[Discussion] - Is pump a good indicator of an effective hypertrophic workout?

[jozifp103]

For the purposes of this discussion we will be looking at this from a bodybuilding/hypertrophy standpoint as strength training may use slightly different physiological processes and a slightly different approach. (For beginners who may not know, "hypertrophy" refers to the enlargement of muscle fibers. So when you hear hypertrophy, just think "muscle growth").


In bodybuilding you often hear the term "chasing the pump". Some refer to this as a good thing and some refer to it as a bad thing. "Don't just go chasing the pump" is something I hear a lot lately.


I want to discuss these questions:


1.) How much truth is there to this "don't chase the pump" rhetoric?

2.) Can you have an effective hypertrophic workout, but with no noticeable pump at all?

3.) Can you have a workout which induces a good pump, but is NOT effective for hypertrophy?


Please discuss, and if anyone has any studies you could link on this that would be a big bonus.

 

[CompoundLifts31]

Damn, I was hoping to read some studies on this. I am really struggling to get any pump into my biceps lately. I did at least 10 sets on different curls and still nothing?!?

 

[Milford King]

Damn, I was hoping to read some studies on this. I am really struggling to get any pump into my biceps lately. I did at least 10 sets on different curls and still nothing?!?

I started doing drag curls and zottman curls using cables, rope hammer curls, reverse preacher curls and finish off with light crazy 8 standing barbell curls and have induced painful bicep pumps as of recently. If you have someone to work out with what we used to do for bicep finishers is crazy 8’s where as you rep out 8 reps standing barbell curl then pass it to your buddy and he gets 8 reps and then he passes it right back to you and you get 7 and then he gets 7 all the way down to 1 rep and then rest and then count up to 8 the same way.

I don’t see how you can hit any muscle group and not get a pump. I think it’s a good indicator of effectively hitting the muscle but doesn’t always correlate to strength or size gains… those come from progressive overload over time… but again…. If you’re not getting a pump your not hitting the muscle with enough reps or enough load.

 

[Milford King]

I’m disappointed this discussion is dead in the water… I really liked the anabolic round table discussions so hopefully monte brings that back.

I like learning what the boys n girls with more experience have to say about things regarding fitness and I like staying out of those discussions for the most part.

this would be a decent post for the round table I suspect. At least possibly a good fire starter.

 

[weazel]

Here's how I see it you need the pump to fill the belly of the muscle heads as full as possible water,creatine,muscle etc. The tighter that muscle is pushing against that skin and the harder it gets it grows thus stretching the fascia of the skin thus allowing more growth. When you get so fuckn big you can't grow no more most go to synthol type stuff to....stretch the fascia more to grow..

You want growth you need excess nutrients from all aspects we know that from all the protein,peds,creatine,food,nutrients in gen.
I'm not supporting synthol use I've never tried it im using it as a analogy for the pump/stretch, use some dbol/drol preworkout for a mth you'll get a hard pump going on all the time same idea just my opinion on it.

 

[heavyhitter]

So, I don’t feel like pump is necessary every workout to get muscular growth. However….if you are consistently getting pumps it means you’re doing something correct when it comes to nutrition, hydration, sodium intake, etc. if you notice it’s becoming hard to get a pump you need to be evaluating those things

 

[bbb33]

I definitely think that the pump is super important, in many ways actually. For one thing, mentally, getting a great pump in the gym and seeing my veins throbbing makes me want to go harder and harder. Physically, it’s important to get a good pump for “inflating” the muscle, to cause that stretch in fascia tissue and all that. And no one can deny the nutrients being supplied to the muscle during a good pump. I definitely chase it every workout. Does that mean I always get a skin ripping one......no. I try not to let that mentally bother me, sometimes you just don’t get one for one reason or another. If your constantly not getting them, then something isn’t right somewhere.