ZMA
ZMA is the patented abbreviation for Zinc-monomethionine-aspartate, a mixture of 30 mg of the above mentioned mineral, 450 mg of magnesium aspartate and 10.5 mg of Vitamin B6 (pyrodoxine). Because of the patent on the name, it's been awful funny watching companies come up with new ways of naming ZMA-containing products: ZincTech, ZMAss-PM and Z-MAx are some of the funniest I've come across. I mean, really, how do you expect to sell a real product if you keep giving it names that seem more appropriate in a toy store or a cartoon show? But ZMA is revolutionary because it took one of the secrets of our sport (seems to be in fashion these days) and perfected it.
Zinc
That zinc is important to the bodybuilder, most in our sport have known for ages, almost instinctively. The science behind the itch is that strenuous exercise tends to deplete body levels of zinc. So bodybuilders have considered zinc one of their most important supplements for a long time. Unfortunately, as those who read my article on milk know, the body prioritizes calcium over zinc and when the two enter the bloodstream simultaneously the zinc is just not absorbed. So why didn't they take it without calcium? The pharmaceutical industry is why. These guys will do anything to make a buck. They are worse than the worst supplement companies. They find a cure for a disease, but hold it back (supposedly for in-house testing) to create hype, so that when it hits the market they can charge outrageous prices (make you think of any supplement company in particular?). But at the same time they try to cut costs on everything. When making pills and caps the cheapest thing to hold the whole thing together is ... calcium!
Check the ingredients on any kind of pill or tab, and you will find that most contain at least some form of calcium (could be dicalcium or something of the sort). That's why no one ever managed to take it without calcium. Even in 50 or 100 mg pills, it never exerted the effect that 30 mg of calcium-free zinc did. The only other way to bind the stuff was a costly procedure called chelation. Chelation fuses a mineral to an amino acid, in this case methionine, but just as easily aspartic acid or aspartame (to form the magnesium aspartate and some ZMAs even contain amounts of zinc aspartate as well, next to the actual ZMA). And voila, one of the most potent supplements is born. I wonder why no one ever thought of this before? I guess they had their eyes closed. Or was it their wallet?
Monomethionine
Mono meaning single, only the methionine is of interest to us. If you read my feature on amino acids you are well aware of the things this essential amino acid can do. It was a logical choice in this matter. The first being that it removes heavy metals, like zinc, from the bloodstream and shuttles them into the cells. Not only do you now have effective zinc, it's also bonded with the stuff that has to get it where its going. Big plus. The other reason is the role methionine plays in fat metabolization. By freeing more usable cholesterol, and at the same time letting zinc stimulate the production of LH from the anterior pituitary, you are optimizing circumstances for the manufacture of DHEA in the Leydig cells. It manufactures Cysteine (see article on amino acids) and consequently N-acetyl-Cysteine (see further in this article). And that it is one of three aminos needed to make creatine monohydrate is a nice bonus of course...
Magnesium
Magnesium is present in ZMA as magnesium aspartate, but there are many different forms of magnesium that would work equally well in this situation. Magnesium is an essential, and often neglected, mineral that is second only to potassium in the body, and ranks fourth among minerals in terms of needed intake. You need at least 400 mg to get by , and ZMA supplies 450 mg all by its lonesome. It is needed in bone, protein and fatty acid formation. The formation of protein increases muscle synthesis and the formation of fatty acids facilitates the formation of DHEA, which is no doubt one of the reasons Magnesium was selected as part of this powerful stack. But it has much more to offer, because it manufactures new red blood cells to enable more oxygen uptake, allows muscles to relax to avoid cramping and forms ATP for energy, as well as enabling insulin secretion and function. It is used in over 300 enzymatic processes in the body, including several in the Krebs cycle (the cycle that allows recyclation of ATP to complete long intense physical activity).
Deficiency is common, especially in older people, women with PMS and of course the hard-working athlete. It's often missed by doctors because deficiency is often not located in the blood (where levels are often measured) but in intra-cellular fluid. Signs of a deficiency include fatigue, mental confusion, irritability , weakness, problems with muscle contraction and cramps, loss of appetite and being prone to stress. These are all symptoms that are best avoided by bodybuilders and since they are one of the categories most prone to deficiency that makes the magnesium a worthy addition to ZMA
Vitamin B6 (Pyrodixine)
Magnesium also increases activity of B-vitamins, and that may help since ZMA also contains 10.5 mg of pyridoxine. B6 is important in the formation of red blood cells, fat absorption and maintaining sodium and potassium levels. Fat absorption is especially important, because it can form more free cholesterol to transform to DHEA under the influence of LH, stimulated by zinc. It also alleviates mood-problems and loss of coïtus-drive. And I have this from sources in the medical community that B6 is often added to medication as a liver-detoxifier. So for those using it after a prohormone cycle, this is an added bonus.
ZMA is perhaps the best natural testosterone booster currently available. It's definitely the best one I know of. When taking ZMA, simply observe the recommendations. Take it on an empty stomach (no calcium!) before bedtime. If you are on a bulking diet and consume your last weight gainer shake before bedtime, its best used after not eating for an hour to and hour and a half and a half hour prior to your last shake. By giving the ZMA a half hour to absorb and reach the receptors before washing it down with a shake rich in calcium is a good way of avoiding the calcium being absorbed before the zinc. After your shake, go to bed. The reason ZMA is best taken before sleeping is because it can make you very sleepy, and I doubt you would appreciate a 300-pound barbell crushing your sternum because you nodded off on the bench. As for amounts, just take one dose (30 mg ZMA / 450 mg magnesium aspartate / 10.5 mg B6). This may be 4 caps in one product, 3 in another, sometimes 2, and a single one even 6. But the simply take one dose every day before bedtime.
For prohormone users: Start a cycle of ZMA the last three days of your stack and continue it for 2-3 weeks after. This will guarantee you retain the maximum amount of mass and restore endogenous testosterone in the shortest amount of time. ZMA can raise natural testosterone levels overnight by as much as 30 percent.
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!
- copied from Peter Big Cat van Mols site:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cattest.htm