It's time to set the record straight on one of the most debated topics in
bodybuilding...whether or not the "pump" you get from high rep
weight training has any place in maximizing the actual SIZE of your muscles.
Now we all know how great it feels when you finish out that muscle buster set of
arm curls and it feels like your bicep is about to rip right through your skin.
That "pumped" feeling occurs because your muscle fibers contract through
high-intensity exercise and are then literally just STUFFED with blood and lactic
acid, building up pressure and stretching your muscle to full capacity.
And let's face it, this is like crack cocaine for our ego and it's what
keeps many of us going back to the gym because it's the proof we're
looking for that our hard work is actually going to result in some serious muscle
growth, right? In fact, the "pump" is so celebrated among bodybuilders
that it's spawned an entire area of nitric oxide supplements that focus on
doing one thing...extending the "pump" you get in the gym farther
into your day .
But whether or not the pump is valuable at all to your bodybuilding efforts depends
on who you listen to...
Many fitness consultants dismiss this temporary increase in muscle size as just
a short-lived ego booster with no real purpose toward gaining muscle. And it's
true that the effects of the pump go away within about 30 minutes once the muscle
fibers relax and the blood is able to once again flow freely through your arms,
chest, shoulders, or whatever other "show off" muscles you're
working on.
But looking deeper, there's more to what's happening than just the psychological
benefit.
Here's what I mean...
Your muscles are comprised of various types of fibers but for our purposes in the
gym we'll focus mainly on the two most important...your "Type 1"
and "Type 2" fibers.
What you'll find is that each of these muscle fibers have a very distinct
function in the body and ALSO require different forms of stimulation in order to
optimize their activation.
First let's look at your "Type 1" muscle fibers, commonly referred
to as your "slow twitch" fibers. These fibers are red in color because
they contain a larger amount of capillaries which gives them the advantage of increased
blood flow and an increased capacity to produce more energy for a longer time. When
you perform an exercise in a higher repetition range, like 8-15 reps, you are predominantly
hitting your slow twitch muscle fibers.
Next we have the "Type 2" muscle fibers which are known as "fast
twitch" and are "white" in color because they have much less blood
supply. The advantage they have is that the contain a lot more creatine phosphate
and are able to produce a LOT of power, but only for about 10 seconds before they
simply give out. These are the fibers that are trained best through heavy weights
and low repetitions for sports such as power lifting.