Just about everyone  interested in fitness knows that vitamins play a vital role in keeping us healthy enough to hit the gym on a regular basis.

But did you know that some vitamins provide specific benefits that can actually help bodybuilders get stronger?

While all vitamins play a role in keeping your body humming along, these 10 can help you reach your strength goals as fast as possible.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is extremely important for bone growth and health because it aids in the absorption of calcium from the food that you eat.

As it turns out, calcium is also crucial for  building strength and working out hard in the gym.

Believe it or not, there are proteins in human muscle that actually interfere the mechanism that allows contractions to occur. Calcium interacts with these regulatory proteins to take them out of the contraction loop, allowing muscles to do their job.

Proper vitamin D intake  leads to optimal calcium levels, which in turn lead to strong muscular contractions.

This is the reason that milk has been a popular bodybuilding food for decades: it provides not only protein but also a boost of vitamin D and calcium.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is famous for its antioxidant powers and has been used for centuries to treat colds and other minor diseases. It’s a powerhouse that is proving to have benefits across a wide spectrum including cardiovascular health, cancer and stroke prevention, eye health, and overall immunity.

Beyond those perks,vitamin C is also vital to the formation of collagen, which your body uses to build connective tissue. Stronger tendons and ligaments can withstand heavier loads in the gym, allowing you to push your limits and squeeze the most out of your workouts.

Great sources of vitamin C include citrus fruit, broccoli, and red and green peppers.

Vitamin B Complex

“Vitamin B” is really a series of eight different vitamins —  B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12.

Taken together, they’re often called the “vitamin B complex,” and they offer a wide range of health benefits, from red blood cell production to improved complexion to providing antioxidant protection.

All of these properties are vital to good health. And a healthy body performs better in the gym than a sick body.

Still, the most important aspect of the B vitamins is  their role in metabolism. In particular, taken as a complex, these compounds help your body metabolize the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins that you eat, providing a steady stream of energy.

The B complex vitamins can be found in meat, dairy, fortified whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Vitamin Power!

Every vitamin is essential to our health and well-being, but the 10 substances on this list can help you get strong, too.

Make sure you’re taking in  plenty of these muscle-building vitamins, either through your diet  or in supplemental form, if you want to get the most from your strength training.

For more great workout and nutrition tips checkout the Latest Bodybuilding Articles.