Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) THE KING VITAMIN FOR MUSCLE BUILDING







Surprised? Most athletes don't realize how important vitamin C status is to success. As the most widely studied vitamin in sports nutrition, Ascorbic acid has proven itself to be valuable to bodybuilders in many ways.

First,this vitamin is an antioxidant, protecting muscle cells from free radical damage, thus enhancing recovery and growth. Second, it is also involved with amino acid metabolism, especially the formation of Collagen. Collagen is the primary constituent of connective tissue, the stuff that holds your bones and muscles together.

This may not seem important, but as you lift heavier weights, the stress you put on your structure becomes tremendous. If your connective tissue is not as healthy and strong as it should be (a problem often seen in steroid users), risk of injury dramatically increases.

Third, our number 1 vitamin helps in the absorption of Iron. Iron is necessary to help Oxygen bind to hemoglobin in blood. Without adequate oxygen transportation in blood, muscles are robbed of precious oxygen and performance is greatly reduced.

Fourth, Ascorbic acid also assists in the formation and release of steroid hormones, including the anabolic hormone testosterone.

Finally, this king vitamin is perhaps the most water soluble vitamin there is. In other words, it diffuses very rapidly in water. Since a muscle cell is mostly water, the more muscular an athlete becomes, the more this vitamin disperses and the lower the concentration of this critical substance becomes in body tissues. So the requirements are greatly increased for bodybuilders.

Bodybuilders are notorious for overlooking these key components of growth and performance. Do yourself a favor and analyze your diet to ensure you're taking in enough of the vitamins outlined above. Remember: You could have the best diet in the world in terms of calories, fat, etc, but if you're lacking adequate levels of these metabolic spark plugs, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

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