Sheikin' things up with 3Z!

[PerpetualHeaven]

Hey guys, before I start with the log and what not, I want to thank AI Sports Nutrition for letting me log yet ANOTHER one of their products. This company has tons of great supplements and they're extremely generous when it comes to promotions (constantly giving away products, Maniac Monday on ********, etc). I would also like to thank BulkyPinoy61 for giving me the chance to log 3Z!

On to the 3Z!

Basically, my sleep has always been somewhat lacking. I usually wake up throughout the night, or I'll just wake up tired, no matter how much sleep I get. Nothing has really changed this for me, so hopefully 3Z can save the day. Last night was my first night taking it, so let's throw down some initial impressions.

Unfortunately, I'm going to start this one off with something bad. I have two bottles of 3Z at the moment (won one from a promo through you guys), so I'm positive it wasn't just a bad batch or something. When I opened the bottle, I immediately noticed a horrible odour. To be quite honest, it kind of smells like really sweaty feet, and it's something you notice as soon as you open the bottle. That's the only setback I've noticed, so I thought I would throw that out first.

I can't say it's a for sure thing yet, as it has only been one night, but I did NOT wake up during the night. Unfortunately, I woke up to my roommate blending something at 6:25 in the morning and I couldn't get back to sleep. Good thing I didn't feel tired at all, though, despite only getting about 6 hours of sleep. I want to accredit the 3Z with this since I'm usually tired no matter what, but once again, it's too early to come to any conclusions. Still noteworthy, though!

As for the name of the title, it's referring to me going on Sheiko #29. For those of you who don't know what Sheiko is, it's essentially a lifting program designed by Boris Sheiko (Russian powerlifting coach since the 1990s). I won't really go into detail about it, but this is what today looked like (note that the percentages are percentages of my 1RM):

Monday

Bench
50% 5x1, 60% 4x2, 70% 3x2, 75% 3x5

Squat
50% 5x1, 60% 5x2, 70% 5x5

Bench
50% 5x1, 60% 5x1, 70% 4x4

Flies
10x5

Good mornings
5x5

Yes, that's benching twice in the same day, haha. Pretty much, I'm going to be trying to rest up as much as possible, especially since I love my sleep, which is why I saved my 3Z for this!

Once again, thanks to the AI team for being so outstanding!

Stay tuned for more, guys!

[PerpetualHeaven]

Well, I slept like a baby last night and the night before. Last night was pretty glorious, though. Unfortunately I had to wake up to my roommate's door squeeking non-stop. For some reason he found it necessary to walk in and out of his room ten times in one minute while opening and shutting his door every single time. I'm usually very irritable when I'm still laying in bed, haha.

Anyways, I'm starting to believe that 3Z IS actually helping me sleep through the night, uninterrupted. There's really nothing that proves it, I mean, it could even be a placebo effect! Despite that, it has Magnesium and Zinc, which I'm probably deficient in anyways, so I know that this is giving me a good amount of both. In my later posts I'll probably go over the ingredients in more detail, just to touch up on all of it!

As for the scent, it's still there and potent as ever. I can actually sort of taste it, but thankfully it doesn't taste as powerful as the scent. I'm not sure what gives it that odour, but I know it kills me inside, haha.

[GoHardOrGoHme]

Hey buddy!!! In on this log!!

[JohnSmeton]

yes 3z is nice.

so you like the taste of it?

I never really noticed the taste; only the smell.

[StxNas]

Not sure if you can placebo effect sleep.

[PerpetualHeaven]

I've been noticing a slight trend these past few nights. I sleep for a veryyy long time, but wake up feeling a bit, not tired, but lazy, I suppose. I feel somewhat deprived of energy, but AS SOON as I get up, I'm just hit with all of that energy. It's kind of weird, but hey, at least I don't feel tired later on, haha. I've woken up once in the past five or so days, which is pretty damn good for me, so I think it's fair to say that I am quite pleased with my 3Z thus far. Even on the days that I don't get a good amount of sleep (my fault), I still feel really, really good.

Not sure if you can placebo effect sleep.

If you're crazy like me you can, haha.

yes 3z is nice.

so you like the taste of it?

I never really noticed the taste; only the smell.

