First off, when it comes to bodybuilding / fitness nutrition to gain weight and build muscle mass
naturally, the bottom line will always be the total amount of calories you eat. However, making sure that you’re providing your body with essentials nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants, will guarantee that you’re not short-changing yourself in any department.

With all of the expensive, scammy vitamin packs and supplements sold in stores and on the internet, it’s no wonder so many are confused as to what’s necessary to have in a vitamin.

Here are a few guidelines to help you choose:

Anti-oxidants
(These are substances that help fight off damaging substances within the body called free radicals.

Free radicals, if left unchecked, can contribute to the formation of certain diseases, and hinder your recovery from the workout routine you just pushed your muscles through).

*Vitamin C in the 250 mgs – 1000 mgs range

*Vitamin E in the 100 IU – 400 IU range, and from a natural source

*Beta-Carotene in the 5000 IU – 7500 IU or 3 mgs – 5 mgs range

*If the pill / powder contains lycopene and lutein, that’s fine, but not necessary.

B Vitamins
(The full spectrum of these are used to release the energy from the foods we eat)

*B9 = folic acid

*B1 = thiamin (25 mgs – 50 mgs range)

*B2 = riboflavin (25 mgs – 50 mgs range)

*B3 = niacin (25 mgs – 50 mgs range)

*B7 = biotin

*B5 = pantothenic acid (25 mgs – 50 mgs range)

*B12 = cobalamin (at least 25 mcg)

*B6 = pyridoxine

Other Nutrients
*Calcium in the 350 mgs – 500 mgs range

*Vitamin D in the 400 IU range

*Magnesium in the 150 mgs – 250 mgs range

*Copper in the 1 mgs – 2 mgs range

*Zinc in the 10 mgs – 15 mgs range

If your multi-vitamin contains these, or at least close to, you can wrong in giving your muscle mass all of the assistance it needs to grow.