How To Maximise Muscle Pump In Your Workouts
“HOW DO I GET AN EPIC PUMP?!”
Ahhhh… the beloved and longed for feeling that separates the good workouts from the freaking amazing!!
Ok well let’s start with a little bit of the technical stuff then I will give you some tips on how to get that skin ripping feeling we all love
Right… When we take part in high-intensity exercise blood vessels widen to accommodate the increases blood flow to the targeted/stimulated muscles (This is why you get vascular during a workout), this results in enhancing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients as well as removing waste products.
This increase in blood flow then results in increased blood plasma in the areas in-between and surrounding working muscle cells.
The combination of increased blood plasma and accumulation of lactate and other metabolites increases the osmolality of the interstitial fluid. This creates a concentration gradient that pulls in additional water from the blood stream therefore creating our longed for PUMP.
OK.. Enough of all that!
What can you do to get this pump!?
1) Make Sure You Are Hydrated
I can’t stress this one enough.. and it’s so simple to do! Making sure you are fully hydrated all day has countless benefits with one being epic pump!! Top PRO trainer Hany Rambod always said that if a client just isn’t feeling the pump he would stop the session and get them to drink a whole litre of water before carrying on.. and this is a guy that trains the best of the best! (Phil Health, Jay Cutler, Steve Kluco etc)
2) Make Sure You Have Sufficient Electrolytes
Now this is a big part of getting that crazy pump that many people overlook.. sodium, magnesium and potassium are crucial in creating cell volumization and also amino acid uptake, without sufficient levels of these you will find your pump is almost non-existent.. So don’t be scared of sodium!! It’s a must! And in terms of potassium eat foods such as bananas, potatoes, broccoli and raisins (there's heaps more just google it). So all in all if you have a healthy balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg these three bad boys shouldn’t be an issue.
3) Supplement Creatine
Creatine directly increases cell volume by pulling water into the muscle cells, it's also aids ATP production which makes creatine supplementation a must.
4) Correctly Timed Nutrition
Make sure you consume carbohydrates and protein 1 - 1.5hrs before training, also consuming a pre-workout supplement 15min before training can also enhance blood volumization.
5) Time under Tension
Time under tension is often looked at as a "bro" term however it is a concept that works. To maximaise muscle pump we want to make sure the desired muscle is under tension for long enough to force blood into the the targeted area, i generally say 40-80 sec is a good range to hit however you can push beyond this. Have a play around with different TUT and see what gives you the best pump.
Ok guys there you go, that’s my view (from what I have read, studied and experienced myself)
If you need help with your training &/or nutrition then take a look through my personalised training options for more information on how I can help or email me - jordan@ironplayground.com