Supplement stores and websites are filled with muscle-building products, most of them focused on providing athletes with protein for muscle development and carbohydrates for energy and recovery. However, many other products that don't contain calories can also help you build muscle. Your body needs vitamins and minerals for proper function and growth, so multivitamins are a helpful addition to your supplement regimen.
Universal Animal Pak
Universal's Animal Pak has been voted the "Multivitamin of the Year" in Bodybuilding.com's Supplement Awards five years in a row, and for good reason. The supplement features a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, with everything from Vitamin A to zinc. Animal Pak also includes amino acids, which are important for muscle development. A study from the Journal of Nutrition found that amino acids trigger anabolic, or muscle-building, effects in your body, such as preventing protein breakdown and increasing protein synthesis in muscles.
AST Multi Pro 32X
AST's Multi Pro 32X offers all of the vitamins and minerals you need to perform well in the gym and recover and grow. Multi Pro 32X includes antioxidants, which help prevent against oxidative damage caused by strenuous exercise. In addition, Multi Pro 32X includes calcium and 100 percent of the recommended daily dose of vitamin D, which can benefit muscle development and fat loss, according to an animal study from the journal "Nutrition Research." The study found that rats given a vitamin D and calcium supplement lost fat and gained lean muscle.
MuscleTech Anabolic Vitakic
MuscleTech's Anabolic Vitakic offers a lot more than just vitamins and minerals. This supplement contains a blend of ingredients intended to fully support your workouts and muscle-building efforts. In addition to vitamins A, B, C, D, E and L, Anabolic Vitakic includes amino acids, antioxidants and creatine. According to the "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism," creatine helps build muscle by increasing your body's release of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1, a hormone involved in muscular development.
References
- Bodybuilding.com: 2009 Bodybuilding.com Supplement Award Winners
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise; E. Blomstrand et al; January 2006
- "Nutrition Research"; Dietary intervention with vitamin D, calcium, and whey protein reduced fat mass and increased lean mass in rats; M. Siddiqui et al; November 2008
- "International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism"; Effect of creatine supplementation and resistance-exercise training on muscle insulin-like growth factor in young adults; DG Burke et al; August 2008
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