Quite the opposite, actually. I'm not a fan of the smell OR taste. The smell kind of kills me inside, whereas the taste is pretty much the same, but to a lesser degree.

Hey buddy!!! In on this log!!

Thanks man, good to have you!

[PerpetualHeaven]

Today, or yesterday, rather, was absolutely awful in terms of sleep. Pretty sure I completely dominated my soul with the lack of sleep I got, coupled with Sheiko. I tried to get to bed at 11 (planned on waking up at 7), but I just laid there for a solid three hours and listened to my drunken roommates and their friends yelling upstairs. It was some pretty good stuff, to say the least. I don't know what happened, because I was exhausted when I was about to get into bed, then as soon as I hopped in, I just received a burst of energy. 3Z didn't save me this time... Though, I will say this! For only five hours of sleep, I actually didn't feel bad when I woke up. I didn't lay in bed all groggy, and the five hours I did get were uninterrupted, so that was a major plus!

[JohnSmeton]

Today, or yesterday, rather, was absolutely awful in terms of sleep. Pretty sure I completely dominated my soul with the lack of sleep I got, coupled with Sheiko. I tried to get to bed at 11 (planned on waking up at 7), but I just laid there for a solid three hours and listened to my drunken roommates and their friends yelling upstairs. It was some pretty good stuff, to say the least. I don't know what happened, because I was exhausted when I was about to get into bed, then as soon as I hopped in, I just received a burst of energy. 3Z didn't save me this time... Though, I will say this! For only five hours of sleep, I actually didn't feel bad when I woke up. I didn't lay in bed all groggy, and the five hours I did get were uninterrupted, so that was a major plus!

sucks to be around loud neighbors . ive lived in a college campus before, loud and rowdy . I prefer peace and quiet neighborhood

[PerpetualHeaven]

sucks to be around loud neighbors . ive lived in a college campus before, loud and rowdy . I prefer peace and quiet neighborhood

Haha, yeah, it's awful, but at least I don't have to consistently put up with it.

Anyways, these past few days have been killer for me. Friday rolled around so quick, and I didn't even realize it. I ended up watching wrestling Nationals yesterday and Friday, but my oh my, did that encompass a lot of standing. Friday was the worst because I was up at 6:20, went and lifted from 7:40(ish) until 9:50, took a shower, then watched Nationals until 7:20. I pretty much didn't even sit at Nationals, since the view was AWFUL from the bleachers, and the only good seats were taken. And, of course, I was walking back and forth in the gym to watch, so I got a lot of NEAT in. Got home and crashed at about midnight, which was splendid. Yesterday was the same ordeal, except I woke up at 7:40 since I don't lift on weekends (due to my Sheiko schedule). I've got to say, I'm loving the glory of uninterrupted sleep. I barely wake up tired anymore, so I'm really enjoying it.

[PerpetualHeaven]

Yet another night has gone by with me being uninterrupted during my sleep. It almost feels normal now, haha. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to keep this up when I'm all out of my 3Z. Still noticing that awful flavour and scent from the 3Z, and it's actually getting worse as I progress through the bottle. I usually don't find myself tired until much later in the day, which is normal, unless I've lifted for the day since Sheiko seems to drain me of all my energy. I've been noticing a lot of pain in my leg lately, and I'm assuming it's my IT band. I'm going to start foam rolling before I lift, followed by stretching (I already stretch), and maybe I'll add another warm-up set just to keep things a bit smoother. Oh well, time for me to go to sleep! Excited for my 3Z to keep me asleep, as well. Good night, guys!

[PerpetualHeaven]

This past week has actually been horrendous for sleep. I know I say I go uninterrupted in my sleep, but external factors aren't included in that (such as roommates). My roommate actually woke me up the one night because he forgot his keys (he forgets them EVERY SINGLE DAY), so I had to get out of bed and open the door for him at one in the morning. I don't know what it is, but some of them just like to be really loud at night, while others like to be abnormally loud extremely early in the morning. On my days I don't have class in the morning, sometimes the one plays guitar, and one of them blends things at 6:30 in the morning... Anyways, that's just what I have to deal with in terms of sleep, and is probably why I'm always tired, haha. The 3Z is doing its job, though, and it keeps me asleep for the most part.

