It takes more than dedication and a challenging workout to build a muscular physique.

Competitive bodybuilders typically have their own store of nutritional supplements formulated especially for helping them build a lean, muscular physique. If you are barely starting out with a goal of competing–or even if you just want to build muscle without a competition end-goal–you probably prepared a budget for all the protein, creatine, nitrous oxide, and other supps you see the pros peddling in the muscle mags. As you’re filling up your shopping cart, though, don’t forget to toss in a quality vitamin/mineral supplement. Yeah, they’re essential for basic health but vitamins are even more vital when you’re putting your body through a workout demanding enough to build muscle, plus they play a part in developing muscle, too. 

The B’s Have It

Foods rich in B vitamins build healthy tissue, including muscle. Image by Vitamina Verde

Vitamins in the B family are important for cell construction, making them ultra-useful for anyone wanting to build muscle. Thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin–their friends call them B₁, B₂, and B₃–have the specific job of turning food into energy earmarked for building healthy tissue including muscle. Vitamin B₅ helps your body produce steroid hormones that use proteins to naturally increase muscle mass, and Vitamin B₁₂ breaks down aminos and fatty acids to construct new cells. IDEA Health and Fitness Association says that your need for vitamins B₂ and B₆ can double when you exercise, so bodybuilders definitely need more than just a balanced diet to get sufficient B’s. 

Retinoids

Vitamin A helps build strong bones to support muscle mass, and it keeps muscle tissue healthy.
Image by Elisha Nelson/Flickr

You know them as the active forms of vitamin A, an essential vitamin for a healthy body, and that includes bodybuilders. According to Harvard Health, vitamin A plays a significant part in building strong bones so you have a strong frame that can hold increased muscle mass. Additionally, vitamin A also helps keep muscle and other tissues healthy. 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D can help improve athletic performance to get you off that plateau.

Vitamin D has long been associated with healthy bones, so it’s another nutrient that will help build a strong frame. However, D is also responsible for helping to multiply and grow fast-twitch muscle fibers. It might also be what you need to get off a plateau. According to IDEA, vitamin D has been shown to improve athletic performance, plus it can help with exercise-related inflammation. 

C and E: the Borderline Vites

Getting more than the RDA of C can have negative effects for athletes. Image by Colin Dunn/Flickr

As vitamins that protect your cells from damage, it’s only reasonable to assume you would want to increase your antioxidant intake if you’re putting your body through a demanding workout to build muscle. However, your body will only store so much vitamin E and C. Once they top out, the excess will just get dumped. Additionally, high blood levels of these vitamins can cause oxidative stress, and large doses of vitamin C can even result in kidney stones. Yet, on the other hand, a deficiency in vitamin C can hinder athletic performance. ExRx.net acknowledges that there’s a fine line when it comes to antioxidants and advises that, until research conclusively shows that athletes need an increased RDA of antioxidants, bodybuilders should not exceed the moderate doses recommended for everyone.  

If you are eating a healthy, balanced diet–like all bodybuilders should be–and taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement, you should be getting all the nutrients you need to help build that chiseled, rock-hard physique you want. Oh, and what about the minerals? The list of essential minerals for bodybuilders is actually longer than the list of vitamins, so stay tuned…