Have you ever wished see your muscles literally grow in front of your eyes? This can absolutely be possible with the muscle pump!
Most fitness enthusiasts spend time looking for the pump, regardless of the overall goal.
What exactly happens during the muscle pump? How is it possible that the muscles grow so much in just an hour and return to normal the next morning?
Let's find out together!
Index
What is the muscle pump?
Il muscle pump occurs when muscles grow during their workout; the name "muscle pump" is really just a fitness jargon to define a phenomenon called transient hypertrophy.
Hypertrophy yes refers to muscle growth and transient means it is only temporary; this hypertrophy is a rather complex physiological process and occurs when liquids, including water and blood, accumulate in the muscles during movement.
This phenomenon happens in response to two primary triggers:
- Lactic acid that begins to build up in working muscles and draws water into them
- The heart that pumps more blood to the working muscles because they need more oxygen and nutrients to feed them.
The fluids then cause the muscle cells to swell, making the muscles appear larger.
How do you get it?
Lifting weights is the best way to get the pump; bodybuilders, in fact, take advantage of this phenomenon of transient hypertrophy before taking the stage for a competition to make their muscles look bigger.
Research suggests that the best muscle pump is achieved with high volume weight training; this workout involves many repetitions and many sets, with fairly short rest periods.
High-volume training can be achieved by manipulating some variables: doing more repetitions, doing more sets, reducing the rest interval; There are also specific protocols for muscle pump for more experienced bodybuilders, in which the focus is exclusively on muscle contraction and increasing blood flow to the muscles.
For an even more effective muscle pump, It is good to hydrate well before training, to encourage greater absorption of water by the muscles. Even the integration of citrulline, a non-essential amino acid, might help.
This supplement improves the production of nitric oxide and nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, promoting blood flow.
Is the muscle pump useful for building muscle?
The muscle pump it is not the main method of building muscle; there isn't much scientific research about muscle pump and its contribution to muscle growth, but there is a key correlation: muscle pump occurs in response to high volume training and research shows that this training is the key. for muscle building.
However, it cannot be ruled out that low-volume weight training with heavier loads also contributes to muscle growth.
One of the best approaches, in general, consists of following a balanced training program that includes low volume days and high volume days.
And you, are you targeting the muscle pump? Let us know in the comments and remember to follow us on our telegram channel