[StxNas]

Haha. I'v had to deal with all of that before, too. I was an RA for a while when I was in college and I couldn't believe how often people would lock themselves out or forget their keys. I had a musician for a roommate once, too. He was cool until he got an amp for his guitar, lol.

Are you at least able to fall back asleep after your interruptions?

[PerpetualHeaven]

Haha. I'v had to deal with all of that before, too. I was an RA for a while when I was in college and I couldn't believe how often people would lock themselves out or forget their keys. I had a musician for a roommate once, too. He was cool until he got an amp for his guitar, lol.

Are you at least able to fall back asleep after your interruptions?

Oh yeah, for sure. I've noticed that I actually sleep like a rock, but I wake up an hour or so before my alarm. The reason I wake up now is because I always need to go use the washroom. \= It's one of those where you want to hold it because you're pretty much asleep, but you know you can't so you have to get up and then it kind of disrupts everything. Depending on what time I wake up, it dictates whether or not I can go back to bed. Today, for instance, I woke up at 5:27, but my alarm was set for 6:17 (I set my alarm for awesome times, haha). After I used the washroom, I ended up laying there until 6:03 (it's sad that I remember the minute) then got up and decided to just make some coffee.

As for the roommate playing guitar... Well, he has this thing for a girl now, and they're seeing each other (I think) so he has been playing this one song OVER AND OVER AGAIN. It's a song by The Weekend, but I have no idea what it's called. He'll sit down and play it for an hour straight (he covers it with his acoustic and his own voice) and it kills me inside. It was pretty good the first time, but after I had to endure it for days, it just became a slight annoyance. Oh, and he has some crazy speakers and a subwoofer in his room... When he feels like playing music, the entire house hears it. He's a nice guy though, so it's all good. And I'm very non-confrontational anyways. :P I never want bad blood between my roommates and me.

On another note, I took my 3Z about 35 minutes ago, and it's good that I did because I'm pretty much ready to hit the hay. Funny story, he's actually playing his guitar right now... Also, I completely forgot to post a picture of my 3Z when I first got it (sorry about that guys, but I did take a picture wayyy back when I received it), so I'll post it up here! They look so beautiful, but the scent is so pungent...

Note: Those are not my cigarettes, haha. Noooo smoking for me, my parents did enough of that around me.



Anyways, good night guys!

[PerpetualHeaven]

Alright, well, these past few nights have been pretty rough for me. Not even the 3Z is keeping me asleep, so I'm starting to feel a bit iffy about it. I definitely think that me doing Sheiko has made me overreach a little bit as my sleep has been completely awful as of late. On top of that, I've been noticing a slight lack of appetite (despite bulking), and I've actually noticed a few injuries start to flare up. My rotator has been getting bad, as well as my TFL, and I've been doing every possible thing to repair them, but it's taking quite some time. Regardless, I'm about to start cutting, so hopefully I'll be feeling better soon and I'll also be on a new program! Anyways, night guys.

[PerpetualHeaven]

Oh me, oh my, these past few days have been rough. I just can't seem to stay asleep anymore and it's killing me inside. I was supposed to go test my maxes out today with my brother, but he ended up procrastinating, so he has to finish his essay before he can do anything today. That would be fine, but I'm taking my girlfriend out for dinner today, so no dice on the lifting... It has been a whole week since I've lifted (well, it will be as of tomorrow) and my heart is shattered... I probably have some sort of addiction to lifting, because not lifting is the worst thing... Ever. Anyways, back to my sleep being completely awful. I still have no idea what it is that's doing this to me, but it's terrible. I sleep for 8+ hours/day, but that's not including the interruptions. I usually feel fine later in the day, but I just feel terrible when I wake up. The flavour in the bottle (since I'm pretty much done it) is just becoming worse and worse. I noticed that the scent depicts the flavour almost exactly, and at the bottom, it's pretty much a replica. It's not something to stop taking them over, but I just thought I would mention it.

ANDDDD, since I feel I've been slacking, I'm going to go out with a bang since I barely have any time left in the bottle! Time to dissect the ingredient list!

