If you’re training hard to pack on muscle, then it’s important to consume plenty of vitamins.
Vitamins help the body to perform a number of vital tasks, such as muscle repair and cell growth, and are essential to staying fit and healthy.
And when you are doing an intense training program such as bodybuilding, you need to consume more vitamins than the average person.
So, I’ve put together this list of the best 9 multivitamins for bodybuilding…. And underneath there is also a guide on what to look for when buying them, and the essential vitamins you need.
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men Multivitamin for bodybuilding
The Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men product is much more than just a multivitamin. Where it does contain all of the standard vitamins and minerals you’d expect, it is further boosted by amino acids to help muscle building, a B-vitamin complex to help improve energy levels and a vitamin and mineral complex to help support immune function. If you are a busy and active man, this high-dose vitamin and mineral boost could be perfect for you.
Key points
- High dose vitamin and mineral supplement
- Includes amino acids for muscle building
- Immune system and energy boosting recipe
Centrum Advance Multivitamins & Minerals
Centrum Advance is one of the best-known multivitamin supplements for men on the market. It is a broad-spectrum multivitamin with a wide range of vitamins and minerals designed to support general health. It’s not specific to a fitness market, but it will certainly help active men because of the high dose of vitamins and minerals it provides. Centrum is also sugar, gluten and lactose free so is perfect for those with allergies.
Key points
- Broad-spectrum multivitamin for overall health
- High dose of vitamins and minerals
- Gluten, sugar and lactose free
BULK POWDERS Complete Bodybuilding Multivitamin Complex Tablets
Bulk Powders have entered the multivitamin market with a high-dose multivitamin complex. What makes this one unique is that it also comes with food extracts designed to help support health and performance, such as black pepper and grape extract. It covers 30 different vitamins and minerals so is another broad-spectrum multivitamin. Like other fitness-market multivitamins it’s suggested dose is large, with a 3 tablets per day.
Key points
- Includes food extracts such as black pepper to boost health and performance
- Broad spectrum multivitamin
- Large dose, as it’s aimed at the active individual
Reflex Nutrition Nexgen Pro Daily Vitamins
The Reflex Nutrition Nexgen vitamins have taken a step forward with science to try to improve the absorption rate of their products. They use chelated minerals, which means they’re chemically combined with amino to improve the absorption levels. The Reflex nexgen multivitamins are combined with probiotics and green tea extract. Importantly, they’re also made in an Informed Sport registered facility, so are ideal for anyone who competes in a high-level sport where drug testing is used.
Key points
- Combined with amino acids to improve absorption
- Includes probiotics
- Made on an Informed Sport facility
MyProtein Alpha Men tablets
The MyProtein Alpha Men multivitamins is a good value multivitamin that will suit the needs of most men – especially active men who are training regularly. They are a fairly standard mix of multivitamins and minerals designed to support overall health and wellbeing. Like all bodybuilding-style multivitamins it’s a large dose format, with big pills designed to be taken twice per day.
Key points
- Large dose multivitamin
- Cost effective
- Designed to support overall health
Animal Pak Multi Vitamins
The Animal Pak is less of a multivitamin and more of a one-size-fits-all bodybuilding supplement. The Animal Pak combines a broad-spectrum multivitamin with a whey protein in a sachet form, rather than tablet. The sachet is designed to be taken once or twice per day and is based around helping the user to gain a lot of size and muscle mass. There are 60 ingredients from a wide range of sources, including animal products such as liver and milk. The Animal Pak comes with its own shaker as well.
Key points
- Complete all in one bodybuilding supplement
- Includes a shaker
- Mixes protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and health-supporting enzymes.
ZM6 Xtreme – High Strength – Zinc & Magnesium
The ZM6 Xtreme is a high-strength zinc and magnesium supplement designed to help support testosterone production naturally. It also combines a B vitamin complex to help support the body’s energy levels. The magnesium is there to help assist electrolyte balance and support muscle function. It’s not a pure multivitamin, it’s a testosterone and recovery supplement. The tablets are vegetarian-friendly.
