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Warning: ZMA and Boners

MetroStyles

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I've taken the supplement ZMA previously to boost my gym gains (for those of you that do not know, it is a mix of Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B - nothing shady about it). Supposedly it naturally increases testosterone production, with the main driver being zinc which is required for production of that particular hormone.

The previous times I had taken it, I gave up after a month because of bad acne on my forehead and back, places where I usually had clear skin. It was not worth a bit of extra iron moved for a zit problem. I have taken it again during my trip to Asia, more of as an attempt to prevent muscle mass loss as I do not touch a weight for 2.5 months.

Well, for some reason, this time around it has really, really worked noticeably. I can't actually say anything for muscle mass, because I have lost weight due to sickness, lower caloric intake, and no gym time. But as far as sex drive - jesus ******* christ. I feel like I am permanently on Viagra.

I get boners from so much as glancing at a semi-attractive woman. I get boners from thinking about **********, even if for just a brief moment. I have spent more time walking around trying to hide my boners than I have spent walking around limp. It's really hard not to think about sex all the time and it can definitely impair rational judgment on such matters.

On one level, it is exciting having the sex drive of an 18 year old that has just overdosed on Cialis, but on the other hand it is making my life kind of difficult - being this horny all the time, that is. I know that my protein-lacking diet in Asia may have caused a zinc deficiency that is being corrected, but even when I was eating well in New York I was never this bad. Maybe it's just the absence of stress from not working combined with hot asian girls, but honestly there is no way this can be placebo.

If you want something to naturally boost testosterone, or at the very least something to make you a sex-crazy maniac, I recommend you try it. I am taking the recommended dosage of 3 pills a day from the VitaminShoppe BodyTech brand.
 

why

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It's not from the ZMA.
 

MetroStyles

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Nothing else makes any sense, except that working long hours in NYC had killed my sex drive. Even then, I didn't notice any effects in India, only when I upped my dosage to the full 3 pills a few weeks ago.
 

puffdaddy

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Originally Posted by why
It's not from the ZMA.

Agreed.

Sounds to me from the post that you either have a zinc defiicency or that your hormone levels fluctuate significantly from time to time. Psychologically speaking, it absolutely could be your new surroundings and perhaps a case of yellow fever.
 

why

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Originally Posted by MetroStyles
Nothing else makes any sense, except that working long hours in NYC had killed my sex drive. Even then, I didn't notice any effects in India, only when I upped my dosage to the full 3 pills a few weeks ago.

Well, that just about proves it then, right?
sarcasm.gif


Really, if you were working out/working before and stopped, the increased rest will get hormone levels back to normal. It's the reason a lot of coaches measure their athletes' overtraining with weekly blood tests.

Anyway, you'll start gaining fat soon. Enjoy!
 

MetroStyles

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You guys are both entitled to your opinions of course. Given the timing of the libido changes and the timing of my ZMA intake, I am confident it is the supplement. A zinc deficiency could absolutely be it, in fact I find that probable - otherwise the product would have no effect. I will get blood work in August to see how my t-levels have changed, and again a few months after resuming my regular work/gym/sleep habits in the US. If levels remain elevated throughout that period, it is more likely ZMA. If they drop after returning home, it is likely a difference in lifestyle that drove it. That is the only quasi-scientific simple way to figure it out.

But for the time being, as someone who knows myself and my reaction to working out/supplements, I am confident it is the ZMA.
 

Sherlockian

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May I recommend that you temporarily abandon the other sub-fora and proceed at once to threads marked "NSFW"?
 

javyn

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You can save some money by just taking zinc gluconate and magnesium citrate. Same thing sans B6. Never done the ZMA thing, but just taking zinc gives me boners of steel every morning without fail. Yeah, true, the ZMA is more bioavailable, but zinc gluconate is so cheap, and breaking a 50mg tab in half still works great, even when I take with with a glass of milk which is supposedly a no-no b/c zinc competes for absorption with calcium.

I don't know about the acne though, zinc is supposed to clear your skin not break it out.

edit: BTW, you don't have to take zinc at night. It's levels build in your system so you can take in whenever you want. I take mine with my biggest meal usually b/c gluconate is often hard on the stomach.
 

Lone Wolf

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Would someone please post some specific dosages, e.g., size of pills and frequency of consumption. i'm currently doing fish oil and stinging nettle to increase testosterone (for lifting; my boners are just fine, thanks) and can't tell much of a difference.
 

why

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Originally Posted by Lone Wolf
Would someone please post some specific dosages, e.g., size of pills and frequency of consumption. i'm currently doing fish oil and stinging nettle to increase testosterone (for lifting; my boners are just fine, thanks) and can't tell much of a difference.

Because it's bullshit.

If you want more testosterone just do the real stuff.
 

thekunk07

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stinging nettle works, trust me. i've done enough of the real mccoy to be as cynical as the next guy, but it works.
 

why

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Erm...nettle root is the supposed ergogenic aid, not stinging nettles (which generally refers to the leaves).

Secondly, decreases in DHT that supposedly reduce BPH will likely coincide with an increased metabolism of testosterone into estradiol or increase in SHBG which keeps free testosterone within normal bounds.

Could it maybe increase free testosterone? Maybe. Likely? No. Probably? I certainly wouldn't bet on it. Will it produce gains in the gym? As much as I'd like to say '**** no', I think the placebo effect could help some people.
 

Rambo

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Originally Posted by thekunk07
stinging nettle works, trust me. i've done enough of the real mccoy to be as cynical as the next guy, but it works.
Can someone please fill me in on this stinging nettle business?
 

thekunk07

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why is right, i meant nettle root, but i have taken activate extreme a few times, of which it is the most abundant component, and it has been effective for peri and pct
 

javyn

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FYI zinc will only boost your testosterone if you have low levels of testosterone due to zinc deficiency.
 

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