Strom Sports ZMAX

Most ZMA supplements sold in New Zealand use magnesium aspartate and zinc aspartate, cheap forms with no particular advantages and 20 years out of date considering the Magensium and Zinc research feild. ZMAX uses Magnesium L-threonate (increases neuronal magnesium uptake via transporter upregulation), magnesium bisglycinate (dual-pathway gut absorption with no laxative effect), and OptiZinc® zinc monomethionine (using amino acid transporters for higher tissue retention), each chosen for a distinct mechanism that standard ZMA forms do not offer.

Magnesium bisglycinate is magnesium chelated to two glycine molecules, forming a small, stable complex that the body absorbs through two distinct pathways, giving it a superior overall function than cheap magnesium forms like oxide or citrate.

Dual absorption: Some of the intact chelate absorbs through PepT1 dipeptide transporters in the small intestine (the same transporters that handle dietary dipeptides), while the remainder dissociates and the freed magnesium absorbs through conventional mineral channels. Two absorption routes means more magnesium reaches systemic circulation.

No laxative effect: Common magnesium salts like oxide, citrate, and carbonate draw water into the intestinal lumen, producing the laxative effect most people associate with magnesium supplements. Bisglycinate sidesteps this problem almost entirely, especially important during training, travel, or when the gut is already under stress.

Glycine release: Once the chelate dissociates in circulation, the freed glycine does its own work as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and a glutathione precursor. Evening glycine intake has been associated with improved sleep quality in separate research, so magnesium bisglycinate delivers both magnesium repletion and a calming amino acid from the same molecule.

Most magnesium supplements raise serum levels without meaningfully raising brain levels above normal baseline. Free magnesium can reach the fluid surrounding the brain, but neurons do not actively pull it in without special signals to do so. Magnesium L-threonate solves this.

Increased neuronal uptake: After ingestion, the magnesium and l-threonate separate. Magnesium enters serum and slowly crosses the blood-brain barrier into cerebrospinal fluid, exactly as any magnesium form would. The delivery to the brain is the same. What is different is what happens next. L-threonate (a vitamin C metabolite) has been demonstrated to cross the BBB independently where it can act on neuronal glucose transporters (GLUTs), signalling neurons to actively accumulate magnesium from the surrounding fluid. Without a signal like this, neurons will not pull magnesium in beyond baseline, which is why other magnesium forms raise serum and even cerebrospinal fluid magnesium without meaningfully raising neuronal levels. It is often misunderstood that L-threonate might not improve Magnesium delivery. Instead its value comes from increasing magnesium uptake at the neuron destination.

Cognitive support: Six human trials have been completed on magnesium L-threonate. The most recent, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 100 adults aged 18 to 45 over six weeks, showed improvements in overall cognition, working memory, episodic memory, and reaction time. Estimated brain cognitive age dropped 7.5 years relative to placebo.

Autonomic recovery: The same trial showed lower resting heart rate, higher heart rate variability, and improved self-reported sleep quality, though objective sleep duration did not change. The effect appears to be autonomic rather than sedative: better nervous system recovery during the hours you do sleep, not more hours asleep.

Most zinc supplements absorb adequately in isolation, but in real-world conditions where phytates from grains, dietary fibre, calcium, and iron all compete for the same mineral transport channels, much of the zinc you swallow never reaches tissue.

How it works: OptiZinc® is zinc monomethionine, a 1:1 chelate with L-methionine that routes absorption through amino acid transporters instead of mineral channels, sidestepping much of that competition.

Tissue retention: Research has shown higher tissue retention and lower urinary excretion than zinc oxide, with plasma zinc remaining elevated at both 12 and 24 hours post-dose. The zinc stays in circulation long enough to be incorporated into functional proteins rather than excreted.

