Top 7 Vitamins to Gain Muscle and Strength

If you’re trying to gain muscle mass and strength, proper nutrition is key, and taking vitamins to gain muscle is a good way to get the nutrients you need.

By using an effective combination of vitamins to gain muscle and strength, you can boost your gains and make it easier to get the fitness results you’re aiming for.

It’s easy to forget about things like vitamins when you’re so focused on pushing your limits during workout sessions, but minor vitamin deficiencies can catch up with you and slow your progression.

Many people want an ideal body with toned muscles, but it takes commitment and a carefully balanced lifestyle of exercise and nutrition to achieve it. Not only do you have to work hard in the gym, but you need to take care of your body and get enough nutrients to support muscle growth after each workout.

However, many supplements for building muscle lack essential nutrients your body needs to build muscle and recover from exercise sessions. While protein powder and creatine are some of the best supplements for building muscle, they won’t help much if you lack basic minerals and vitamins.

What helps build muscle fast?

Firstly, building muscle requires a surplus of calories and protein, so you should do your best to increase your caloric intake and include protein with every meal and sources of essential vitamins to gain muscle.

Secondly, your body needs quality minerals and vitamins to gain muscle and strength, so you should try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables or consider using dietary supplements. Thirdly, you need plenty of rest and water for peak performance: aim for 7-8 hours of sleep and 2 litres of water daily), as it helps your muscles recover.

And fourth, you need to work hard in the gym to make those gains a reality, so here are some tips to remember when trying to build muscle quickly: Focus on the eccentric phase of the movement, increase training volume, and reduce the rest in between sets and keep going to failure on the final set.

Do multivitamins help build muscle?

Building muscle quickly places huge demands on your body, which require much more nutrients than usual, and supplements for building muscle are one of the best ways to support these changes with proper nutrition. These dietary supplements contain a variety of nutrients that your body needs to build muscle, and some of the best supplements for building muscle contain blends of vitamins, minerals, and more to support muscle gain specifically.

However, not even the best multivitamin supplements can build muscle on their own, nor can they replace the gains from training. However, using multivitamins to gain muscle and strength can help you work harder, recover faster and stay motivated.

Why nutrition matters for building muscle

As any bodybuilder worth their protein powder knows, nutrition is the fuel for your gains, and you need the right nutrients and vitamins to gain muscle. Nutrients are divided into two main categories: Macronutrients (like protein, fats, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.), and you need to get a good balance of both to build muscle.

While you can easily get macronutrients from your diet, many people are deficient in certain micronutrients and may need dietary supplements to build muscle. It can be easy to focus on the macro (protein tends to get more attention than zinc, for example), but you need a balanced mix of macronutrients and vitamins to gain muscle and strength.

To help you build muscle quickly, you should follow the lead of professional bodybuilders who work in two main phases – off-season and competitive season:

Offseason

During the offseason, your goal is to build a surplus of energy to support muscle growth, a process known as “bulking,” and this is just as vital as the best supplements for building muscle. Depending on your body composition, you should aim to eat 40-50kcal per kg of body weight when bulking, and you can get these calories from “dirty” or “clean” sources.

Dirty Bulking

Achieving your calorie surplus with food choices that won’t always benefit your general health – think cheeseburgers and pizza which are packed with calories but not exactly healthy.

Clean Bulking

Achieving your calorie surplus with whole foods ideally low in fat – think lean steaks and chicken breast, which reduce fat gain and are considered healthier.

When bulking, you may focus on getting a surplus of macronutrients, but you can’t neglect the importance of minerals and vitamins to gain muscle and strength. One important nutrient for bulking is zinc, which helps accelerate healing and increase your appetite, making it easier to meet your caloric targets and train regularly.

Competition season

Just before competitions, bodybuilders go on a calorie deficit to minimize fat levels and maximize muscle definition. From around 7 days before the competition, bodybuilders reduce carbohydrate and calorie intake, then load up with carbs the day before to restore their muscle glycogen stores.

This phase of bodybuilding – sometimes known as “cutting” – can cause physical and mental fatigue, so you should ensure you get plenty of vitamins to gain muscle. Some of the best minerals and vitamins to gain muscle and strength during this phase are B12, vitamin C, and magnesium, which support energy creation and protein formation.

Recreational

But what about people that aren’t professional bodybuilders? Fortunately, all the above applies to people just looking to get fit and/or build muscle, as you can easily bulk during the winter and cut during the summer when you want to lose fat and look your best.

Conclusion

Building muscle is often complicated, and it can feel like you’re not making any progress even when you’re working hard in the gym. Fortunately, you can boost your gains and make those workout sessions easier with the right blend of nutrients and vitamins to gain muscle and strength.