Vitamins are the body’s natural requirement, but most of the time, a healthy and balanced diet is enough to keep up with the daily needs. However, if you have been hitting the gym hard and wondering if there is another possible way to build muscle, in addition to taking a high protein diet, you should really read the following.

Be it proteins, high-quality carbs, there is nothing better than a solid-weight training. Your diet and supplementation won’t matter unless you aren’t tearing enough muscles, refueling your body, and then repeating the process over months.

Talking about vitamins, they can be used to supplement muscle recovery and growth, but they don’t induce muscle growth on their own. So if you have been downing vitamins but ignoring proteins, there isn’t anything that could be done then. And before your start popping vitamin capsules to reach your goals faster, consult a doctor, because it’s possible that you may not even have any vitamin deficiency.

Your body need vitamins for different vital activities, but your performance in gym or your ability to recover will only undermine if you have vitamin deficiency. In fact, you have to be careful with not overdosing as it can backfire, badly. According to a study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, excess intake of vitamin C could deter your body’s ability to perform exercise to full-potential (the study used 1g dosage of Vitamin C which is significantly higher than the daily body requirements; see below for optimal vitamin C dosage)

Let’s talk about how the right dose of vitamin C (daily recommended body requirement is 75-90 milligrams) could actually help your body.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is vital for the growth of collagen, a tissue that is the foundation of every other tissue that exists in your body, including muscles. According to the findings of a study published in the International Journal for Sports Nutrition and Exercise metabolism, taking vitamin C as a pre-workout supplement can aid in recovery from muscle soreness and can also let your body train for longer duration. You also get better results from your workout regime.

Vitamin B
Vitamin B improves protein metabolism and supports energy production, both of which are necessary for your body to build muscle. Vitamin B deficiency is rare, because you get most of your daily requirements from your diet, but for vegans, they could have a deficiency of Vitamin B-12.

Vitamin D
This vitamin helps you build better bones, which is the foundation of muscle building. Stronger bones help you lift more and train harder.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that can reduce inflammation and improves body’s immunity, thus allowing you to hit the gym floor more often. It’s really important for athletes and body builders who are on a very extensive workout plan.

Summing up
Vitamins are necessary supplements for your body; make sure you body isn’t deficient of them. Consult a doctor first to check if you need on oral dosage of multivitamins.