Why zinc is important for strength training and muscle building

Optimal zinc status will affect your results in the gym because:

1. Zinc is essential for the production of androgens, IGF-1 and growth hormone. Iran and Irak have the lowest levels of zinc in their soils, hence the onset of puberty in males is 17 years old. A far cry from the 12 to 14 years around the globe. If you don’t have enough zinc, you can’t grow muscle, and your energy and recovery will be piss poor.
2. Zinc is synergistic to the absorption of all nutrients known to man. As my mentor, Robert Crayhon used to say, if you are deficient in zinc, you are probably deficient in a lot of nutrients.
3. Zinc is essential to insulin management. If you don’t have enough zinc, your entire insulin sensitivity mechanism is compromised. Translation, you have a hard time storing glycogen, induce anabolism, and your carbs keep building your fat stores instead of restoring glycogen levels.
4. Dopamine production is regulated by zinc. If you don’t have enough zinc, your dopamine levels tank. Hence, no drive in the gym, and moodier than a Kardashian. You cannot have higher mental functioning without enough zinc.
5. No zinc, you have the attentions span of a door knob. If focusing during sets is an issue and staying on target during your workouts is an issue, that could be a sign of zinc deficiency. This is why functional medicine practitioner used zinc as a primary intervention in treating ADHD patients.

Now how do you best test zinc? Use a red blood cell zinc test, NOT A SERUM ZINC TEST. If it is not covered by your insurance, you should not pay more than 12 to 40 dollars for it.
If maximal strength and size are your goals, you want to score above 1,400 ug/dl



Here are the list of zinc food sources:
1) Oyster (78,6mg in 100 gr)
2) Beef and lamb (12,3 mg in 100gr)
3) Spinach (0.8mg in 100 gr)
4) Dark chocolate (6.8 mg in 100 gr)
5) Pork and chicken (5 mg in 100 gr)

http://www.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/812/Top_Ten_Benefits_of_Zinc.aspx

http://www.strengthsensei.com/why-is-testing-your-red-blood-cell-zinc-is-essential/