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When putting together a cycle for themselves, athletes usually take the selection of compounds very seriously — depending on their goals, they carefully evaluate the role of each component. Experienced athletes pay close attention not only to the substances themselves but also to the manufacturers, thoroughly checking lab certifications and results from independent blind tests.
At the same time, when it comes to vitamins, most athletes tend to treat them as an optional “bonus” — just grabbing whatever multivitamin bottle happens to be on sale and adding it into a cycle. Sure, that’s better than skipping vitamins entirely, but the reality is a bit more complicated.
Everyone knows that an ordinary car can run on pretty much any gasoline, but if you boost the engine with a turbocharger or a supercharger, fuel quality suddenly becomes a critical factor. Same thing here — the more you push your body, the more important it is to get the right nutrients in the right forms.
For regular people who train without excessive loads and eat a balanced diet, any basic vitamins are usually enough to maintain health. But athletes aiming for maximum strength and muscle growth often consume massive amounts of food, use hormonal drugs, and push their bodies through extremely intense training. Once anabolic steroids and high-intensity training are involved, the body comes under enormous stress: metabolism speeds up, protein synthesis accelerates, and the demand for vitamins and minerals rises dramatically.
Anabolic steroids don’t just stimulate muscle growth — they also drastically increase the body’s nutrient requirements to support liver function, cardiovascular health, and immunity.
In such conditions, the body goes through massive stress and demands a much higher level of support — it needs top-quality “fuel” to withstand these extreme loads.
High-quality vitamins are essential to compensate for deficiencies that can arise from accelerated metabolism and intense training. B vitamins — particularly B6, B12, and folate — are especially important for supporting the nervous system, improving protein synthesis, and keeping homocysteine levels in check. Homocysteine, by the way, is a marker that only started receiving attention relatively recently, but it’s already proven to be surprisingly accurate at predicting cardiovascular events, some of which can be life-threatening. This isn’t some passing trend — it’s something worth paying attention to. You can read more about that HERE and HERE.
Special attention should also be given to liver support, since the liver is directly responsible for metabolizing steroids. This requires active forms of vitamins and antioxidants. Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and selenium are also crucial for maintaining hormonal balance and proper enzyme function.
A smart selection of high-quality vitamins reduces the risk of side effects and helps the body cope with extreme stress.
Selenium deficiency is more common in athletes than in the general population due to the increased demand for antioxidants caused by intense training and high oxidative stress. The demand for magnesium also rises sharply as physical activity increases. Magnesium acts as a cofactor for hexokinase and phosphofructokinase — two key enzymes responsible for converting glucose into energy (ATP). On top of that, the synthesis and stabilization of ATP molecules themselves depend on magnesium, since cellular energy is stored in the form of an ATP-Mg²⁺ complex.
When calorie intake is high (which is a requirement for muscle growth), the body burns through even more magnesium to keep these enzymes functioning and energy production steady.
Athletes also need higher zinc intake due to sweat losses and the overall stress on the body. Zinc plays a key role in protein synthesis, muscle repair, hormone balance, immune function, and energy metabolism. It activates enzymes involved in DNA repair and cell formation, accelerating muscle regeneration and post-training recovery. Zinc deficiency directly slows recovery and reduces performance.
Vitamin B9 (folate) plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health, especially for athletes. It supports DNA synthesis, cell division, and red blood cell production — all essential for preventing anemia and maintaining energy levels. Athletes under heavy physical stress frequently experience tissue damage, which increases the need for folate to support muscle repair and prevent chronic fatigue.
It’s important to note that folic acid — the synthetic form of vitamin B9 — is significantly less effective because it has to be converted into its active form, methylfolate, before the body can use it. For people with certain genetic traits (like the MTHFR gene mutation, which affects around 30% of the population), this conversion process is impaired, reducing the effectiveness of folic acid even further. Methylfolate, on the other hand, is already in its active form, meaning it doesn’t require any conversion, making it the better option for most people — especially athletes who need high intake and efficient absorption.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is essential for the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as for neurotransmitter and heme production, which are both critical for nervous system function and red blood cell formation. For athletes, vitamin B6 supports recovery after training, helps maintain energy levels, and optimizes metabolic processes. It also improves protein absorption, which is essential for muscle growth and tissue repair after intense training.
