# zma is it worth getting?



## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

spending my xmas money already! 5kg tub for £35 off of bulk powders but im thinking of getting some zma but is worth getting any help ?


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## T.F. (Aug 28, 2008)

Personally i didn't think so, although i know many do. I rarely dream when i sleep, however on ZMA you dream a lot, and i felt that i wasn't as well rested following on from ZMA sleep as i was without it, so i stopped taking it.


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## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

i work shifts so my sleep patterns are pretty f**ked up, so it does make you sleep better but with crazy dreams


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## PHHead (Aug 20, 2008)

I think it makes a good addition to PCT as it seems to lift my mood but as a stand alone test booster I'd say its pretty cr*p!


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## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

im thinkin of a test booster but just a bit worried im angry and short tempered enuf lol!


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## PHHead (Aug 20, 2008)

dan young said:


> im thinkin of a test booster but just a bit worried im angry and short tempered enuf lol!


Your not going to get roid rage off a natty test booster mate lol, IMO roid rage is a myth anyway!


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## T.F. (Aug 28, 2008)

IMO ZMA as a test booster is pretty hopeless on it's own.

As for the sleep thing, i didn't find my sleep changed when on it, i just found myself less rested after it.

Again though, this is just my opinion, lots of people love it.

Agree completely on the 'roid rage' front, i'm on my 14th week of cycle and am no more angry now than i ever was beforehand.


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## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

what test would you recommend mate


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## T.F. (Aug 28, 2008)

Do you mean test booster or AAS?


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## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

test booster


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## Kezz (Sep 3, 2007)

i use ZMA and Melatonin for sleep, you want real life type dreams then take it!! i never bother with so called test boosters but just use test instead....


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## IanStu (Apr 12, 2009)

T.F. said:


> Agree completely on the 'roid rage' front, i'm on my 14th week of cycle and am no more angry now than i ever was beforehand.


but you were a nutter before....so how can you tell :lol:

on the zma question...I wouldnt bother with it...tried it for a few months and realy couldnt tell musch difference if any


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## Ian_Montrose (Nov 13, 2007)

As far as the T-boosting properties of ZMA are concerned, the only studies to support that claim were sponsored/connected with the guy that patented it. He has since been found out to have been guilty of telling major fibs in other areas. A number of subsequent impartial tests have found that ZMA does absolutely nothing to elevate T. Some people reckon it is good for improving sleep so if that's your goal give it a try but forget it as a test booster.


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## Jungle (Mar 9, 2009)

My first time using supplements, I used a combination of trib, zma and creatine mono and gained well off it. (Bout 4kg over 2 months, which I kept) But I also sorted my diet out which probably had more of an effect than the three. And it was about 7months after when I first started training.


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## PHHead (Aug 20, 2008)

Jungle said:


> My first time using supplements, I used a combination of trib, zma and creatine mono and gained well off it. (Bout 4kg over 2 months, which I kept) But I also sorted my diet out which probably had more of an effect than the three. And it was about 7months after when I first started training.


Most likely just the Creatine mate as that is a very good supp but I could be wrong.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

ZMA is very expensive, you can do the cheap route by zinc and magnesium before bed.

Problem is more with defiencies of zinc and test levels rather than a test boosting thing, remember zinc is a natural aromatase inhibitor and zinc is needed for testosterone production, so all men should have some zinc in their diet, just not too much.


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## dan young (Oct 15, 2009)

thats i was think of getting some asda's zinc and magnesium just want wanted to here opinions on zma but ill go down the cheap route, cheers everyone


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## ba baracuss (Apr 26, 2004)

I've found that adding one 15mg zinc tab a day has helped stop me getting lots of colds. I don't think I can remember having a cold for about a year since I've started taking it, whereas I used to get loads.

It's dirt cheap that way too.


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## Andy Dee (Jun 1, 2008)

Personally i would never take it again, all it does is make me run to the bog and spew my guts up in the middle of the night.


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## freddee (Mar 2, 2009)

I take zma with gabba to help me sleep, I don't really ask any more of it...


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## hilly (Jan 19, 2008)

i really like zma its a staple in my supp use. i get a great nights sleep when using it.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2009)

PHHead said:


> I think it makes a good addition to PCT as it seems to lift my mood but as a stand alone test booster I'd say its pretty cr*p!


I dont use it as a test booster, only to aid in sleep.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

ZMA and L-Theanine work kind of in synergy with each other.

My wife uses L-Theanine to make her calm and she loves that stuff.

It is used for relaxatino and is an amino acid but it is not for sleep, it helps one when they need to relax which could distract sleep.

It is cheap, it does work for some and I know a guy that uses L-Theanine with ZMA and he swears by it.

I like melatonin myself but that is just me, I have no problems with relaxation unless the wife pushes my buttons then I do..........lol

I prefere copious quantities of beer to relax... :lol:


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## Andy Dee (Jun 1, 2008)

hackskii said:


> I like melatonin myself but that is just me, I have no problems with relaxation unless the wife pushes my buttons then I do..........lol
> 
> I prefere copious quantities of beer to relax... :lol:


Lol X2, what the hells all this sleep aid sh1t about? this is the UK, were one of the capital binge drinking nations in the whole world.

wtf ever happened to a few Beers or shots of whiskey before bed? personally i brew myself a few hot toddys for sleep, works wonders, always has.


