Many beginner bodybuilders falsely believe that to get the proper nutrients they simply need to eat the right foods and exercise. This, unfortunately, is far from the truth and can actually be putting your body at risk. Multivitamins and top strength exercise have long been linked together as garnering the best results and achieving the most success with your body.
Bodybuilding is a balance between strength and top nutrition and intake, so to get the proper nutrition you have to look at the bigger picture. While most bodybuilders have a schedule of which food types to eat when no matter how well they eat, there’s no possible way to get all of the nutrients you need to support your system through food intake alone. This is why multivitamins are your most important tool in the diet.
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A quality multivitamin should contain all of the extra nutrients necessary to reinforce your diet and workouts. Bulked up muscles not only take work and time to build up but also require even more vitamins and nutrients than usual to maintain. This is especially true if you’re taking any steroids, which are great for getting bigger muscles but not as good at preparing your body for the increased bulk.
Must Read: The Role of Vitamins in Building Muscle
- Vitamin A: A is vital for eye health, and supporting the immune system. Vitamin A also aids in bone growth and development which will help to support the extra girth of your muscles.
- Vitamin B Complex: There are actually several types of Vitamin B that are vital for supporting your bodybuilding, specifically: B1, B2, B3, and B12. B Vitamins are important for breaking down nutrients to be absorbed into the system, promoting energy and restoring nerve-function in the brain and body.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C gets a lot of coverage about how it’s great for helping the body during colds but it can also be great for your workouts. Vitamin C not only fights free radicals to restore the immune system but it also helps to maintain connective tissues in the body. Strong and well-maintained cartilage and tendons keep your body primed for intensive workouts.
- Vitamin D: There are many vitamins that you can actually get sufficient amounts of from eating vitamin-filled foods, but unfortunately, Vitamin D is not one of them. The D vitamin is widely known as coming from sunlight, but due to increased skin care products with SPF and dark winter light most people do not receive sufficient amounts. Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium more easily.
- Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a known antioxidant which helps to prevent free radicals in muscles. Certain forms of Vitamin E can also help promote muscle growth.
- Vitamin K: Vitamin K is most commonly found in dark leafy greens and is shown to be very important in bone health. In many cases, K has been known to prevent fractures and general bone loss.
- Biotin: This nutrient is often overlooked in mainstream articles and reports, but is vital for bodybuilders. Biotin helps you regulate red blood cells which will be very important if you take testosterone supplements which can cause blood thickening.
- Calcium: Calcium has become synonymous with bone health but will also help you maintain strong hair follicles and nails, which can become brittle with age.
- Folic Acid: Will help you maintain your cardiovascular health.
- Iron: Iron helps with cell growth and aids in carrying oxygen throughout the body. This helps your workouts by fighting fatigue and keeping you mentally clear.
- Magnesium: Magnesium is a vital part of all living organisms and makes up a portion of all cells. Proper magnesium levels can help you avoid migraines, osteoporosis, asthma and even diabetes.
- Selenium: In small doses, selenium helps aid the thyroid and all thyroid produced hormones.
- Omega-3’s: Are what’s known as “essential fatty acids”, these are good fats used by the body to aid in the functioning of muscles and connective tissues and reduce the risk of many diseases both physical and cognitive.
- Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamins: These are specially designed to help support bodybuilders and are blended to be gender specific for men.
- Optimum Nutrition Opti-Women Multivitamin: Designed with women in mind these will not only give you maximum nutrients but will also support the female bodybuilder.
- Kirkland Signature Daily Multi Vitamins & Minerals Tablets: These tablets are designed for easy absorption.
- Vitafusion Multi-vote: While slightly lacking in the dosage of each vitamin, these are the perfect go-to for those who have difficulty swallowing tablets, or absorbing nutrients.
There are very few known risks for multivitamins other than overdose. An overdose of vitamins, though not common, can actually happen if you aren’t careful. The body can only absorb a certain amount of a vitamin at any given time. This means that if you believe “more is better” when it comes to vitamins you’ll need to rethink your strategy.
Read More: Get Your Blood Work Done! (At Least Once a Year)
You can avoid an overdose by only taking a recommended dosage of any given nutrient. You should also report all vitamins and supplements you take with your doctor to go over any possibility for an overdose. Vitamins and minerals are vital in today’s diet, and especially so for the bodybuilder.
Making sure your body receives all the support possible will not only make you healthier but give you better results during training. A good multivitamin can also help you prevent any exercise-related injuries and help your body recover faster after a workout. Bodybuilding produces strong muscles, support and maintain them by making sure you get the vitamins you need.
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Great article Kyle.
Really like your straight forward and easy to digest style of describing the function of each vitamin, in the human body !