Synthetic B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) needs to be converted into its active form — pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (P5P) — for the body to use it. Many people struggle with this conversion, which reduces the bioavailability of the vitamin. P5P, however, is already in its active form, making it easier for the body to absorb and utilize. For athletes and people with impaired B6 metabolism, P5P is the better choice, offering superior effectiveness and better support for all B6-related functions.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is critical for normal nervous system function, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell production. Athletes need it to maintain energy, endurance, and recovery after intense training, as well as to prevent anemia. Synthetic B12 (cyanocobalamin) contains a cyanide molecule, which can pose risks with long-term use, and it requires conversion into methylcobalamin — the active form — before the body can actually use it. Methylcobalamin, on the other hand, is already bioavailable and supports all key physiological functions, including nervous system health and metabolic processes, making it a far safer and more effective option for athletes.
Let’s take a look at the ingredient profiles of some of the most popular sports multivitamins.
As you can see, a lot of the most hyped multivitamins out there cut corners when it comes to actual ingredient quality — so in the end, you’re mostly paying for the marketing, not for what’s inside the jar. And the ingredients — that’s our fuel, the very thing that has to feed our engine with the best possible fuel every single day!
And that’s without even getting into the fact that you can’t just cram a long list of vitamins and minerals into a single capsule and expect your body to actually absorb them all. Some ingredients — especially ones with acidic or alkaline properties — can react with each other, turning into forms your body simply can’t use. The more ingredients they try to squeeze into one pill, the less predictable (and effective) the whole thing becomes.
What makes it even worse — supplement companies aren’t even required to test how all those ingredients interact before they put the product on the market. So you end up with a shiny label and a long list of promises, but no real guarantee that your body is getting what it actually needs.
That’s exactly why our brand Allaes came to life — not because the world needed “another vitamin brand,” but because we were tired of seeing athletes stuck choosing between flashy labels and underdosed, poorly thought-out formulas. We wanted something we’d actually trust to take ourselves — with no compromises on forms, doses, or bioavailability. Just real support for a body that’s working at full capacity every single day.
At the same time, when it comes to vitamins, most athletes tend to treat them as an optional “bonus” — just grabbing whatever multivitamin bottle happens to be on sale and adding it into a cycle. Sure, that’s better than skipping vitamins entirely, but the reality is a bit more complicated.
Everyone knows that an ordinary car can run on pretty much any gasoline, but if you boost the engine with a turbocharger or a supercharger, fuel quality suddenly becomes a critical factor. Same thing here — the more you push your body, the more important it is to get the right nutrients in the right forms.
For regular people who train without excessive loads and eat a balanced diet, any basic vitamins are usually enough to maintain health. But athletes aiming for maximum strength and muscle growth often consume massive amounts of food, use hormonal drugs, and push their bodies through extremely intense training. Once anabolic steroids and high-intensity training are involved, the body comes under enormous stress: metabolism speeds up, protein synthesis accelerates, and the demand for vitamins and minerals rises dramatically.
Anabolic steroids don’t just stimulate muscle growth — they also drastically increase the body’s nutrient requirements to support liver function, cardiovascular health, and immunity.
In such conditions, the body goes through massive stress and demands a much higher level of support — it needs top-quality “fuel” to withstand these extreme loads.
High-quality vitamins are essential to compensate for deficiencies that can arise from accelerated metabolism and intense training. B vitamins — particularly B6, B12, and folate — are especially important for supporting the nervous system, improving protein synthesis, and keeping homocysteine levels in check. Homocysteine, by the way, is a marker that only started receiving attention relatively recently, but it’s already proven to be surprisingly accurate at predicting cardiovascular events, some of which can be life-threatening. This isn’t some passing trend — it’s something worth paying attention to. You can read more about that HERE and HERE.
Special attention should also be given to liver support, since the liver is directly responsible for metabolizing steroids. This requires active forms of vitamins and antioxidants. Minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and selenium are also crucial for maintaining hormonal balance and proper enzyme function.
