Workout of the Day:
For time:
Run 800 Meters
30 x One-Arm DB Snatch (15 each arm)
25 x Knees to Elbows
100 Sit-Ups (anchored)
25 x Knees to Elbows
30 x One-Arm DB Snatch (15 each arm)
Run 800 Meters
 

Supplements: ZMA
Written by Mark Riebel 

ZMA stands for Zinc monomethionine or aspartate and Magnesium Aspartate, and is a vitamin and mineral supplement touted by the body building industry as a natural testosterone-enhancing substance that helps with everything from growth hormone secretion to re-growth of head hair in addition to all of the benefits one would get from increased serum testosterone levels.  It’s a simple supplement containing zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6, in amounts typically in the ranges of 20-30 mg, 400-500 mg, and 10 mg, respectively, of each of those three substances.  So from an ingredient standpoint, it doesn’t contain any hard to pronounce or creepy sounding chemicals, which I am a fan of for something that I may ingest. 

The hype surrounding ZMA stems primarily from a study performed in the late 90’s by Western Washington University on some NCAA football players.  This 8-week trial showed that those on ZMA experienced greater strength gains and free testosterone levels compared to those on placebo.  What is not as well publicized is that the study was funded in part by Victor Conte, creator of BALCO, and patent owner for ZMA.  Although I found other anecdotal evidence of studies ‘proving’ these increases, I couldn’t find those studies, much less even an abstract of the aforementioned one without laying down $25.  That seems a bit strange to me, and for those of you who know just how much of a skeptic I am, it’s going to take a lot more than a few mentions of studies to convince me of supplement claims. 

On the other hand, two studies that I was able to dig up (one performed at Baylor University…now that sounds like a great school!) showed that ZMA had no measurable effects on either free or excreted testosterone levels in trained subjects.  So in short, I’m not a believer of the claims that my testosterone levels will be affected by taking a few of these pills.

However, I happen to take ZMA for another reason, and it’s one that can’t easily be quantified by a clinical trial—quality of sleep.  ZMA seems to have the effect of deepening the sleep and increasing the dreams of the majority of its takers—I’ll refer you to Cynthia’s cheeseburger dream for evidence of that.  It doesn’t have an effect of helping you fall asleep, only improving the quality of what you get.  Perhaps those six hours that you usually get will now feel like a full eight. 

Side effects in the recommended dosages are slim to none, but there is still some risk of toxicity if you plan on taking copious amounts of it.  If you choose to take ZMA, avoid taking it with dairy or calcium-containing substances, as this can block some absorption of the zinc.

Tags: Supplements

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 10:48 pm and is filed under Workout Of The Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.