It’s no secret that most of the food we eat nowadays is completely devoid of any form of nutrition. This is why bodybuilding multivitamins are so important.
With mono-cropping, GMO’s, and soil depletion at an all time high, the food that you eat has less nutrients than ever.
Bodybuilding multivitamins can help you make up for the “gaps” in your diet due to this…BUT, not all multi-vitamins are created equal. This is true ESPECIALLY when it comes to bodybuilding.
As you guys know, I worked at a supplement store for a while, so I’ve tried pretty much tried everything.
I’ve tried tons and tons of multi-vitamins for different purposes, and I’ve got a list of my top 3 multi-vitamins made specifically for bodybuilding.
Usually I start my articles off by saying that you don’t need to take supplements, but multi-vitamins are an exception.
You MUST take a bodybuilding multi-vitamin if you want to attain a high level of focus, energy, and health. There’s no way around it.
Bodybuilding Multivitamins 101
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But Jon, I already eat really healthy! Why do I need to take a multi-vitamin?”
I’ll tell you why. Most of the food we eat nowadays is completely devoid of nutrition, due to mono-cropping and GMO’s.
In other words, the food that you eat now only has about 30% of the vitamins that the food your grandfather ate did.
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Is it any wonder why testosterone levels have been decreasing with each generation, ever since World War II? I think not.
This is why a multivitamin is one of the best muscle building supplements on the planet. It gives your body what it needs to perform at its best.
When it comes down to it, if you’re serious about building muscle and getting in better shape, you need to be taking a multivitamin.
90% of Bodybuilding Multivitamins Suck
Working in a supplement store teaches you a lot about what goes on behind the scenes. I saw things that would make your toes curl.
After being involved with a bunch of different supplement companies and trying a bunch of different supplements out, you start to realize just how much of it is bullshit.
Here’s a fact: according to WebMD, more than half of the supplements on the market don’t actually contain what they say they do.
This happens, because the good old FDA (the Food and Drug Administration) doesn’t have the resources to screen every supplement company out there on the market.
They only really care if a supplement kills a bunch of people, like, for example, the old pre-workout Jack3d (which was literally one of the best pre-workouts to ever hit the market).
Sure, the FDA does some things here and there, but mostly they’re only concerned with ingredients that may give you a stroke or something.
And what’s worse, is that even if a supplement contains what it says it does on the label, your body won’t even be able to absorb half of it.
Multivitamin Bio-Availability
I’m not going to get too scientific here, but some nutrients require other nutrients to be absorbed. This is key to understand.
Nutrients aren’t just isolated from one another. Often time, in order to digest “Vitamin XYZ,” for example, you need enough “Vitamin ABC.”
As a quick example, Vitamin D has a complex relationship with Vitamin K, Calcium, and Magnesium. They’re all very related to one another.
So, if you have too little or too much of one of these, you can’t absorb the Vitamin D that you need… even if you’re taking a Vitamin D supplement!
Furthermore, supplement companies often times heat process their products which denature the ingredients, AKA destroy them.
Yup—bet you didn’t know that, did you?
So even though technically the ingredients on the label are in fact truthful, your body can’t even absorb them.
This is why it’s so key to find a good, high quality multivitamin.
Bodybuilding Multivitamins to Avoid
Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.
I know, I know, not everyone wants to shell out a bunch of money on bodybuilding multivitamins, but come on. Your health matters.
So what this means is that those multi-vitamins where you can get a years supply for like $10 are complete garbage.
This includes various multi-vitamins like One-A-Day, Centrum, and Walmart/Costco brand multivitamins.
If you want to build muscle faster, have more energy, and feel better, you’re going to have to spend some extra money.
It isn’t that expensive, though—don’t worry.
It can be, if you want really good quality multi-vitamins, but you can get good bodybuilding multi-vitamins for around $20 a month or less.
Also, another tip—if your multi-vitamin doesn’t require you to take AT LEAST three pills a day, it’s most likely garbage. Why?
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Because there’s literally no physical way that you can fit enough nutrients into just a few pills. Those “one a day” vitamins are nonsense.
