Get a Muscle Pump in the Gym
As bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts, we are always chasing a good pump in the gym. That feeling of being blown up like a balloon, a muscle pump is the result of blood and lactic acid rushing into your muscles. Almost nothing can match the satisfactory feeling of leaving the gym with a muscle ripping pump, so how do you get a better pump?
For beginners, and advanced people alike, getting a muscle pump isn’t as simple as it might sound. A pump is essential to bodybuilding as it first tears the muscles down by expanding them and at the same time also helps in repairing by taking nutrients through blood.
Pre-Workout Supplements for a Pump
Supplements are a big aid in bodybuilding, from protein powders to creatine, there are good reasons to use supplements, and one of those reasons is to obtain a better pump. Pre-workout supplements containing ingredients such as a nitric oxide oxide booster can help you in achieving a muscle tearing pump. Nitric oxide might also help in improving your workouts by delaying fatigue and decreasing muscle soreness.
Pro bodybuilders and strength athletes use pre-workout supplements not only to boost their muscle pump but also to get a laser-sharp focus and improved strength and stamina. If you feel exhausted after a couple of sets into your workout, there is almost no way you can achieve a muscle pump that is worth remembering.
One great pre-workout to consider is MUTANT MADNESS ALL-IN which was on our the top of our list for Best Pre-Workout. With highly researched and clinically dosed ingredients, this pre-workout has proven results with muscle pumps, cognitive focus, and intensity. A great pre-workout can boost your training and see huge muscle growth while giving solid energy and ALL-IN Pre-Workout is a great choice.
MUTANT MADNESS ALL-IN is one of the most powerful pre-workouts ever. MUTANT is the supplier of this trailblazing pre-workout. MUTANT only creates supplements that are clinically proven to get results.
Check out our individual review of MUTANT MADNESS ALL-IN.
Advanced Training Techniques for the Pump
There is the possibility that you might stop experiencing a muscle pump after you’ve been working out for some time. If you’ve been following the same training program day after day, chances are your muscles have adapted to it, and therefore achieving a pump may be a little bit more difficult to do.
You need to spice up your workouts using advanced training techniques like supersets, drop sets, giant sets, rest-pause sets, training to failure, etc. Look at Mike Mentzer’s brutal heavy duty workout for examples of changing up the rep and set schemes. Changing up the tempos of your reps can also be incredibly useful as it will shock your muscles.
Maybe the next time you’re squatting or benching, take three seconds on the way down, hold and pause at the bottom for two seconds, and blast up to the starting position in a second (3-2-1). You can also experiment with the tempos, for eg, (3-3-3), (1,1,2,), etc. Apply this technique to any and every exercise and be ready to get your mind blown by the pump.
Develop a Mind-Muscle Connection
A lack of mind-muscle connection is one of the biggest reasons people don’t get a pump in the gym. Working out isn’t about going through the motions, 7x Mr. Olympia champion Arnold Schwarzenegger himself had said this. The mind-muscle connection can be a problem, especially for the beginners.
For example, if you’re doing a bicep curl, you need to ‘become’ your bicep. If you’re a beginner, looking at your biceps in the mirror will help you focus on your biceps. Squeeze and contract your guns at the top of the movement with every rep. You need to truly visualize the muscle growing, see where you want it to be.
If you’re still having problems with establishing a mind-muscle connection, asking someone to gently tap on your biceps while you perform your exercises can help you in focusing on your pythons.
BFR Training
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training will give you a muscle pump you’ll remember for days. In BFR training, you tie elastic bands on your target muscles while performing your exercises. Doing this will let the blood enter your muscles but will delay the exit, giving you a crazy boost in your muscle pump.
You might need to adjust your lifts a little bit, such as maybe dropping the amount of weight you are doing, or you may need to increase the number of reps and slow down the movement, giving enough time for the blood to enter your muscles. Getting used to the BFR training can take some time as you need to get the tightness of the bands right, which can take a couple of tries.
Don’t Overdo it
Sometimes people deprive themselves of a pump by trying too hard, or training too frequently. You don’t need to consistently lift super heavy or do too many reps to achieve a muscle altering pump. However, this does not mean to just go light and not really challenge yourself. Doing 10 solid reps with a moderate amount of resistance, proper form and squeezing the life out of your muscles with every rep can get you an insane muscle pump.
Higher volume and intensity aren’t always the answers when it comes to making progress in the gym. Bodybuilding isn’t about lifting the most weight, it’s about putting the optimal amount of tension on your muscles, so they’re forced to grow, and getting a pump in your workouts can be a good indicator for it.
Recovery for Muscle Pumps
One thing that people tend to ignore is how recovery is also important for achieving a pump as well. It’s the time your muscles repair and build back stronger. If you are not prioritizing your recovery, your muscles will consistently be damaged, and achieving a muscle pump may be harder to obtain when you are training.
Boosting Your Pump Wrap Up
When it comes to figuring out just how to boost your pump, it is more than just lifting heavy weights. There are plenty of different ways to boost your pump such as using proper supplements, form, prioritizing recovery, and changing up your training.
Will you be using any of these methods?
When was the last time you had an insane pump in the gym? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
