What is muscle pumping and how to use it correctly

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What you need

• Barbell
• Exercise equipment
• Dumbbells
• Horizontal bar

Pumping (from the English verb to pump - “pump up”) is a training method aimed at maximizing blood supply to the muscles and their maximum increase in volume during the training process. Pumping training is practiced mainly by bodybuilders, but athletes of other strength sports will also find certain advantages in them. We will tell you which ones exactly in this article.

Muscle gain after workout

If you look at yourself in the mirror after a workout, you will see that your figure looks more toned. The muscles you worked on fill with blood, swell, and become better visible under the skin. This is called the pumping effect.

Within 30–60 minutes after training, the muscles are freed from excess blood, which disperses throughout the body and goes into the depot until the next workout. And your figure takes on its usual shape.

Blood flows to where the optimal level of nutrients and oxygen is currently needed. That is, during the exercise - to the working muscle group. That's why you seem bigger after a workout than before.

Meaning and origin of the term

Pampas, or pampa (which translates as “steppe”), is a term borrowed by the Spaniards from the Quechua Indian tribe to designate the flat steppe plains. As such, it has widespread use in southeastern South America, where grassy plains begin south of the Brazilian Plateau and extend all the way to Argentina. There, the pampas expand west of the Rio de la Plata to meet the Andean foothills. And then, in the north, they imperceptibly merge with the Gran Chaco and Southern Mesopotamia, extending south to the Colorado River. The eastern border is the Atlantic coast.

The Pampas have a gradual downward slope from northwest to southeast. The approximate elevation difference varies from 500 meters above sea level in Mendoza to 20 meters in Buenos Aires. The flat surface mainly consists of thick deposits of loess, interrupted only by rare caps of alluvium and volcanic ash. In the southern Pampas, the landscape gradually rises to meet the Sierra foothills, formed from old sediments and crystalline rocks. Most of the region appears completely flat.

Pumping mechanism

When you pump, you purposefully pump blood into your muscles. There are certain ions in the blood that pull water with them. Thus, liquid penetrates the cells and fills them, increasing their volume. Totally swollen cells give a 5–10% increase in muscle volume.

Due to pumping, any person receives a small visual increase in muscle mass.

Blood is pumped into the muscles through exercise. The process is accompanied by a specific sensation of muscle expansion: it is difficult for you to bend your arm, for example, because your biceps is in the way. At this moment you feel more, which is confirmed both visually and to the touch. It's like you're full of water.

What is pumping in practical terms? It is multi-repetition training in which the number of repetitions reaches 15 or more.

The pump effect can be caused by:

• Physical activity.
• Special additives.

In the first case, everything is clear - they came, swayed properly, and everything was ready. In terms of supplements, things are a little different.

The essence of the drugs is to retain fluid in the body. The range of drugs is large, ranging from arginine-containing supplements to steroids. Creatine and some fat burners retain water. Please note that the accumulation of water in the body can have negative sides!

Local population

Since the 17th century, the main population of the pampa has been gaucho shepherds. They come from a mixture of Europeans and Indians. They live in nature and have remarkable health and stamina. By nature they are proud and arrogant.

These days, this South American steppe is densely populated. It is home to ¾ of Argentina's population. The largest city is Rosario. It was here that Che Guevara, the leader of the Cuban Revolution, was born.

The second most populated settlement is La Plata, and the third is Santa Fe. Crowds of pilgrims come to the city of Luján every year to venerate the Virgin Mary of Luján, the protector of Argentina.

Is this exactly what you need?

Let's first decide on the purpose of your studies. If you don’t know exactly why you go to the gym, and you don’t have a specific goal, you might as well try pumping. There will be no harm from it. Of course, here we are talking about the type of training, and not about drugs.

If you are following a specific cherished goal, you should analyze the compatibility of high-repetition training and different areas of working with iron.

Mass gain

Pumping for weight gain is not recommended to be used systematically. It can be practiced once a month or less often to change the nature of the load.

You can use supersets or negative reps.

