Those who wish to increase their weight may be struggling to actually gain weight no matter how much they exercise. While a diet rich in protein is the way to go, many people are turning to bodybuilding vitamins to help the process along. Let’s see what’s considered the best multivitamin for bodybuilding and whether this strategy is effective:
Importance of Multivitamins for Bodybuilding
Whether you’re trying to lose fat, increase muscle mass or do both simultaneously, you need to understand the importance of nutrition to achieve your goal. A nutritious, balanced diet (along with supplements when required) is equally important as having a good workout routine. Even the best workout plan will not be enough to fix the damage that poor eating habits cause your body. You need both, a healthy and safe exercise plan and strong support from a complete diet. But just eating healthy food is typically just enough to maintain your current weight. If you want to increase it rapidly, you’ll often need to supplement your diet.
Like a healthy diet, taking a multivitamin for bodybuilding is also an essential part of the recovery phase. When you workout, you’re literally causing micro-damage to your muscle fibres. This leads to the muscles healing themselves, which in turn is how you get more muscle mass. Without access to sufficient amounts of the basic vitamins, minerals and proteins, the body will not heal properly.
That’s right, you don’t just need loads of protein for bodybuilding, you need all the usual vitamins too. The best multivitamin for bodybuilding will contain ample amounts of a range of vitamins. Let’s look at the most important vitamins you’ll need to ensure healthy muscle recovery.
4 Best Vitamins for Bodybuilding
Listed below are some of the best vitamins that are ideal for bodybuilding:
1. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is usually created in the body naturally when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D is extremely important for bodybuilding and overall fitness because it is vital for both healthy bones and protein production. Be sure to pair vitamin D intake with vitamin K, since it helps convert the calcium you absorb into bone. Vitamin D is hard to get from purely dietary sources, so we suggest taking a multivitamin for bodybuilding that includes both vitamins D and K.
2. Vitamin B12
This important vitamin is required for the production of red blood cells, which is a core factor in developing stronger muscles. Red blood cells transport and deliver oxygen throughout the body, without good blood circulation your cells (including the muscular cells) will not function properly.
3. Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
This vitamin is useful for overall health, it can help stimulate the production of good cholesterol and decrease bad cholesterol synthesis. Additionally, it is famous among the fitness and bodybuilding crowd since it helps with muscle growth and repair, increased testosterone production and better metabolism.
4. Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is essential for athletes since it helps with amino acid metabolism, this is vital to boost your energy levels. Common sources of B6 are fatty fish, bananas and chickpea, but if you are vegetarian, you may not be able to meet your daily required intake. Taking multivitamin tablets for bodybuilding that contain vitamin B6 along with other vitamins can help you keep at your workout for longer.
Vitamin D, B6 and B12 are some of the most common deficiencies, it is important to ensure you have a balanced diet that covers these important nutrients. Apart from these, vitamins E, A, and C as well as folate and omega-3 fatty acids are important for people trying to increase their muscle mass. While food should always be the primary source for your nutrition, using supplements and multivitamins can help you meet the added nutritional demands of bodybuilding.
Conclusion
Your body needs a range of nutrients and you may already be deficient in some of the above vitamins. Consider this a helpful nudge towards better health and bigger muscles and find yourself a multivitamin for bodybuilding that contains most of the essential vitamins. Your muscles will thank you and you’ll see better (and longer-lasting) results.