Magnesium

I'm going to keep this pretty simple. Most people are extremely deficient in Magnesium, so it's something I've always chosen to supplement with. Magnesium is known for a WIDE-variety of health benefits. It helps with energy levels,strengthening bones, and most importantly, with sleep, which is obviously very important for athletes, lifters, and just regular people as well. 3Z contains 400mg of Magnesium Chelate which is a good source of supplemental Magnesium, but not the best, unfortunately. I believe the best source of supplemental Magnesium is Citrate, but Chelate is still a very good form, and is MUCH better than the common Oxidized form that most supplement companies use. 400mg is also 100% of the DV, but one thing to keep in mind is that no form of supplemental Magnesium is 100% absorbable, so Magnesium should still be something that is consciously consumed through dietary sources. Regardless of this, the amount and form of transportation used for 3Z are both very good, and blow many supplement companies out of the water.

*I'm going to be excluding Copper simply because it is in such a low dosage. (Also, Zinc blocks Copper intake. More on this below.)

Zinc

Zinc is a very important mineral, and is used to help maintain a healthy immune system, amoung other things. Many people are often deficient in Zinc, especially athletes. I can't quite remember who it was, but he would give his athletes a drop of liquid Zinc (most forms of zinc are sufficient and don't vary much) and there would usually be two outcomes. The athletes deficient in Zinc would report that it tastes just like water (tasteless), and the athletes who had sufficient levels of Zinc would report a bitter metal-like taste to it. This is often a good way to test if you have Zinc deficiency. 3Z contains 30mg which is 200% of the DV, which may be a tad too much, but it's good to remember that supplemental forms of vitamins/minerals are generally not 100% bioavailable.

Valerian Extract

I haven't been able to find too much regarding Valerian Extract. What I have found, though (through some PubMed searches) is that it seems to aid people who have insomnia. While this may not be wonderful for everybody, people with insomnia may find some use to it, and it's the first ingredient in the proprietary blend, so I would assume it's the most plentiful.

Magnolia Bark

Once again, haven't been able to find too much regarding sleep in normal, healthy people, but with people who have insomnia (obviously this would be the targeted group, anyways) it has been shown to help. It is also used as an anti-anxiety medicine, but the merit behind these claims has yet to be proven.

Passion Flower

Did a bit of a search on this one, and apparently it is supposed to help with insomnia (as well as other things, but I'll get to that), but there is an insufficient amount of evidence supporting these claims. As well as helping with insomnia, it can also help with anxiety, which I would said plays a large role in most people's lives. Everybody gets a little bit overwhelmed at some point, so having something to relieve you a bit would be nice (which could potentially help you sleep!).

L-Theanine

L-Theanine, like most of the other ingredients in 3Z, also relieves people of stress and anxiety. If it hasn't become apparent by now, stress/anxiety plays a pivotal role in sleep. Generally, the more stressed someone is, the less sleep they will get, or the more sleep interruptions they will experience.

GABA

In regards to sleep, GABA seems to play the same role as L-Theanine. The problem with GABA, though, is that, unlike L-Theanine, it is incapable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, so the claims made that it may help reduce stress seem to be inaccurate. Until more solid studies are done, I believe it would be quite hard to say. GABA has numerous other benefits, though, but I won't be going into those as they aren't really relevant to sleep.

Bacopa Monniera

The last ingredient in the proprietary blend, Bacopa Monniera seems to be a tad bit useful, but nothing more than that. While, yes, I believe immune system plays a VERY large role in sleep (I know I struggle to sleep when I'm sick, or stay asleep, rather), it doesn't necessarily have any direct effects on sleep. Instead, it helps support the immune system, which I find would still be quite useful.

That's basically it guys. Sorry this post took so long (been picking away at it, and man, it took quite some time). Did a fair amount of research and gathered posted what I had learned about these products (no, I didn't Wiki it, haha). I kept them short and sweet because I doubt many people would want to read a wall of text, even though this already is one. Anyways, took my 3Z about thirty minutes ago, so I'm going to finish watching this Matt Ogus video then hit the hay! Good night guys.

P.S. Will be rating this product VERYYYY soon.

[UNCnate]

Nice ingredient breakdown. After doing your research, what do you think of how it was put together?

[StxNas]

Thanks for taking the time to post up all of those details about the ingredient profile. These are definitely tried and tested ingredients that work.

