While staying inside is of course the right thing to do to avoid catching and spreading the virus, the lack of sunshine might actually have a negative impact on your health. A study published in the Irish Medical Journal found that those who supplemented with vitamin D were less at risk of catching infection such as coronavirus.

It’s also especially important to be keeping up your vitamin D levels if your at-home workout routine is still going strong. That’s because it has a big part to play in building muscle and potentially even on your progress in strength training. It is a crucial vitamin if you want to develop and maintain healthy muscles, and those lacking in vitamin D have been known to suffer from muscular pain. So it only makes sense that increasing your intake would also increase your strength.

Multiple studies have found that supplementation of a specific form of the vitamin is highly effective at improving muscle strength. Here we explain just how vitamin D impacts strength, how to increase your intake, and how long it will take before you start seeing results.

How does vitamin D help with muscle growth?

Vitamin D improves the quality and strengthens the fibres of the muscles. This encourages healthy muscular growth and repair, which is a necessity for strength trainers. However, not all vitamin D is created equal, and there is one particular form that is more effective for strength and recovery.

Research has shown that vitamin D3 has a particularly positive impact on strength trainers. In fact, one study into the effects of vitamin D3 supplements on athletes saw their strength improve by 18.75%. And, while the results have varied somewhat, the positive impact of the vitamin has been found to be fairly consistent across studies.

Vitamin D: How the supplement can support strength training