Pumping—Why Is It Important for Muscle Training?

One of the secrets to a athletic physique is “pumping,” or workouts designed to increase blood flow to the muscles and create the associated visual increase in muscle size. Although this effect lasts only a couple of hours after a workout, it influences the appearance and fullness of the muscles.

Just as bodybuilders do before a competition, fitness models do before a photo shoot—or even regular athletes before heading to the beach—they all, to one degree or another, prepare their muscles through “pumping.” In this article, we’ll explore how to achieve it—and exactly how it affects muscle growth.

What is pumping?

"Pumping" is an English word that literally means "to pump." The term itself is closely associated with the use of specific training strategies to build muscle (primarily in the arms and chest) with the goal of increasing size and fullness.

During repeated exercise, the veins that carry blood away from the working muscles constrict—while the arteries that supply blood continue to pump fluid. This causes plasma to seep from the capillaries into the interstitial space.

Studies¹ show that pumping is one of the key components of muscle growth. Another factor is that pumping workouts increase lactate levels in the muscles—which causes the retention of extra fluid and leads to the literal “swelling” of muscle fibers.

How does it affect muscle growth?

Scientists have proven¹ that pumping and infusing additional fluid into the muscles has a positive effect on accelerating anabolic processes (by increasing the cells’ ability to absorb protein components)—and also slows down the breakdown of existing muscle tissue.

However, it is important to note that pumping is an advanced training technique—and should not be used too often. For beginners, regular pumping workouts can lead to overtraining—and should be used with extreme caution.

Pumping Workout — Rules

Strictly speaking, there are two main strategies for strength training: hypertrophy (increasing muscle strength) and pumping (increasing muscle volume). In the first case, you need heavy weights, 3–4 sets, 5–10 repetitions, and long rest periods between sets.

In turn, to achieve a pump, you should use moderate to light working weights, 2–3 sets, 12–20 repetitions, and shorter rest periods between sets (no more than 60 seconds).

Each strategy imposes certain limitations on the choice of exercises—light dumbbell exercises are most commonly used for pumping, while heavy basic barbell exercises are used for hypertrophy.

The Role of Carbohydrates in Nutrition for Muscle Growth

It is often believed that to kickstart muscle growth, you need to consume fast-acting carbohydrates immediately after a workout—based on the “carbohydrate window” theory.

However, the current view is that the body needs carbohydrates not after a workout—but before it. This is partly to build up glycogen stores in the muscles.

Successful muscle-building can only be achieved if your overall carbohydrate intake allows for it—any restriction on carbohydrates has a negative effect on muscle mass.

Data sources:
The Muscle Pump — Potential Mechanisms and Applications for Enhancing Hypertrophic Adaptations, source