...

[HERACLES]

i was taking zma, until I read about the increased risk of prostate cancer...

Seriously? Wtf..

I read how weight training causes us to need more Zinc/Mag.  It helps for anabolism.. How does it contribut to prostate cancer.. wtf. It says to take 3 a day.. I guess ill stick to that, nothing more..

I like it.. I think it has good overall affects.

[Rigs]

ZMA is the best thing since sliced bread. My wife LOVES to talk before we go to sleep. Personally, I just want to go to sleep. So one night I'm taking my ZMA and she is just yap, yap, yappin away and all of a sudden this BRILLIANT idea comes to mind...
Yes, my friends, I gave three and told her that they make you feel better when you wake up. I didn't lie   5 minutes later she was out like a light. I feel it's the best supplement ever invented and the most effective. 

[castor troy]

Personally, I think SNAC ZMA works really well only when everything else is balanced.  For example, your protein intake should be adequate according to bodybuilding standards. You are timing all your meals well.  You should be sleeping consistently around the same time and amount of time.  Your training is progressively getting more intense in a bodybuilding manner.  And so on... Without checking or controlling all these factors as I have done so with my body, it is difficult to see significant results in lean mass gain.

I have tried working out really hard and keeping everything in balance for 2 months without supplementing SNAC ZMA and have not nearly gained as much strength and mass as I have when I also again kept everything in balance and worked hard the following month but with the addition of supplementation with SNAC ZMA.

Again, I am only one person and there are various factors that were not controlled on my part.  However, I feel it does work.  Afterall, bodybuilding is not an exact science in the sense that one thing may work for one person while the same may not for another. It is all down to how you feel by trial and error and self examination.   

[suckmymuscle]

Personally, I think SNAC ZMA works really well only when everything else is balanced.  For example, your protein intake should be adequate according to bodybuilding standards. You are timing all your meals well.  You should be sleeping consistently around the same time and amount of time.  Your training is progressively getting more intense in a bodybuilding manner.  And so on... Without checking or controlling all these factors as I have done so with my body, it is difficult to see significant results in lean mass gain.

I have tried working out really hard and keeping everything in balance for 2 months without supplementing SNAC ZMA and have not nearly gained as much strength and mass as I have when I also again kept everything in balance and worked hard the following month but with the addition of supplementation with SNAC ZMA.

Again, I am only one person and there are various factors that were not controlled on my part.  However, I feel it does work.  Afterall, bodybuilding is not an exact science in the sense that one thing may work for one person while the same may not for another. It is all down to how you feel by trial and error and self examination.   

  Excellent post. I think ZMA only works IF you take it on a a completely empty stomach, right before bed. Taken with food, it just gets digested as food - still supplements zinc and magnesium deficiencies, though -, and if taken during the day, utilization is decreased. Great post!

SUCKMYMUSCLE

[Adam Empire]

I have taken ZMA for years now.  It DOES cause you to sleep very deeply.  BUT you abxolutely need an empty stomach when you take it.  I used to set my alarm for like an hour or two after I went to sleep so I could wake up and take it on an empty stomach.  Awesome sleep then.

Just for the better rest it's worth it.  Recovery is when you grow.

[suckmymuscle]

I have taken ZMA for years now.  It DOES cause you to sleep very deeply.  BUT you abxolutely need an empty stomach when you take it.  I used to set my alarm for like an hour or two after I went to sleep so I could wake up and take it on an empty stomach.  Awesome sleep then.

Just for the better rest it's worth it.  Recovery is when you grow.

  The problem is that most bodybuilding supplements have Calcium. Furthermore, most bodybuilding diets are rich in this mineral. So, when you take the ZMA, there's simply too much Calcium still floating around your bloodstream to get the stuff absorbed. I think it would be better to take ZMA on a Calcium-depleted diet.

SUCKMYMUSCLE

[gilius]

Would this be a bad supplement if you're young (18-22)? cause I don't get much sleep, so anything to improve it would be great, especailly if it's 8 or 9 bucks a month, while getting more nutrients. Thanks.

[kicker]

I know calcium interferes with its absorption so how long do you have to wait after ingesting protein skakes which contain Ca or cottage cheese B4 taking ZMA (I take it right before bed)?

[suckmymuscle]

I know calcium interferes with its absorption so how long do you have to wait after ingesting protein skakes which contain Ca or cottage cheese B4 taking ZMA (I take it right before bed)?

  That, my friend, is exactly the problem! You see, digestion and absorption are much, much slower processes than supplement companies make them out to be. If you drink a whey protein shake, you can be damn sure there'll be still some Calcium from it on your GIT 8-10 hours later! And you'll still find traces of the mineral, on your bloodstream up to 12+ hours after ingestion! The supplement companies that sell ZMA say that all you need to do is wait one or two hours after eating before taking the ZMA. Bullshit! Following a small meal, your stomach takes about four hours to become completely empty. If the meal contains fat or large quantities of meat, then you can double that term! Basically, people don't get results from ZMA for two reasons: first, there's stil too muh food on their stomach when they swallow the caps, resulting in the ZMA being processed as food, and not being shovelled diretly to the bloodtream for best results. And secondly, because, even when they do take it on a completely empty stomach, there's still some Calcium on their gastro-intestinal tract, thus hamparing the absorption.

  The only solution to this problem, I have found out, is to completely deplete your diet from Calcium during the period you're taking ZMA(you can always supplement with Calcium latter). And, before you go to bed, eat only a very small meal, composed of a lean protein or some nuts and go to bed. Then, set your alarm clock to wake you upt four or five hours after that and take the ZMA. This is the only way for it to work. Even if you only drink milk at breakfast, there'll still be a little bit of Calcium on your GI at night. So, Calcium depletion and extreme fasting intervals - over four hours and preferably up to six -, before ingesting the capsules, are the only ways to ensure that the ZMA gets absorbed. Just my two cents...

SUCKMYMUSCLE

[suckmymuscle]

  My T level has plateaud. Ok, now I'm really pissed and want to get as much T pumping out of my nuts  as possible. Is there anything I can do, short of inecting it, that I can do to really boost my T into the stratosphere? What about combining 6-OXO with wild yams? Will that work FLEX magazine had an article saying that wild yams do boost T significantly. And also, I have seen three different peer-reviewed articles, stating that 6-OXO does boost T levels, by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme. What do you guys think?

SUCKMYMUSCLE