[jiggamanbill]

Oh me, oh my, these past few days have been rough. I just can't seem to stay asleep anymore and it's killing me inside. I was supposed to go test my maxes out today with my brother, but he ended up procrastinating, so he has to finish his essay before he can do anything today. That would be fine, but I'm taking my girlfriend out for dinner today, so no dice on the lifting... It has been a whole week since I've lifted (well, it will be as of tomorrow) and my heart is shattered... I probably have some sort of addiction to lifting, because not lifting is the worst thing... Ever. Anyways, back to my sleep being completely awful. I still have no idea what it is that's doing this to me, but it's terrible. I sleep for 8+ hours/day, but that's not including the interruptions. I usually feel fine later in the day, but I just feel terrible when I wake up. The flavour in the bottle (since I'm pretty much done it) is just becoming worse and worse. I noticed that the scent depicts the flavour almost exactly, and at the bottom, it's pretty much a replica. It's not something to stop taking them over, but I just thought I would mention it.

ANDDDD, since I feel I've been slacking, I'm going to go out with a bang since I barely have any time left in the bottle! Time to dissect the ingredient list!

Magnesium

I'm going to keep this pretty simple. Most people are extremely deficient in Magnesium, so it's something I've always chosen to supplement with. Magnesium is known for a WIDE-variety of health benefits. It helps with energy levels,strengthening bones, and most importantly, with sleep, which is obviously very important for athletes, lifters, and just regular people as well. 3Z contains 400mg of Magnesium Chelate which is a good source of supplemental Magnesium, but not the best, unfortunately. I believe the best source of supplemental Magnesium is Citrate, but Chelate is still a very good form, and is MUCH better than the common Oxidized form that most supplement companies use. 400mg is also 100% of the DV, but one thing to keep in mind is that no form of supplemental Magnesium is 100% absorbable, so Magnesium should still be something that is consciously consumed through dietary sources. Regardless of this, the amount and form of transportation used for 3Z are both very good, and blow many supplement companies out of the water.

*I'm going to be excluding Copper simply because it is in such a low dosage. (Also, Zinc blocks Copper intake. More on this below.)

Zinc

Zinc is a very important mineral, and is used to help maintain a healthy immune system, amoung other things. Many people are often deficient in Zinc, especially athletes. I can't quite remember who it was, but he would give his athletes a drop of liquid Zinc (most forms of zinc are sufficient and don't vary much) and there would usually be two outcomes. The athletes deficient in Zinc would report that it tastes just like water (tasteless), and the athletes who had sufficient levels of Zinc would report a bitter metal-like taste to it. This is often a good way to test if you have Zinc deficiency. 3Z contains 30mg which is 200% of the DV, which may be a tad too much, but it's good to remember that supplemental forms of vitamins/minerals are generally not 100% bioavailable.

Valerian Extract

I haven't been able to find too much regarding Valerian Extract. What I have found, though (through some PubMed searches) is that it seems to aid people who have insomnia. While this may not be wonderful for everybody, people with insomnia may find some use to it, and it's the first ingredient in the proprietary blend, so I would assume it's the most plentiful.

Magnolia Bark

Once again, haven't been able to find too much regarding sleep in normal, healthy people, but with people who have insomnia (obviously this would be the targeted group, anyways) it has been shown to help. It is also used as an anti-anxiety medicine, but the merit behind these claims has yet to be proven.

Passion Flower

Did a bit of a search on this one, and apparently it is supposed to help with insomnia (as well as other things, but I'll get to that), but there is an insufficient amount of evidence supporting these claims. As well as helping with insomnia, it can also help with anxiety, which I would said plays a large role in most people's lives. Everybody gets a little bit overwhelmed at some point, so having something to relieve you a bit would be nice (which could potentially help you sleep!).

L-Theanine

L-Theanine, like most of the other ingredients in 3Z, also relieves people of stress and anxiety. If it hasn't become apparent by now, stress/anxiety plays a pivotal role in sleep. Generally, the more stressed someone is, the less sleep they will get, or the more sleep interruptions they will experience.