Why we care: Our primary interest in Zinc for our Strom community is the cardiovascular and immune function. Zinc drives metallothionein production (enabling superoxide dismutase to neutralise reactive oxygen species) and activates PPAR-α/γ receptors, upregulating antioxidant gene expression while downregulating NF-κB, the master switch for inflammatory cytokine production. At 30mg elemental zinc per 2 capsules, ZMAX provides meaningful zinc correction without crossing into copper interference, that accepted line being above 50mg/day.

Take it every day, year-round. Magnesium, zinc and B6 are essential nutrients with daily requirements, not compounds that need cycling. Nutrient status drops fast when intake stops, which is why consistent daily use matters more than loading protocols. ZMAX is formulated for long-term daily supplementation.

At 30mg elemental zinc per two capsules, ZMAX is safe long-term. Copper competition is accepted to emerge above 50mg/day with chronic use, well above what ZMAX provides. The methionine chelation in OptiZinc® reduces gut-level competition further by routing through amino acid transporters rather than shared mineral channels.

1 to 2 capsules before bed, though daytime works as well. With or without food, it will absorb well either way.

Evening dosing makes the most sense for most users because of the formula's recovery profile: Magnesium L-threonate supports lower resting heart rate and higher HRV during sleep, magnesium bisglycinate releases glycine (an inhibitory neurotransmitter associated with improved sleep quality), and vitamin B6 drives the conversion of glutamate to GABA, shifting neural tone toward calm.

The effect is physiological, not pharmacological, and it builds over days of consistent use rather than hitting on the first dose.

We do not call ZMAX a sedative or sleep supplement, but it provides the nutrients you need to ensure your body can do its sleep processes well. It supports the physiological conditions for better sleep quality through magnesium and zinc repletion and nervous system recovery: lower resting heart rate, higher HRV, GABA production via B6-driven glutamate conversion, and glycine release from magnesium bisglycinate. Its ensuring adequate nutrition, which is why consistent use is the intent rather than "hitting" on the first dose. Albeit some people do notice profound differences from day one, that will likely be due to a notably insufficient starting state.

Yes. Strom MultiMAX contains a lower nutritional dose of 3.5mg zinc and no magnesium L-threonate. ZMAX is the evening complement to a general nutrient multivitamin, not a duplicate of what is already in it.

The two magnesium forms in ZMAX serve different roles than a multivitamin's mineral coverage. Magnesium bisglycinate handles systemic repletion while L-threonate increases neuronal magnesium uptake in a way that other forms do not. The zinc and B6 doses are calibrated to complement, not overlap with, what a multivitamin already provides. Think of ZMAX as a higher dose targeted for specific value, rather than setting baseline nutritional dosing like we do with MultiMAX.

Yes, they stack well together. Our Strom TriMAG is a dedicated magnesium supplement delivering 99mg elemental magnesium per capsule, designed to let you scale total daily magnesium intake according to your individual needs.

Daily magnesium guidelines: General guidelines recommend around 4 to 6mg of elemental magnesium per kilogram of bodyweight per day. For a 60kg person that is 240 to 360mg, for a 90kg person that is 360 to 540mg. Most people in New Zealand fall well short of this through diet alone.

Athletes and active people need more: Intense training, sweating, caloric restriction, and stress all accelerate magnesium loss. Athletes and hard-training individuals commonly require 600mg or more of elemental magnesium per day to maintain adequate status. TriMAG lets you adjust upward in precise 99mg increments to meet that demand.

ZMAX provides 140mg elemental magnesium per serve with the added benefit of increased neuronal magnesium uptake via L-threonate and the zinc and B6 support. TriMAG can be used adaptively to stack on top of that to bring your total elemental magnesium closer to where it needs to be for your training load, dietary intake from food, and bodyweight.

You can buy ZMAX right here. Strom Sports NZ is NZ-owned and operated, shipping from Ruapehu, New Zealand. We offer fast tracked shipping with NZ Post across New Zealand and to Australia. All orders include tracking so you can follow your delivery every step of the way.