List of the Top 12 Bodybuilding Supplements / Vitamins
Did you know that body building supplements and Vitamins are very important in how fast you will gain muscle mass? This article will explain these supplements and vitamins for body builders.
There are different types of vitamins, yet they can be divided into either fat soluble or water soluble. The fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D or K are stored in the your body’s fat tissue. The use of these vitamins should be carefully monitored since they are stored in the body. An overdose of these types of vitamins can lead to dangerous toxicity.
Water soluble vitamins are B and B complex vitamins (yet Vitamin C is also considered water soluble). These B Vitamins include B1 Thiamine, B2 Ribofavin, B3 Niacin, B6 Pyridoxine, Folate, B12 Cobalamin, Biotin, and Pantothenic Acid. Being water soluble, these B vitamins are not usually stored in the body, with non-used amounts excreted. Although toxicity in the body of these vitamins are usually not a problem, their dosage should also be monitored.
Important Body Building Vitamins:
Cobalamin (vitamin B12)
Body builders use Vitamin B12 to help with carbohydrate utilization as well as maintaining the nervous system including the spinal cord. You can consume Vitamin B12 through foods from animals. Body builders that are also vegetarians may wish to talk to their doctor about B12 supplements. Many use B12 shots (both vegetarians and non vegetarians), which they say help them perform better.
Biotin
Biotin is very helpful in amino acid absorption. Some body builders have a problem in maintaining the right levels of Biotin if their diet consists of a large number of raw egg whites.
Vitamin B2 Riboflavin
Vitamin B2 is important because it helps in energy output in 3 ways — Glucose absorption; Oxiadation of fatty acids; the movement of Hydrogen ions through the Krebs cycle.
B2 Riboflavin also helps with protein use and those with good dietary B2 could have better lean body mass.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A may most well known as being helpful with our vision, yet bodybuilders should know its other benefits. It is very important with protein synthesis, the process of muscle growth. It also assists in the body producing Glycogen for energy for intense performance.
Vitamin A levels are particularly problematic with bodybuilders. Heavy activity like weightlifting can cause Vitamin A not to be absorbed as well. In addition, a low fat diet could also cause a low level of Vitamin A. Therefore bodybuilders should be very careful in their taking of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
The Vitamin E is thought to be a good antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Healthy cell membranes are required in recuperating muscles as well as growth.
Vitamin B3 Niacin
B3 is important to the body’s energy and is used in almost 60 different metabolism processes. It is critically important for bodybuilders in providing fuel for training.
Turkey meat is a good source for B3 in that it is high in tryptophan which your body uses to make B3.
Vitamin D
Recently Vitamin D insufficiency has been in the news (especially about kids being low in Vitamin D). It plays an important role in the body’s ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus.
Your body needs calcium not only for good bones, but also for muscle contraction. Your body needs phosphorus for powerful, fast muscle contractions — the movements made with weight lifting. It is also needed for ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).
Look for foods fortified with Vitamin D, like no-fat milk.
Vitamin B1 Thiamine
Vitamin B1 is especially required by the body for protein absorption and muscle growth. It also helps form hemoglobin found in red blood cells that send oxygen through the body. The right amount of oxygen in the blood is very critical for performance and even more so with intense workouts and endurance. According to Thiamine research, the more you exercise intensely, the more Thiamine is needed by the body.
Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine
Vitamin B6 is very important for protein absorption, use of ingested carbs and growth. Studies have shown it is like Thiamine, the more and longer you workout, your body may need more B6.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is very important for body builders. It protects muscle cells from free radical damage and helps with recovery and muscle growth. It also helps with amino acid absorption and the forming of collagen. Collagen is makes up connective tissue which holds the muscles and bones together. Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron better which is required for oxygen in the blood. Another requirement Vitamin C helps with is the forming and releasing of the body’s own steroid hormones which include testosterone. Since Vitamin C is water soluble (very), it is used up very fast in a muscle builders body.
Bodybuilding techniques are important, yet sometimes people who are looking to gain muscles, ignore some of these important vitamins which are required for performance and muscle growth. It would be a good idea to make sure your diet is supplying you with enough of these Vitamins. If you are not getting enough of these vitamins, your body could suffer, gains may not be made quick enough and energy may be lacking.
Need more ideas? Here are some successful Body Building Techniques
The most successful body building techniques incorporate proven weight routines. A weight routine is a set of exercises, done in repetition, that develops specific parts of the body. For example, to build chest muscles, a body builder may use a weight routine that incorporates flat bench press (3 repetitions), bench dumbbell (2 repetitions) and inclined bench press (3 repetitions). The other important function a weight routine serves is to split a training program so different muscle groups are used.
Building Biceps
Dumbbells are a common piece of equipment used to build bigger biceps. The most popular technique to get the desired result is to hold the dumbbell closer to the inside of the plates. Routines for building biceps include dumbbell curls either inclined or standing, or both.
Building Chest Muscle
Good chest muscle building exercises are routines that incorporate bench presses and flyes. An even more effective way to build chest muscle is to split the chest into 3 zones – upper, middle and lower. By working each separately, using exercises that specifically target that area, you can build up some impressive chest muscle fairly quickly.
For instance, do your upper chest exercises on a 30-45% incline bench. Incline barbell and incline dumbbell flyes are excellent for working upper chest muscles. On the other hand, the lower chest muscles are best exercised using a 30-45% decline bench. You would use decline barbell and decline dumbbell flyes to build these muscles. A flat bench works best for the middle chest muscles. So you’d do flat barbell and flat dumbbell flyes on a flat bench.
Moving Onto Shoulder Training
The shoulders are made up of 3 main muscles – the lateral, anterior and posterior deltoids. Effective shoulder training to get big shoulders requires working all 3. The anterior deltoid usually gets some work in chest workouts. To build up the lateral and posterior deltoids requires additional exercises targeting these two muscles. Generally the best way to do this is with heavy barbell and dumbbell pressing in short reps as opposed to a lot of rep work with lighter weights. You should also focus on shoulder exercises that work effectively with progressive overload, a technique used to progressively add more weight to what is being lifted.
Matching Up The Back With Back Exercises
The back is one area many body builders overlook. But if you want your back to match up with those impressive chest, shoulder and bicep muscles, you will need to include back exercises in your bodybuilding routine.
Good workouts for the Lower Trapezius or lower back muscles include stiff-legged good mornings and hyper-extensions. For the middle back muscles or Rhomboids, you can do a seated cable row and bent-over barbell rows. Your Latissimus Dorsi will benefit from wide-grip lat pull-downs and pull-ups. And last but not least, try upright rows and barbell shrugs for your Trapezius.
But before starting any body-building workout, be sure to warm up properly. This will reduce the risk of damaging muscles and tendons. Stretch the muscles you’re going to be working. Also avoid lifting more weight than your body can capably handle to avoid serious injury.