To Pump or NOT to Pump? This is the Question.

More of What We Want and Less of What We Don’t

I am unaware what role muscular “pumping” plays in either stimulation or ultimate growth.

What should be understood from the onset, is that while attempting to achieve the real objective of exercise,  we make demands on the musculature that require large amounts of  blood, oxygen and nutrition, as well as waste removal.

The pump is a consequence of this objective.  It is not our intent, but merely a side effect.  We do know that maximal pump is affected to a large extent by hydration, electrolyte balance, glycogen levels as well as amino acid concentrations.

Let’s discuss the origins of the “pump”.

The pump or engorgement of the musculature occurs secondarily to a negative feedback loop as a consequence of occlusion.

Exercise of this type necessitates that blood flow oscillates due to high intra-muscular pressure produced by muscular contractions.  However, said contractions create high pressures that occlude the aforementioned blood flow.

The degree of this occlusion appears to be directly proportional to the intensity or force of the muscular contraction.  It has been observed that efforts above 60% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) may entirely occlude blood flow.

The result of the negative feedback loop dramatically increases the blood flow to the affected muscles as a consequence of the fact that the muscular effort has dropped below the level which caused the occluded blood flow to initially occur (60% MVC).

The resulting phenomenon explains the pump.

My experience has led me to conclude that the most profound pump can be produced in the least amount of time through a combination of several factors.

They are high volitional effort exhibited by the subject, proper resistance provided by the machine and slightly longer set durations.  Where the largest degree of pump is concerned, I am opposed to short duration sets, performed with limited range of motion, that are often exhibited by many bodybuilders.

My personal experiments, as well as the training of thousands of clients, has led me to conclude,  that the modality of exercise that we promote,  produces a  superior, severe and predictable pump,  that is longer lasting than any other form of exercise.

On what do I base this conclusion?  Through the simple fact that the muscle remains occluded longer, with a more constant tension (provided by the accommodating resistance curve of the machine) and consequently produces a larger flush after the exercise is concluded.

Having been a professional bodybuilder I can probably predict, with a high degree of accuracy, your reaction.

Perhaps it goes something along the lines of “I’ve been performing fast, short, low weight, pumping repetitions for as many years as I’ve been competing-it works”.

My answer – yes it does work, sometimes.

This action does produce a pump during the performance of the set, but the results remain unpredictable.

Have you ever attempted to pump your muscles and no matter how hard you tried or how many sets you perform you just can’t achieve a satisfactory result?

Knowing the answer to this problem is probably worth the entire time investment you have in reading this article.

The answer is “instant gratification”.

Every repetition you perform adds to the engorgement of the muscle.  More blood volume, more engorgement.  The repetitions are short, brief and usually partial.  They provide very little negative work (back pressure) that allows the muscle to rest with every repetition you perform.  This respite produces reduced occlusion and poor fatiguing characteristics.  Simply stated, sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t.

Be advised that this type of performance can result in significant fatiguing of the involved muscles. However I have an altogether different theory on way this occurs. This theory that I will explain latter, partially explains why I perform my exercises in a manner opposite to the behavior I have just described.

First…Which is better?

Is it one big predictable profound flush after the set, or many mini pumps during the set?

It depends what you are trying to do, if you are about to step on stage to pose for the next thirty minutes or take some vanity pictures, I strongly recommend that you do not exhaust (inroad) the muscle too much. In this case I would recommend “pumping” reps.

If I wanted to produce the greatest exercise effect I recommend prolonged occlusion (Renaissance Exercise type reps). It will provide a more consistent, predictable and sustained effect and it will allow for Random failure as opposed to a metabolic back up. Meaning the set ends because the available fibers have been tapped out, not due to congestion and or mechanical constraints of the machine, such as friction or poor resistance curves.

Therefore, more stimulation and as a side effect more occlusion followed by more blood, oxygen and nutrition.  More of what we want and less of what we don’t….congestion and interruption of the Real Objective of Exercise.

Why does the body produce congestion?

Why do we experience edema?

A theory I have proposed is that the system is attempting to shut down.

Biological self-preservation and system redundancy is circumvented by the atypical act of slow repetition speed.

In a sense we “fly under the radar.”

The stimulus is presented in a manner so foreign to the body that we stay beneath its protective margins, at least for a longer period of time.  This may also account for the protective nature some have expressed when we encounter “harsh” resistance.  “A bracing affect if you will.” – Negative Thoughts

Most of us have trained on conventional exercise equipment, machines designed for more ballistic type training. Let’s talk about one exercise done this way and study it.

Let’s consider the prone leg curl (any conventional brand, including Nautilus.)

Select a load normally used for 10 conventional repetitions, enter the machine, lay prone, hook the legs, and apply force suddenly.

Assuming the selected weight is reasonable, on the first rep the pads will come all the way to the buttocks, the hamstrings experience an intense full range contraction, almost as if they are going to cramp, “ouch”!

On the next rep a similar experience, perhaps a few degrees less range of motion.

By the third or fourth rep the movement arm is nowhere near the buttocks, of course you continue on… you haven’t “failed”, have you?

In order to continue the set you will find that with each and every subsequent rep you will lose some range on the contracted end and as you continue also on the stretched (extended) end, but you continue…..you haven’t “failed” yet, have you?

This is high intensity training, therefore you continue along with these “reps” (partials) and you will find that as you continue to lose range of motion on the ends, movement in the middle of the range is still possible, but some more of it disintegrates as you plug away, you haven’t “failed” yet, have you?

Movement is still possible, small pulses somewhere around halfway between the knee being straight and it being bent to 90 degrees.

No matter how many times you replicate this set, at these speeds, the set will terminate the SAME way.  Reps may vary, but you will lose range on the ends until you can no longer budge the movement arm anymore.

Wait a minute…did you ever fail?

NO you didn’t!

You just congested the muscle beyond the point of function, gummed it up, pumped it, in the process eliminated the ability to recruit maximum musculature and eliminated any extended occlusion required to achieve a superior, long lasting and predictable pump.

And is it possible that the muscle always runs out of steam in the same part of the same set every time?

NO!

You ran into two problems; one is mechanical, which we will save for another article, the other metabolic.

YOU PUMPED UP DURING THE SET!

So what happened?

In the article “Negative Thoughts” the author wrote; “It isn’t friction gentlemen, but whatever the hell it is; it affects us less by using slower protocols. Comparing when you get stuck going fast versus going slow screams that you don’t understand the salient factors involved.  Most guys who try and compare protocols don’t understand that reaching failure and inroading deeply are not the same.”

The muscle becomes so congested, so quickly, because of the aggressive action on the initiation of positive which contributes to the momentum, which contributes to momentarily decline in tension, which is followed by a poorly loaded negative. Very high efforts followed by moments of lower tension and respite, perhaps even moments below 60% MVC. The situation only worsens when you watch the more advanced subjects train.

“Their ability to contract and un-contract is extraordinary.  Intensity=inroad? – No way.  What you think you’re experiencing and what the muscles are truly experiencing may be very different.” – Negative Thoughts

The more advanced the subject, the more muscle and the better he can contract and uncontract- the more blood, oxygen and nutrition his muscles will require.

The method that he employs will ultimately determine if and when the pump arrives and if the pump helps or hinders his efforts, his intent.

Let me know your thoughts by posting them in the comments section below.

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Tagged as: High Intensity Training, inroad, muscle pump, negative feedback loop, Renaissance Exercise