NOW Sports ZMA – Powerful Recovery Aid!

NOW Sports ZMA – it’s not only a powerful recovery aid, it provides potent hormonal support. In this special edition of Supplement Spotlight – Brand Focus, we’re looking at NOW, specifically NOW Sports. This is a very impressive brand, so let’s get right to it!

About NOW Sports

NOW is technically called NOW Foods, yet the label for most of their products simply says “NOW”. However, their sports nutrition products all say “NOW Sports”, and they do that kind of thing with their Beauty products (NOW solutions), essential oils (NOW Essential Oils), and so on. 

What is NOW Sports ZMA?

This supplement features Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B6 – the core ingredients that make up ZMA. Originally, ZMA was developed by Victor Conte, who interestingly enough played bass guitar for the 70s band Tower of Power. He also founded Balco, and ultimately was arrested for selling steroids. For those who may not know, Balco (Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative was founded by Conte in 1984. It was a California-based business that became famous for distributing steroids to professional athletes. As you might imagine, this led to a major scandal and jail time for Conte in 2003. (1)

The original ZMA formula developed by Conte consisted of 30mg zinc monomethionine aspartate, 450mg magnesium aspartate and 10.5 mg vitamin B6. This is the proven dosing NOW Sports ZMA uses. NOW markets this as a recovery supplement, but it is also generally considered to boost the body’s natural production of testosterone. 

Let’s Take A Quick Look At Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is actually derived from cholesterol and produced by the interstitial cells of Leydig (cells in the testes). That’s one reason many protein powders have a reasonable amount of cholesterol, they aren’t unhealthy, they are targeting hormone support. 

Levels of testosterone tend to fluctuate but the average adult man produces 5-10 milligrams per day. However, levels gradually start to decline in men as early as their mid-20s. 

Benefits Of Testosterone:

• Testosterone promotes muscular development mainly through protein synthesis.
• It causes development of male sexual characteristics.
• Testosterone promotes sex drive.
• It supports energy and mood.
• Testosterone helps keep body fat levels in check.
• It supports the production of red blood cells.

As a side note, for those that may not know, protein synthesis is the synthesis of new muscle proteins making  it a crucial trigger of muscle growth. (2)

Steroid Hormone Defined

OK, so what is a steroid hormone? There are three main classes of hormones called amine, protein, and steroid. A steroid hormone is derived from cholesterol, the word “steroid” is a reference to the physical structure of cholesterol. It literally means “looks like cholesterol”. (3)

What Is Free Testosterone?

Understanding free testosterone is the most important aspect of this discussion. Of the total amount of testosterone that’s produced by the body, only a certain amount is available for things such as muscle growth. This available amount is called free testosterone. The amount of free testosterone to total testosterone is minimal, about 2-3%. The remaining 97-98% of testosterone produced by your body is unavailable because it is needed for specific bodily functions. It’s not involved or available for such things as muscle growth. (4)

How Does NOW Sports ZMA Support Recovery

Earlier I said that NOW markets their ZMA product as a recovery aid, meaning they tend to downplay its impact on testosterone. So the next logical question would be: “How does ZMA help recovery”? ZMA supports muscle recovery mainly by improving your quality of sleep, decreasing inflammation, and promoting protein synthesis (through testosterone support). By providing a combination of zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6, NOW Sports ZMA deals with nutrient deficiencies that can be caused by intense exercise. This helps repair muscle tissue and ease muscle soreness. 

Let’s Look At The Ingredients

60 Servings per Container / Serving Size – 3 Capsules For Men (2 For Women)

ZMA – 2.4 Grams

Vitamin B6 (From Pyridoxine HCL) – 15 mg

Vitamin B6 is a member of the water-soluble B-complex family of vitamins. It has several functions, such as supporting the production of melatonin, which in turn supports sleep. In addition, it promotes production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, helping the body relax. As well, it’s involved in the production of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which plays a major role in mood. In the context of this article, it also supports testosterone production. Finally, like all the B-complex vitamins, B6 helps convert food into cellular energy and helps you cope with stress. (5)

Magnesium (From Magnesium Aspartate) – 450 mg

Magnesium is an essential mineral that must come from your diet and supplements. It’s a crucial micronutrient for anyone who works out. Why is that? Because it is involved in the function of muscular contractions. If you want to be successful in the gym, you must be sure you are taking enough of this, or any nutrient, that ensures quality muscular contractions. 