Back when I was working in a supplement shop, I actually decided to do an experiment. The results were incredibly shocking.
I added up all of the weights (milligrams and grams) on the label, which the multivitamin claimed to have. In total, it added up to 3.5 grams.
I then weighed the one-a-day, and it was only 1.3 grams! They were literally lying to their customers’ fucking faces and nobody even knew.
This is why you want a multi-vitamin with multiple pills—it’s just not possible to fit all the nutrition you need into a “one a day” vitamin.
How to Find Good Bodybuilding Multivitamins
Alright. Now that you know what to AVOID, let’s talk about how you can find a good multivitamin for lifting weights and training.
Generally speaking, most bodybuilding multivitamins have a few key ingredients, that will help you shred fat and build muscle.
Here’s some ingredients to look for in a multivitamin:
- Zinc: Necessary for Testosterone Production
- Vitamin A: Necessary for Eye, Skin, and Immune Health
- Vitamin C: Essential for Your Immune System
- B Vitamins: All Necessary For Energy Levels
- Vitamin E: Helps Protect Cells From Damage
There’s some other ingredients you should look for if you want to find a great multivitamin, but those are a great starting point.
Alright… now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me talk about some of the best multivitamins for weight lifting and bodybuilding.
Animal Pak: Best Overall
Ah, Animal Pak. The original multivitamin for bodybuilders.
Upon opening this guy, you’ll be shocked to see that it’s filled with, you guessed it, little packs (hence the name, Animal Pak).
Each pack contains 11 different pills. Yes, a total of 11 different pills…and if you’re training heavily, it’s recommended that you take two packs a day.
“Jesus fuck, Jon! 22 pills a day, isn’t that a bit much?” No, because you’re giving your body the nutrition that it needs to get jacked.
If you’re breaking your body’s muscles down day in and day out, you need a hell of a lot of nutrients to recover.
And that’s just what Animal Pak does—it’s got one of the most impressive nutrient profiles of any multi-vitamin that I’ve seen.
Animal Pak Ingredients
Like I said, Animal Pak has a ton of ingredients that will help you build muscle, lose fat, and function at your very best as a man.
Here are some of the ingredients in Animal Pak:
- 30mg Zinc – for testosterone production
- Selenium, Copper, Manganese, and Chromium, to aid in Zinc absorption and cell reparation
- Glutamine for muscular recovery
- Milk Thistle for liver health and heart health
- ALA for getting shredded
- Bromelain, Inulin, and Liplase for protein digestion
- Literally dozens more of ingredients
Animal Pak is by far one of the best bodybuilding multivitamins on the market, and it’s no wonder why.
With such an all-star lineup of ingredients, it’s hard not to see why…and do you want me to tell you a secret?
Guys that take steroids almost always take Animal Pak.
Why, you might ask? Because it’s got ingredients meant to mitigate some of the side effects that come with having sky-high testosterone levels.
It’s got ingredients to maintain a healthy blood pressure, detoxify the liver, and help your skin look nice and clear.
Animal Pak is quite literally the best multivitamin for bodybuilders and athletes, especially if you’re someone who’s using steroids to compete.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for you to use steroids. In fact, you should use SARMs before you EVER use steroids.
My point is simply this… if guys on the juice are using it, you know it’s effective. Otherwise they wouldn’t be using it.
Orange Triad: For Men Over 40
Orange Triad is a phenomenal choice for anyone who’s an avid gym-goer.
Whether you’re a veteran lifter, or you just started, Orange triad is definitely one of the best bodybuilding multivitamins, period.
Here’s why: lifting takes a toll on your joints. This is no secret.
Ask any old gym rat about joint pain, and I promise you he’ll rattle off a bunch of things you can do to cure it.
This is just something that is inevitable—if you’re lifting heavy ass weight over and over, sometimes your joints will start to hurt.
This is due to wear and tear on your body over the years… and while lifting with good form can help mitigate this, a multivitamin for joints helps, too.
Orange Triad Ingredients
While I personally prefer Animal Pak over Orange Triad, I can’t deny that Orange Triad has a ton of awesome ingredients for joint pain relief.
