Which vitamins/minerals should I buy?

[PowderTester]

I am gonna go to my local pharmacy in a couple of hours and I was wondering, which vitamins and minerals are essential for a bodybuilder?
At the moment I am on a cut, only using Syntha 6 and Rapidcuts Shredded.
187 lbs, 6'1
Note, I am buying these supplements from a pharmacy not a bodybuilding supplement store.

[chamelious]

I am gonna go to my local pharmacy in a couple of hours and I was wondering, which vitamins and minerals are essential for a bodybuilder?
At the moment I am on a cut, only using Syntha 6 and Rapidcuts Shredded.
187 lbs, 6'1
Note, I am buying these supplements from a pharmacy not a bodybuilding supplement store.

You're better off asking this in the supps section. Having said that, AFAIK bodybuilders do not have special requirements with regards vitamins and minerals.

[snorkelman]

Honestly, I would suggest that you do not buy any vitamins right now and just wait until you can order online. The main reason being that most vitamins at a pharmacy are the typical hard compressed type, such as Centrum multi. Studies show us that capsules have an improved solubility (over a hard tablet), and therefore an improved bioavailability. This means your body is actually getting the vitamins/minerals in the supplement, rather than passing a large percentage of it out in your waste.

When you head to the supplement forum on this website, the good supplement reps over there will brag about their multivitamin products. Lots of the more expensive brands promote their product is of “better quality” pointing out such things as sourced from chelated minerals, high-bioavailable forms of minerals/vitamins, most of them supplied from Albion Labs, etc.

That being said, even when you buy a multi in a capsule, you still will want to consider whether you want to separately supplement things such as magnesium and calcium/d. Those are the only things I would consider buying from a pharmacy type store.

[javin86]

The ones you're deficient in.

[snorkelman]

The ones you're deficient in.

^^ that yes, but I think it is safe to say that nearly everyone is not going to meet their goals from food alone. Recent popular diets have been shown to have substantial micronutrient shortfalls (below the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) standards. See, Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans. Calton JB, J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010 Jun 10;7:24. Free full text at: http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-7-24.pdf

Here is an excerpt from the study:

This study shows a significant prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans. It is the conclusion of this researcher that an individual following a popular diet plan using food alone, has a high likelihood of becoming micronutrient deficient . . . In conclusion, this study recommends that . . . individuals. . . following a popular diet plan, would benefit from and should take a daily multivitamin supplement to fill the nutritional gap between where their whole food diet leaves off and micronutrient sufficiency is achieved.

[Safaris]

The ones you're deficient in.

Best answer +1

[Jesse_l_g]

Pick your supplements wisely. They can get expensive and it's really important to understand 95% or more of them are absolutely garbage and can actually be harmful. Avoid cheap supplements and do your best to get your nutrition form your food. There really is no debate that its better to get your vitamins and minerals that way. However like mentioned above nearly everyone has some deficiencies. You really need to do your own research and self experiments to find out what will benefit you. If you can afford it blood tests are a good idea. There is also a wealth of knowledge on the internet about symptoms associated with specific deficiencies.

I have tried a lot of supplements and like i mentioned it really is an individual journey but i will share my current strategy.

I took vitamin D3 all winter and occasionally take it any time of the year when I'm not getting much sun.
I keep magnesium around and occasionally use it at night to unwind and restock my supplies.
Occasionally Kelp powder caps for iodine.
High quality fish oil on days i don't eat fatty cuts of fish.
I recently started taking a high quality chelated multivitamin. Most days i take half of the recommended dose kind of depending on my diet that day and stress levels.

It can get complected so try to keep it simple. I think "When in doubt go without" is a good idea.

[justlift1993]

I wouldn't worry too much about extra supplementation with vitamins and/or minerals unless you know that you are deficient in one of those areas. I would honestly try to get 80% or more of your vitamins/minerals from real food and then fill in what you can't get from food with supplementation. A balanced diet that includes a variety of nutrition that meets your caloric and macronutrient needs usually will get the job done. I personally only take a multi-vitamin, fish oil, creatine and whey protein. Everything else can be easily obtained through proper nutrition, unless you have a severe deficiency. In that case, you probably need extra supplementation. The only way to find out is through proper blood work. Never assume you are deficient unless you know for sure with test results. With that said, though, most people are usually deficient in one way or another and it is a good idea to get that checked out. Proper nutrition can go a long ways, but there are supplements that can definitely aid you along the way and make up for deficiences. Have a good day.

[Tuksonrider]

When I cut (which I'm currently on at 2000cal/day), I definitely use a vitamin and mineral supp. My diet is deficient in a lot of micros.

I take the following:
Multi-vitamin
D3 (5000iu)
Fish Oil (1000mg/300mg DHA)
BCAA 10g/day

At night, I take Melatonin & a ZMA before bed.

That's it. I don't take any other supplement atm.