The Most Important Vitamins and Minerals for Bodybuilding

LAST UPDATED: June 30th, 2022

If you want to grow your muscles and build an insane body you need to eat quality foods.

You need to provide your body not only with huge amounts of proteins, but also with vitamins and minerals necessary for an efficient workout.

A standard bodybuilder diet based on chicken breasts and other main foods is ideal for the intake of macronutrients that bodybuilders need for growth and development.

Macros are proteins, carbs, and fat.

But besides proteins, you need to intake vitamins and minerals if you want bigger muscles. (1)

The Most Important Vitamins and Minerals for Bodybuilding

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of the most important antioxidants.

Namely, when you exercise, you damage muscle tissues, creating free radicals, i.e., harmful compounds that your body needs to get rid of.

Antioxidants eliminate and destroy free radicals, which is good for both your training and your recovery.

Vitamin C also strengthens immunity and thus prevents diseases.

This is especially important during periods of increased physical stress, like when you exercise at a higher intensity or when you follow a diet based on a small percentage of carbohydrates.

You can find different Vitamin C supplements at the pharmacy.

Also, the best sources of vitamin C are orange juice, grapefruit.

Vitamin E

This liposoluble vitamin is also an antioxidant.

It is very important for optimal health and also helps in the recovery process, as well as in training.

Vitamin E protects cells from damage.

Dosage: 400-800 international units of vitamin E with food per day.

Best food sources:

Integral products, seeds (especially sunflower), nuts (especially walnuts and almonds), spinach and other leafy green vegetables.

Magnesium

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals for your body.

Athletes and bodybuilders who have long, intense workouts lose fluid through sweat, but they also lose key minerals like magnesium.

Magnesium is one of the best allies in your battle with sore muscles.

It eliminates cramps that occur when you have sore muscles.

BEST FOOD SOURCES: the largest amounts of magnesium are found in unprocessed foods.

You can increase its intake if you eat whole-grain bread, cereals, pasta, and beans.

Fresh fruits and vegetables also contain moderate amounts of magnesium.

You can read more about benefits of magnesium here.

Electrolytes

Electrolytes perform many functions in the body, and one of the most important is regulation of the inflow and outflow of nutrients and fluids within cells and tissues.

They actually act like small electrical devices — when there is a small percentage of them in the body, the body stops functioning so efficiently.

When you sweat or are dehydrated, your body loses significant electrolytes such as salt and potassium.

Electrolyte supplementation, in the form of sports products or beverages, can prevent their deficiency in the body.

However, keep in mind that many people consume too much salt but not enough potassium.

So, eat more foods that are rich in potassium, or consider taking supplements based on it.

DOSAGE: keep your salt intake at about 2000mg or less per day.

Bodybuilders who follow a diet can almost completely eliminate salt during the period when they are trying to reduce the amount of water in the body before competitions.

Also, you should try to eat about 4700 mg of potassium per day.

Best food sources:

Great sources of potassium include tomato products, orange juice, white beans, dates, raisins, and soy.

Bananas, which are very famous for their potassium content, are actually just a good source of potassium, but not excellent.

Zinc

Many minerals affect the process of producing anabolic hormones, but zinc is for sure the most important one.

Studies done on healthy men proved that their levels of testosterone increased up to 90 % when they took zinc supplements.

The mineral zinc is vitally important for the excretion of testosterone and taking zinc as a supplement significantly increases the production of testosterone.

The best source of zinc is food- besides a diet high in meat and fish include fresh milk (unpasteurized), cheese, beans, yogurt, and kefir.

Bear in mind that the nutritious value of your meals depends also on the way you cook your ingredients, so try to avoid overcooking your food.

If you decide to take zinc as a supplement, your daily dose shouldn’t be higher than 40 mg.

Too much zinc can negatively affect the absorption of other minerals (such as iron) and it can cause nausea.

Best food sources:

Good sources of zinc include foods of animal origin such as meat and seafood.

Eggs and milk contain zinc in slightly smaller quantities.

Integral products and fermented soy also contain zinc, but in a form that our bodies cannot use so easily.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A has an important role in testosterone production.

A bigger concentration of vitamin A in the testicles increases the excretion of testosterone.

Vitamin A also reduces the production of estrogen.

Green veggies (green salad, kale), carrot, fish (tuna) are high in this vitamin.

How to intake enough nutrients to grow muscles?

If you want faster and better results, I suggest you read more about the best bodybuilding supplements.

Of course, I am talking only of natural supplements.

These supplements contain all the necessary ingredients, vitamins, and minerals your body needs after a hard workout.

The best supplement for me is Dbal.

D-bal is the best natural alternative to the steroid Dianabol (best for muscle mass).

Thanks to the mix of powerful ingredients, vitamins and minerals D-bal increases nitrogen retention in your muscles.

Nitrogen is essential for protein synthesis.

D-bal is safe and effective.

You can read more about D-bal here.

The Most Important Vitamins and Minerals for Bodybuilding – Bottom Line:

So, to boost muscle growth you should take these vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin C, A, E
• Electrolytes
• Magnesium
• Zinc