Last week we discussed the importance of taking a quality multivitamin/mineral supplement for bodybuilders, and we listed the top vitamins for building a rock-hard and chiseled physique. While the supplement you take should include all vitamins and minerals for complete nutrition and good health, just as with vitamins, some minerals are more important than others for muscle building. This week we’ll explore these muscle-making minerals.

Metabolize with Manganese

Manganese is a double-duty mineral, one that not only helps build muscles by metabolizing amino acids but also helps construct bones to support those muscles. Most quality vitamin and mineral supplements include manganese, but you can get it through your diet, too, when you eat whole grains, nuts, and legumes.

Iodine for Muscle Function

There’s not a lot of iodine in foods though it can be found in seafood and, of course, iodized salt. It’s an essential mineral, though, one that affects muscle function and is important for thyroid performance which can affect your metabolism and ability to build muscle.

Double Down With Iron

Iron helps build muscles in two ways. First, it helps oxygenate muscle cells for growth and performance via the blood. Second, iron is a component in chemical reactions that help your body make amino acids and hormones, both big parts of muscle building. You can supplement it or focus on eating iron-rich foods such as red meat, eggs, and green veggies.

Potassium and Sodium

Your muscles won’t perform optimally without these two minerals. Both potassium and sodium work to balance the fluids in your body, and are a required for muscle contractions. Though you might worry about sodium raising your blood pressure, Harvard Health says that potassium counteracts it and lowers blood pressure. When you sweat during your workout, you’re losing sodium, according to IDEA Health and Fitness. Extremely high doses of either mineral can be dangerous, however, so don’t overdo them. Although most comprehensive supplements will provide some potassium, you won’t find any that include sodium. You can typically get that from your diet or even by shaking some salt over your dinner. Plenty of foods already contain potassium, though, including milk, fruits, meat, grains, and legumes.

A Triple-Threat for Your Foundation

Building a strong foundation to support your bodybuilder physique is important, and that is why, along with vitamins and minerals for building muscles, we are also listing ones that support your bones. Fluoride, calcium, and phosphorous are the top three minerals for building strong bones though they do have something to offer your muscles, too. Phosphorous plays a part in converting food into energy and helps transport nutrients in and out of your cells. And if you thought calcium was all about teeth and bones, think again. Calcium is necessary for muscle contractions and helps with hormone secretion, both of which are necessary for building muscle.

Magic Bullet?

If you haven’t heard of ZMA before now, pull up a chair. It is a precise combination of two minerals, zinc and magnesium, and our old friend from last week, vitamin B₆. On their own, each does its part to keep you healthy and help build muscles but when the three are combined in a particular ratio, they create a super-supplement that has been reported to increase testosterone and IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor-1) which both result in increased strength and muscle mass, plus it improves sleep for enhanced recovery, according to ExRx.net. It’s true that there isn’t a ton of research on the supplement, but what’s out there is favorable. Even though your go-to multivitamin/mineral likely provides zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B₆, remember that a specific ratio of the three is needed to see results. Because ZMA is relatively inexpensive as supplements go and because no toxicity as been reported from taking ZMA, it wouldn’t hurt to add it to your supplementation regimen when building muscle and losing fat is the goal.