Orange Triad is chock-full of high quality ingredients to protect your joints, boost your immune system, and improve your digestion, too.
Here are some of the ingredients in Orange Triad:
- MSM: Helps Lower Inflammation
- Hyaluronic Acid: Helps “Lubricate” Joints
- Glucosamine Sulfate: Increases Tendon and Ligament Strength
- Bilberry Extract: Boosts Your Immune System
Overall, Orange Triad is one of the best bodybuilding multivitamins on the market… especially if you’re a guy over 40 or 50.
…and just like Animal Pak, you’ll also be taking a lot of pills—not as many, though. It’s recommended that you take 6 pills a day, for a full dose of performance-enhancing nutrients.
If you’re a guy who’s over 40, I highly recommend that you start taking Orange Triad. It’s specifically formulated to help older guys.
After the age of about 40, you want to start protecting your joints, tendons, and ligaments, so that they’ll serve you strong, well into your 80’s and 90’s.
If you’re younger, I’d err on the side of Animal Pak, but if you’re getting past 40, I’d highly recommend you give Orange Triad a try.
Both Animal Pak and Orange Triad are phenomenal multivitamins and will provide anyone with the nutrition he needs to get from skinny to buff.
Opti-Men: Best Phytonutrients
Opti-Men is one of those bodybuilding multivitamins that’s built specifically for weightlifters, but that also has a ton of other health benefits.
Yes, it’s got a lot of the typical bodybuilding ingredients like L-Arginine for blood flow to the muscles, ALA for mobilizing adipose tissue (aka burning fat), and a bunch of BCAA’S for muscle growth.
It’s also got an incredible enzyme blend to help you digest your food better, which is a must if you’re trying to put on muscle.
Opti Men has Bromelain, for example, which is a pineapple extract that helps your body absorb protein more effectively.
It’s also got some Lipase in there too, which is an essential enzyme that helps your body break down fats, and absorb them better.
So, if you’re on a dirty bulk and you’re trying to gain muscle, consider Opti-Men, because it’ll help you absorb that surplus of calories way better.
Opti-Men Ingredients
Like I said, Opti-Men is a great choice, particularly for people who are concerned with achieving better digestion.
In fact, I think it’s one of the best multivitamins for weightlifting, especially if you’re following a clean bulking diet and trying to gain muscle fast.
Here are some ingredients in Opti Men:
- Bromelain: Helps Digest Protein Better
- Lipase: Helps Digest Fats More Easily
- Zinc: Essential For Boosting Testosterone
- Copper: Helps Bio-Availability of Zinc
- Vitamin B12: Essential For Energy Production
What I’m most impressed with, however, is the phytonutrient complex that Opti-Men has. Phytonutrients are essential for human beings.
Over the last decade, more and more nutritionists have been publishing research on the importance of phytonutrients, or nutrients that come specifically from plants.
According to an increasingly large pile of clinical research, phytonutrients have been linked to everything from having healthier organs, to having a better brain, and even to living longer.
In short, phytonutrients are REALLY fucking important.
And Opti-Men doesn’t disappoint—it’s got dozens of phytonutrients and whole-plant extracts to help you build the best body possible.
Cantelope Extract, Rhubarb Chinese Root, Garlic Extract, Green Tea Extract, Bilberry Extract, Carrot Powder…the list goes on and on.
If you’re looking for one of the best bodybuilding vitamins for overall health, I cannot recommend Opti-Men enough.
When I first started taking it, I noticed a fairly large increase in my energy levels after about a week and a half.
To be fair, some might say this is a placebo effect, but I’m very keenly aware of this since I try out so many supplements in my line of work.
Now, to be completely honest, when I’m focused on building muscle, I take Animal Pak, because it’s far superior for gaining muscle.
But, if you want to get the benefit of certain key bodybuilding nutrients, while also getting a ton of phytonutrients into your diet?
I’d take Opti-Men hands down.
Want A Full Bodybuilding Blueprint?
Overall, these are some of the best multivitamins for bodybuilders, athletes, and weightlifters alike. Take your pick, but choose wisely.