Key points
- ZMA supplement designed to assist testosterone production
- Magnesium to help support muscle function and electrolyte balance
- Vegetarian friendly
Multivitamins & Minerals by Musclelinx
The Musclelinx multivitamins are a general use multivitamin that are designed to support overall health and wellbeing. This differs from the bodybuilding style supplements that are very high dose and are designed to hyper-mineralise, providing a lot of the vitamins and minerals that would have been used up during training. They’re perfect for those who live a ‘normal’ life and aren’t training 6+ days per week. They’re gluten, and dairy free, so are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Key points
- Wide-range of vitamins and minerals to support overall health
- Easy to swallow tablet
- Gluten, and dairy free, so are suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Gainz Squad Multivitamin Tablets for Men
The Gainz Squad multivitamin tablets are a wider-ranging health supplement than most in that they combine a multivitamin with a co-enzyme complex and probiotic. The result is a widely beneficial supplement that supports a number of different health requirements. It’s not the mega-dose of the bodybuilding supplements, but it doesn’t really need to be given it ticks so many boxes in the single serving. It’s designed to support health and mental focus and does both well.
Key points
- Combines multivitamins with a probiotic
- Includes a co-enzyme complex
- Broad spectrum multivitamin
See also: Best pre workout supplements – Best creatine – Best protein for bulking
Why do you need a multivitamin for bodybuilding?
Despite excellent attention to diet, there are bound to be certain vitamins and minerals we’re deficient in. Taking a multivitamin helps to plug any nutritional gaps we may have and keep our performance and recovery levels high. Also, as active people, bodybuilders need more vitamins and minerals than most because we’re working intensely and burning more fuel that others.
What vitamins (and minerals) to look out for
A good multivitamin is a broad spectrum, so I’ve compiled a list of what to look for in a good quality supplement. I’ve also given a brief outline of what they do in the body, which will help you to realise the importance of them all…
Vitamin A – important for eyesight, immunity and reproduction. Also supports normal organ function.
Vitamin B – B vitamins are vital for energy production and brain function. They’re also important for supporting cell health.
Vitamin C – this is vital for immunity and regeneration. It helps to repair bones and connective tissues, as well as soft tissues, teeth and helps the body absorb iron – perfect for bodybuilding requirements 🙂
Calcium – Calcium is most noted for its importance in bone health, but it’s also involved n blood clotting and muscle contraction.
Magnesium – Magnesium helps to regulate muscle function, blood pressure and the production of cholesterol. It’s also helpful when it comes to promoting restful sleep.
Zinc – this is vital for immunity, because it boosts our immune response. It’s also important in testosterone production and male fertility.
Iron – this is important in blood health and transporting supplies around the body. A lack of iron affects haemoglobin function and leads to anaemia, which causes extreme fatigue.
What to look for in a bodybuilding multivitamin
A bodybuilding multivitamin should offer a high dose of a wide range of vitamins and minerals. It’s different from a ‘normal’ multivitamin in that it goes way over the RDA (recommended daily amount), rather than reach the 100% the target. It will also often be supplemented with additional nutrients such as amino acids, food extracts or co-enzymes.
Nutrient variety
The more varied the nutrients included in the supplement, the more nutritional boxes you tick. If you are taking something limited, such as an ZMA or single-nutrient supplement you are possibly missing out on lots of additional important vitamins and minerals. I’d always suggest you look for a wide-variety multivitamin to support your overall health.
Concentration
A lot of multivitamin supplements don’t quite reach the 100% of RDA on all of the vitamins and minerals they include. The bodybuilding style supplements are usually a much higher dose of the vitamins and minerals so usually do. If you are training a lot and working hard in other aspects of your life, I’d urge you to go for the higher concentration of vitamins and minerals.
Tablet size
The ‘general health’ style supplements tend to be smaller than the bodybuilding style, mostly because they contain smaller doses. The bodybuilding tablets are often much bigger and are dosed to be taken anywhere from once to three times per day, from 1-3 pills at a time – however, some people find these tablets hard to swallow, so be aware of the size of tablets you are buying.
Brand
The major supplement brands all have an offering when it comes to multivitamins. If you are a high level athlete you’ll have to consider things like the clean sport initiatives and check whether the manufacturer complies, but apart from nuances like that the decisions will come down to things such as vitamin and mineral blend and concentrations, plus additional nutrient support such as probiotics, co-enzymes and food extracts.
Best multivitamin for bodybuilding – conclusion
The best multivitamin is the one that suits your needs and requirements, so take the time to look through the comprehensive advice I’ve given in this article and make your decisions based on what you need. You’ll certainly find what you’re looking for!