A smart selection of high-quality vitamins reduces the risk of side effects and helps the body cope with extreme stress.
Selenium deficiency is more common in athletes than in the general population due to the increased demand for antioxidants caused by intense training and high oxidative stress. The demand for magnesium also rises sharply as physical activity increases. Magnesium acts as a cofactor for hexokinase and phosphofructokinase — two key enzymes responsible for converting glucose into energy (ATP). On top of that, the synthesis and stabilization of ATP molecules themselves depend on magnesium, since cellular energy is stored in the form of an ATP-Mg²⁺ complex.
When calorie intake is high (which is a requirement for muscle growth), the body burns through even more magnesium to keep these enzymes functioning and energy production steady.
Athletes also need higher zinc intake due to sweat losses and the overall stress on the body. Zinc plays a key role in protein synthesis, muscle repair, hormone balance, immune function, and energy metabolism. It activates enzymes involved in DNA repair and cell formation, accelerating muscle regeneration and post-training recovery. Zinc deficiency directly slows recovery and reduces performance.
Vitamin B9 (folate) plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health, especially for athletes. It supports DNA synthesis, cell division, and red blood cell production — all essential for preventing anemia and maintaining energy levels. Athletes under heavy physical stress frequently experience tissue damage, which increases the need for folate to support muscle repair and prevent chronic fatigue.
It’s important to note that folic acid — the synthetic form of vitamin B9 — is significantly less effective because it has to be converted into its active form, methylfolate, before the body can use it. For people with certain genetic traits (like the MTHFR gene mutation, which affects around 30% of the population), this conversion process is impaired, reducing the effectiveness of folic acid even further. Methylfolate, on the other hand, is already in its active form, meaning it doesn’t require any conversion, making it the better option for most people — especially athletes who need high intake and efficient absorption.
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is essential for the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as for neurotransmitter and heme production, which are both critical for nervous system function and red blood cell formation. For athletes, vitamin B6 supports recovery after training, helps maintain energy levels, and optimizes metabolic processes. It also improves protein absorption, which is essential for muscle growth and tissue repair after intense training.
Synthetic B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride) needs to be converted into its active form — pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (P5P) — for the body to use it. Many people struggle with this conversion, which reduces the bioavailability of the vitamin. P5P, however, is already in its active form, making it easier for the body to absorb and utilize. For athletes and people with impaired B6 metabolism, P5P is the better choice, offering superior effectiveness and better support for all B6-related functions.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is critical for normal nervous system function, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell production. Athletes need it to maintain energy, endurance, and recovery after intense training, as well as to prevent anemia. Synthetic B12 (cyanocobalamin) contains a cyanide molecule, which can pose risks with long-term use, and it requires conversion into methylcobalamin — the active form — before the body can actually use it. Methylcobalamin, on the other hand, is already bioavailable and supports all key physiological functions, including nervous system health and metabolic processes, making it a far safer and more effective option for athletes.
Let’s take a look at the ingredient profiles of some of the most popular sports multivitamins.
As you can see, a lot of the most hyped multivitamins out there cut corners when it comes to actual ingredient quality — so in the end, you’re mostly paying for the marketing, not for what’s inside the jar. And the ingredients — that’s our fuel, the very thing that has to feed our engine with the best possible fuel every single day!
And that’s without even getting into the fact that you can’t just cram a long list of vitamins and minerals into a single capsule and expect your body to actually absorb them all. Some ingredients — especially ones with acidic or alkaline properties — can react with each other, turning into forms your body simply can’t use. The more ingredients they try to squeeze into one pill, the less predictable (and effective) the whole thing becomes.
What makes it even worse — supplement companies aren’t even required to test how all those ingredients interact before they put the product on the market. So you end up with a shiny label and a long list of promises, but no real guarantee that your body is getting what it actually needs.
That’s exactly why our brand Allaes came to life — not because the world needed “another vitamin brand,” but because we were tired of seeing athletes stuck choosing between flashy labels and underdosed, poorly thought-out formulas. We wanted something we’d actually trust to take ourselves — with no compromises on forms, doses, or bioavailability. Just real support for a body that’s working at full capacity every single day.