Personally, I prefer Animal Pak, but maybe that’s just because I haven’t had any problems with joint pain yet… fingers crossed.
If you want a full bodybuilding guide, that covers weightlifting, nutrition, and supplements, consider checking out Body of an Alpha.
It lays out EXACTLY what you need to do, if you want to get that lean, shredded physique, that turns heads at the beach.
In fact, here’s some of what you’ll get with Body of an Alpha:
- The “Fast Track Method” to Get The V-Taper Look That Celebrities, Athletes, and Male Sex Symbols Have
- My “Hybrid Training Protocol” That Helps You Shred Fat Off Like Butter, and Pack on Lean Muscle Mass in Record Time
- My Full Nutrition Layout, Including Customizable Options For Your Specific Body Type and Needs
- …and much, much more!
So, if you’re serious about bodybuilding, training, and getting the body that you’ve always dreamt of, consider checking out Body of an Alpha today.
All in all, I hope you guys enjoyed the article. If you have any questions at all, let me know down below—and as always, I’ll see you next time!
❓ What is the Best Multivitamin for Bodybuilders?
Animal Pak is by far the best multivitamin for working out, whether you're an athlete or a bodybuilder. It's filled with ingredients that your body needs to build muscle, like Vitamin D, plenty of B Vitamins, and other natural plant extracts for muscle growth, too.
❓ Is Multivitamin Good For Muscle Building?
Multivitamins are great for muscle building, because they give your body the nutrients it needs to recover faster. In fact, plenty of athletes, body builders, and amateur lifters love taking Animal Pak (or other bodybuilding multivitamins) to build muscle faster.
❓ Do I Need A Multivitamin Bodybuilding?
While you certainly don't need a multivitamin for bodybuilding, it doesn't hurt to have one. Bodybuilding multivitamins like Animal Pak and Orange Triad are specifically formulated for athletes and bodybuilders looking to build muscle faster and recover faster.
❓ What Are The Top 10 Multivitamins?
There's a lot of different multivitamins for bodybuilding, but here's the top 10:
1, Animal Pak
2. Orange Triad
3. Opti-Men
4. Vita Mode
5. GAT Men's Multi
6. Adam Men's Multi
7. Old School Labs
8. Legion Triumph
9. Muscle Tech Platinum
10. Life Extension Multivitamin
These are some of the best multivitamins for bodybuilders regardless of your age!
Nice list. I wanted to ask if there’s any possibility of any side effect if any of these multivitamins are taken in combination with creatine monohydrate. I take creatine pills with meal. Would it be okay to add a multivitamin pill with it?
Jon,
I bought animal pak and i only workout like 3 times a week but not intense workout, is there any bad effects to me if i drink the vitamins everyday?
Thanks
Nope. I’d have 1 pack on off days, and 2 packs on the on days.
Hi Jon,
Is it ok to drink animal pak and Life Extension together with below routines?
Upon Waking: 2 capsules of L-Arginine and 1 capsule of Sunflower Lecithin.
Shortly after rising, mix 1tsp Maca and 1tsp Horny Goat Weed in a glass of water and pound it down.
This stuff will ENERGIZE you so it’s best to take it in the morning and without food so that it hits you fast.
With Lunch: 1 capsule of Sunflower Lecithin
With Dinner: 1 capsule ofSunflower Lecithin
Before bed: 1 tablet of Zinc
Don’t take animal pak and life extension together, they’re both multi-vitamins (unless you’re talking about the Life Extension non-multi-vitamin).
That looks fine to me, man. Literally the “sex god supplement stack” hahaha
If a person does not workout at all which multivitamin do you suggest for keeping healthy overall?
Life Extension has a good one: http://amzn.to/2mQAkIS
Good list, but I’m on medication for Crohn’s and according to my doctor I shouldn’t take any of these with it. He recommended Naturelo Whole Food Multivitamin for Men. Do you know anything about this one? I know it’s not specifically for bodybuilding but would at least provide some nutrients instead of nothing by not taking anything at all.
Always listen to your doctor. Whole food multivitamins are good for overall health, because they’re highly bio-available. In other words, your body can digest them easily.
Best of luck!