You have by now figured out out that regular exercise can help keep you young and that is certainly true. But what is it in the body that makes this happen?

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Recently, in Recover and Get Stronger With ZMA, we went over the benefits of zinc magnesium aspartate (ZMA)  as a nighttime aid to recovery after very strenuous workouts.

Two studies have just been posted on the ISSN forums refuting the claims of serum testosterone increase while using ZMA.  The abstracts follow and you can decide for yourself if ZMA is something you want to use in your recovery arsenal. (Anecdotally, I sleep deeper when take it and wake up refreshed). I probably will continue to take it on my heaviest lifting days.

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Father Time-less?

2008 was a very good training year for me for many reasons. I am thankful for all the accomplishments, events, but mostly the people who are a part of my training life. They kept it fun! Here are a few of the reasons: Read the rest of this entry

I had a strong lifting day today having done 5×5’s in both the deadlift and the overhead press, setting personal bests in both. To maximize my benefits, I had branched chain aminos in a drink while I lifted and had a post-workout recovery drink. Later in the day, I enjoyed a high protein dinner. Before bed there is just one last thing to do before dropping off to sleep-take my ZMA.

ZMA is a high performance OTC supplement consisting of aspartate and methionine forms of zinc, magnesium and vitamin B6. All are essential nutrients and I recently wrote of magnesium and how common deficiencies are of the important mineral in the general population and even more with hard-charging athletes.

ZMA should be taken on an empty stomach an hour before bedtime for the best results. Of course, getting a good night’s sleep is vital for recovery and that is the time the body releases anabolic growth hormone for repair and muscle-building. Adding ZMA over an 8 week period can increase free and total testosterone by more than 30% and about a 4% increase in IGF-1 according to a recent study done with NCAA football players. Anabolic hormones and quality of sleep will both increase. It is likely you will attain deeper, slow wave sleep stages. (I sleep deeper than normal and wake up more rested and refreshed. My dreams sometimes are a little stranger, but for me, entertaining!)

The upshot of ZMA supplementation is enhanced strength, endurance, recovery and growth and replace the deficiencies that hard exercise contribute to.

Remember, growth occurs during sleep and ZMA will help to maximize everything you do in the gym. Give it a try.

ZMA, magnesium, zinc, B6, recovery, anabolic hormones, testosterone

Prior to an athletic competition, a man’s testosterone level will increase as they get ready to “do battle”. Interestingly, those levels increase or decrease depending on their fortunes during the game. In this video, two evenly matched rugby teams had their T levels tested before, during and after their match. (Hint, the winning team had more).

In another video, powerlifter Kieran Kidder talks about his steroid use which he believes are “widely misunderstood”. You decide. The animation on muscle growth is interesting.

We go to the gym and lift heavy to get strong and our favorite hormones include HGH and testosterone. Ori Hofmekler as written extensively on estrogen moving in on our T production and even has the Anti-Estrogenic Diet to combat the effects of too much estrogen and not enough testosterone. His words aren’t very encouraging.

“As a species, we’re on a fast track to extinction,” says Ori Hofmekler, author of The Anti-Estrogenic Diet. “In the past few decades, men have lost 50% of their sperm count and within only one generation, the average man’s sperm count and testosterone have dropped by 20%. Women are no better. Staggering figures show that most women today are suffering from female disorders and three out of ten women between the ages of 35 to 60 will develop breast cancer.

We also know smoking weed lowers “test” And now this…

Anti-Bacterial Soap Inhibits Testosterone Production

I am convinced that testosterone is the most valuable chemical on the planet and I want to keep mine as long as possible, thank you very much!

**UPDATE: Ori Hofmekler will speak on the topic, “Testosterone Dominance, Power & Potency” on his internet radio show, Wednesday June 4th, 9:00 am Pacific. If you miss it, it will still be at the site.