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## ManOnAMission (May 1, 2009)

I take adam multi vitamin which is quite pricey but has zma complex as part of it and some of the dreams I have had have been verging on insane, to the point when I have woke up, for a few seconds it felt like the dreams where real.

No idea if it helps but I personally wouldn't waste money on standalone zma supplement unless you have money to waste or know you have a zinc deficiency


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Well, if there is calcium in that supplement it is doubtful you are getting the full benefits of zinc, calcium binds to other minerals bad, that should be taken on its own.

Even low amounts of milk or any milk product will whack the effects for the zinc.

Magnesium is good stuff and also if you are constipated, magnesium will pull fluids into the intestines to help elimination.

Think milk of magnesia for constipation............lol

Hell, even magnesium sulfat (epsom salts), good for constipation too.

It is one of the safest natural laxitives there is.


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## ManOnAMission (May 1, 2009)

hackskii said:


> Well, if there is calcium in that supplement it is doubtful you are getting the full benefits of zinc, calcium binds to other minerals bad, that should be taken on its own.
> 
> Even low amounts of milk or any milk product will whack the effects for the zinc.
> 
> ...


I did wonder about that but the adam multi vitamin has given me plenty of benefits and I have a tub of zinc & magnesium tablets so could always take them separate but then I need to be careful I don't overload on zinc.


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## toad1 (Jul 27, 2009)

it helps me sleep so i think its worth it, and i think all the benefits of better sleep are worth it as well. more energy better recover better mood all from better sleep. when i don't take zma i can lay awake in bed for 2/3hours zma is 30mins max.

although i think ill be going down the cheaper route next time, as its come to the point where i either get creatine or zma and id rather take creatine.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

toad1 said:


> it helps me sleep so i think its worth it, and i think all the benefits of better sleep are worth it as well. more energy better recover better mood all from better sleep. when i don't take zma i can lay awake in bed for 2/3hours zma is 30mins max.
> 
> although i think ill be going down the cheaper route next time, as its come to the point where i either get creatine or zma and id rather take creatine.


Melatonin is far superior for a sleep aid, also has anti-oxidant properties and anti-cancer properties too.

I cant prove it but I suspect a better GH release during sleep too.


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## dtlv (Jul 24, 2009)

hackskii said:


> Well, if there is calcium in that supplement it is doubtful you are getting the full benefits of zinc, calcium binds to other minerals bad, that should be taken on its own.
> 
> Even low amounts of milk or any milk product will whack the effects for the zinc.
> 
> ...


Good point on the calcium. Zinc and magnesium are two minerals most people are either deficient in or sub optimal. Magnesium is so important for loads of reactions in the body and you sweat the stuff out easily. The average amount a person who doesn't exercise will need around 300-400mg per day, but if you smoke more than 10 a day then you can double this, and daily exercise will double the need also.

Zinc you need far less of, around 30mg a day being optimum, but it's not that common in diet and when it is there is often poorly absorbed making supplementation a good idea - if you want to keep testosterone production good that is.

ZMA isn't bad, but it's more efficient to supplement the two seperately - zinc picolinate is the most bioavailable supplemental zinc, and magnesium lactate or chloride are the most available forms of mg.


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## rodrigo (Jun 29, 2009)

i thought my protein done a good version and quality patent , whether it works i cannot answer but i got great dreams so it done something


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Dtlv74 said:


> Good point on the calcium. Zinc and magnesium are two minerals most people are either deficient in or sub optimal. Magnesium is so important for loads of reactions in the body and you sweat the stuff out easily. The average amount a person who doesn't exercise will need around 300-400mg per day, but if you smoke more than 10 a day then you can double this, and daily exercise will double the need also.
> 
> Zinc you need far less of, around 30mg a day being optimum, but it's not that common in diet and when it is there is often poorly absorbed making supplementation a good idea - if you want to keep testosterone production good that is.
> 
> ZMA isn't bad, but it's more efficient to supplement the two seperately - zinc picolinate is the most bioavailable supplemental zinc, and magnesium lactate or chloride are the most available forms of mg.


Nice post man.

Some zinc is also lost in ejaculation:

*Effects of dietary zinc depletion on seminal volume and zinc loss, serum testosterone concentrations, and sperm morphology in young men.*

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1609752&do%20pt=Abstract


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## hilly (Jan 19, 2008)

rodrigo said:


> i thought my protein done a good version and quality patent , whether it works i cannot answer but i got great dreams so it done something


i use my proteins and rate it


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## DNA (Jan 6, 2009)

Zinc and Magnesium are best taken during different times of the day.

Zinc around 15mg-30mg with the first 2 meals of the day but away from any dairy. Magnesium around 1g-2g with last meal of the day before bed. I would start on the lower end of dosing with Magnesium initially to make sure it's not too "lax" for your digestive system.

I've also found that Arnica works well as a sleep aid.

Don't forget that diet will play a big role in regards to natural test production.


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