GABA

In regards to sleep, GABA seems to play the same role as L-Theanine. The problem with GABA, though, is that, unlike L-Theanine, it is incapable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, so the claims made that it may help reduce stress seem to be inaccurate. Until more solid studies are done, I believe it would be quite hard to say. GABA has numerous other benefits, though, but I won't be going into those as they aren't really relevant to sleep.

Bacopa Monniera

The last ingredient in the proprietary blend, Bacopa Monniera seems to be a tad bit useful, but nothing more than that. While, yes, I believe immune system plays a VERY large role in sleep (I know I struggle to sleep when I'm sick, or stay asleep, rather), it doesn't necessarily have any direct effects on sleep. Instead, it helps support the immune system, which I find would still be quite useful.

That's basically it guys. Sorry this post took so long (been picking away at it, and man, it took quite some time). Did a fair amount of research and gathered posted what I had learned about these products (no, I didn't Wiki it, haha). I kept them short and sweet because I doubt many people would want to read a wall of text, even though this already is one. Anyways, took my 3Z about thirty minutes ago, so I'm going to finish watching this Matt Ogus video then hit the hay! Good night guys.

P.S. Will be rating this product VERYYYY soon.

Great post! I love the 3Z. I actually once in a while will take some Phenibut earlier in the night to relax, then take my 3Z / HGH Pro.

[StxNas]

I do the same thing, but really only if I've had a stressful day.

[jiggamanbill]

Any new updates?

[sinlesss]

3z + HGHPRO works wonders as well. Curious for your final rating soon.

[jiggamanbill]

3z + HGHPRO works wonders as well. Curious for your final rating soon.

Each is good on its own... I love them together!

[PerpetualHeaven]

Wow, well that was unfortunate... I had the whole thing typed up, but I went to bed before submitting it and I forgot to copy it. I came back, added to it, then hit post only to be told that it had expired. All of it was gone, haha. I would like to apologize for the delay, I've been really busy this week with finals and planning stuff for my girlfriend's birthday.

Initial Impression

At first, I figured it would be some type of weak product and I didn't really expect it to do much for me. Needless to say, I was wrong. When I first started taking it, I noticed that I would sleep through the entire night, and I would even feel refreshed off of 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Uninterrupted sleep is new to me, so it was great.

Rating: 8

The reason I gave it an 8 and nothing higher was simple. The flavour and scent of 3Z were just too bothersome for me, which was unfortunate. Also, the fact that it has a proprietary blend (which generally means things are under-dosed, but I'm just speculating here. This doesn't take away much from the rating) throws me off a bit. I understand why it's there, but I would still prefer it not to be. It helped me GREATLY for quite some time, so I think it's a pretty good product. The fact that it seemed to wear off on me was the biggest contributor to the loss of points here, though.

Final Thoughts

I've come to the conclusion that 3Z is, indeed, a great product. My only quarrel with it is that it has a proprietary blend, but hey, you can't just give away your entire product, right? I feel as if the reason my sleep has been going downhill is due to an overwhelming amount of stress with finals and such right now, but that will pass. 3Z helped me achieve many nights of uninterrupted sleep, and for that, I'm more than grateful. But I'm not here to only talk about how good it is, unfortunately, and there's always a bad side to everything. For me, the 3Z only helped for about three weeks, then just stopped doing anything. I'm assuming it was because I wasn't Magnesium/Zinc deficient anymore and that was the initial reason I wasn't able to stay asleep. While the ingredient list is a good one, I don't really see it as being awesome for anybody who doesn't have insomnia, as most of those ingredients are used to treat insomnia. The scent is also quite pungent, and the flavour is similar to the smell. All in all, while I do think that 3Z is a great product, I would reccommend is more-so to people who are either magnesium deficient (most people) or people who have insomnia. The only problem with the magnesium deficient group is that they could get magnesium citrate for cheaper. That's something you guys should add, but magnesium chelate is still a pretty good source anyways!

I would like to thank AI Sports Nutrition and BulkyPinoy61 for the opportunity to log 3Z. AI is always giving away free supps and logging opportunities, so thanks for that as well!

[JohnSmeton]

nice review and glad you like it overall =)

Thank you

[BulkyPinoy61]

Thank for posting up a review bud

[jiggamanbill]

took my 3 z last night!