Additionally magnesium helps increase melatonin production, supports bone health, nerve transmission and electrolyte balance. Not to mention it has a role in protein synthesis, making it critical. Finally, it supports increased levels of both free and total testosterone. (6)

Zinc (From Zinc L-Methionine And Zinc Aspartate) – 30 mg

Zinc is another essential mineral that only comes from food and supplements. It’s not made by the body. So what does zinc do? It is a key mineral involved in testosterone production. In addition, it is involved in cellular metabolism, supports immune system health and function, and is involved in protein metabolism (making it very important to lifters ingesting a lot of protein). Also, it plays a role in wound healing, cell signaling, and DNA synthesis. (7)

A Closer Look At ZMA And Sleep

NOW Sports ZMA supports recovery through sleep. How does it do this? We’ve seen that vitamin B6 promotes serotonin production, which is heavily involved in the sleep-wakr cycle, and is also involved in the body’s natural production of melatonin. We’ve also seen that magnesium supports melatonin production, which helps relax your body. Zinc acts in a similar way as magnesium when it comes to sleep. 

A Quick Look At NOW ZMA

NOW ZMA
Benefits		Product Highlights
Promotes testosterone production		Features NOW quality
Supports recovery by supporting sleep		No banned substances
Zinc has a wide range of benefits,including protein metabolism		GMP supplement certified
Magnesium supports muscle contractions

How Do I Use It?

As per the directions, men should take 3 capsules daily on an empty stomach 30-60 minutes before bedtime. For best results, avoid taking with dairy or other calcium-containing foods or supplements. 

Stack Suggestions

Here are several Stacks centered around NOW ZMA.

Stack # 1

• NOW ZMA
• MTS Nutrition Barracuda – This is an impressive testosterone support product with ingredients such as D-Aspartic Acid, Maca (patented MacaPure®), and safed musli, to name a few. This formula is very well dosed and features full disclosure labeling.
• Hi-Tech Precision Protein – This is the protein I always recommend because it is one of the very few that specifically targets protein synthesis. How, you might ask? By allowing the release of the ultra-anabolic leucine in the first stages of protein synthesis.
• Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode – One of my favorite pre-workouts, this is the Pre that forced the current practice of very generous dosing in many pre-workouts. As an example, before Gorilla Mode, you never saw citrulline dosed any higher than 4, maybe 5, grams. Now, you see 8 to 10 grams all the time, thanks to Gorilla Mode’s aggressive dosing. 
• AllMax Nutrition Creatine – This is the best creatine formula on the market. Why? Simple, because it features patented CreaSyn® micronized creatine monohydrate. You will already get a full 5 grams of creatine in Gorilla Mode, so you will need to use AllMax Creatine on your off-days.
• AllMax Nutrition VITASTACK – Do not overlook the basics! Good health depends on getting enough of all the necessary micronutrients, and VITASTACK ensures you do!

Stack # 2

Same as above, but add:

Competitive Edge Labs MPC-185 – This product has the potential to ramp up protein synthesis. It’s DL-185 Dileucine Peptide, which is a clinically-studied anabolic peptide that has been shown to seriously increase muscle protein synthesis, enhance strength, extend endurance, and speed recovery.

Optional:

For serious gains:

Hi-Tech Halodrol – This is one of the better prohormone complexes on the market. Before using, make sure you understand prohormones and post cycle therapy. 

5% Nutrition Post Gear  – One of the best PCT formulas on the market. As I mentioned, be sure you understand how to use prohormones and how to set up your PCT cycle. 

Summary 

There you have it! NOW Sports ZMA is a great addition to any serious lifter’s supplement Stack. With that, this ends the special Supplement Spotlight – Brand Focus for NOW. I encourage you to give them a try, they are exceptionally high quality products. Next up, we will be looking at another great company as we continue my special Brand Focus. In the meantime, don’t forget to stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up!

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZMA_(supplement)
2. Griggs, R. C., Kingston, W., Jozefowicz, R. F., Herr, B. E., Forbes, G., & Halliday, D. (1989). Effect of testosterone on muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis. Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md.: 1985), 66(1), 498–503. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1989.66.1.498
3. https://www.britannica.com/science/steroid-hormone
4. (PDF) Testosterone Physiology in Resistance Exercise and Training (researchgate.net)
5. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
6. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
7. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/