What is ZMA?
ZMA is a supplement containing a blend of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin b6: the A in ZMA. Every ZMA supplement has a different blend of those three key ingredients. The variation of the blend depends on the quality of the supplement and the form it’s consumed in. Most ZMA supplements come in capsules. There are some liquid & powder forms of ZMA but they’re not as common as the traditional capsule forms.
Why Take ZMA?
ZMA in combination with weight training has shown to increase muscle size, endurance, and natural production of testosterone. ZMA has been shown to help individuals fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer. ZMA may help increase weight loss but it’s not clear if this is true.
For athletes, supplementing with ZMA did show increases in performance. Some performance increases are most likely due to deficiencies in Zinc, Magnesium, and vitamin B6 from training, sweating, or lifestyle or nutrition deficits that could come from dietary preferences or inferior food quality.
ZMA Studies
- Effects of Zinc Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA) Supplementation on Training Adaptations and Markers of Anabolism and Catabolism
- Micronutrients (magnesium, zinc, and copper): are mineral supplements needed for athletes?
- Exercise, nutrition and immune function.
When should you take ZMA?
The Magnesium in ZMA helps regulate sleep and can make you drowsy. Spend the day building up your sleep pressure through Body, Mind, and Spirit activity, and use ZMA an hour before bed to increase sleep pressure even more.
ZMA is a great alternative to Melatonin, the light regulating hormone which, if added to the body via supplement can turn-off the bodies natural Melatonin production making sleep difficult when no longer using Melatonin.[1] Melatonin is NOT sold over the counter in Australia, and many countries in Europe, including the UK.
Some patients in studies on ZMA reported feeling nauseous if they took ZMA with food, so it’s best to take at night once you have stopped eating for the day.
The Best ZMA Supplements
The Best ZMA Supplement Overall | Optimum ZMA
Optimum Nutrition is a trusted names in the supplement industry because they produce quality supplements consistently and have done so for a long time.
Optimum Nutrition ZMA is the best choice for quality, price, and quantity. Optimum provides a 90 day supply of ZMA for around 20$. Unless you have special requirements, or want the highest end ZMA you can buy; Optimum ZMA is the best overall ZMA supplement.
The Best ZMA Supplement for Quality | ZMA JYM
The Jym line of supplements was created by Dr. Jim Stoppani, who holds a doctorate in exercise physiology and is a master of training and nutrition. He’s known for his mastery of fitness and routinely posts excellent content on his social media accounts.
His supplements are some of the highest rated but are also the most expensive. JYM ZMA requires three capsules a night and is the most-potent ZMA supplement from the list. They also include black pepper extract in their formula.
The Best ZMA liquid Supplement | Trace Minerals ZMA
For those who can’t swallow pills, liquid ZMA is acceptable alternative. Only consider liquid ZMA if you have a reason why you can’t swallow pills. The taste is reported to be poor, and, liquid can bemore expensive than capsules. They’re aren’t many liquid ZMA supplements on the market so your selection is limited.
Trace minerals has a good liquid zinc supplement.
The Best ZMA budget supplement | Now Nutrition ZMA
Some supplement brands spend excessively on marketing at the detriment of their offering. Now Nutrition has been a staple in the fitness and supplementation sector for decades, and has lower prices which likely plays into their reduced focus on loud marketing.
Now Nutrition is the cheapest option on this list at under $2 and is similar in quality to other brands listed here.
Alternative ways to supplement Zinc & Magnesium
You can supplement with zinc gummies as well as magnesium gummies.
The company Natural Vitality produces a popular magnesium flavored powder supplement called Calm.
If you are willing to take a hot bath before bed, Epsom bath salts infused with Zinc and Magnesium is a strong, relaxing choice.