It is also good to use the effect immediately before competitions and photography (if you participate in such events).

Weight loss

Multi-repetition exercises are more than suitable for fat-burning training. This is both an active expenditure of calories and an expansion of the boundaries of your endurance.

Increased strength

Increasing strength and performing exercises in pumping mode are quite correlated. If you use this type of training correctly, you can accelerate the development of your strength indicators.

Let's consider in which exercises pumping training will give maximum results, and where it will be useless.

Pampa cereals

How to use pumping

Let's look at the practical side of the issue. That is, the benefits of the training method in question for your muscles.

According to practitioners with extensive training experience, it is best to “pump” large muscle groups. These are the chest and legs. For small muscles, the effect will be insignificant, that is, pumping the biceps is not very relevant.

Of course, this does not mean that your muscles will not increase in volume, far from it. You just won’t get a noticeable increase in strength from this type of load. The legs and chest in this regard are more obedient and train well. For example, if you do a leg press 15 times with a working weight, the results will appear faster than doing 10 repetitions.

However, there will be some benefit from working smaller muscles. Firstly, you will increase the limit of their endurance, and secondly, you will expel from them the breakdown products remaining from previous training. More isolated multi-repetition training, in this case, will not give you anything.

Proper pumping involves complex exercises. For example, you do some basic exercise for several repetitions, alternating it with a simpler multi-repetition exercise.

Let's look at what a bench press and pumping of the pectoral muscles will look like. You can work in the following mode:

1. Pre-fatigue.
2. Finishing off.

In the first case, you first hammer the pectoral muscles with high-repetition flyes on a horizontal bench, then go to press a heavy weight 2-3 times. Working in a superset in this case will be more effective than the classic change of work to rest.

In the second case, you press to failure, then, as much as you can, raise the dumbbells at different angles. When you get tired, there will still be partial range of motion work left. So, don’t give up at the first feeling of fatigue.

For beginners who have just joined the gym, a program consisting primarily of high-repetition exercises will be a good option. This will strengthen the ligaments and tendons, preparing the body for further work. Unless, of course, the newcomer decides to continue his difficult path. During the first month of training, it is the pump with light weights that will protect the beginner from injuries and overtraining.

Some common pampa plants

Both of these species are members of the Quebracho tree group, a collective name for native trees with heavy, hard wood. Quebracho (quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha) means "breaking axe."

Peak contraction

The exercise in this case is performed as usual. But when the approach is being performed, the athlete must pause at the very peak of the approach. If we talk about bending the arms, then the delay will occur at the top point. How long will the delay last? Each athlete decides for himself. The main thing is not to overdo it, as negative consequences and severe pain are possible. A 1-2 second delay will be enough.

The history of the body pump

Fitness company Les Mills and its team of instructors created a unique body pump technique in 1991 in New Zealand. It was the founder of the company, Philip Mills, who proposed to create a new trend in group training with a barbell. Now body pump training is carried out all over the world, the company is still creating new programs and every three months presents videos of updated classes to all interested trainers and fitness clubs. The company also selects new and popular tracks for its programs, which can also be purchased along with the program. Les Mills has released more than 100 training programs since its inception.

Is it possible to lose weight? Build muscle mass?

Pump fitness is a calorie burner. During the training, you can lose up to 600 kcal in an hour. However, in order to burn such a number of calories, you need to perform exercises with the maximum weight for you and with the required intensity. Result: reduction in volume and loss of excess weight, a toned muscular body is formed.

If you want to build muscle, then this type of training is not suitable for you. By working with a heavy load, you can achieve luxurious relief. You will not build muscle using this program. However, even such training is better for muscles than Pilates, dancing and cardio training.

Recommendations for those involved

Before you start pump training, it is worth considering a number of recommendations that will help you get a good result:

• The weight of the bar should be selected independently. It should not be light (there is no necessary load) or too heavy (it is difficult to maintain the technique). The weight of the barbell depends on the intensity and your physical capabilities.
• During training, do not round your back. Keep your knees slightly bent. When performing lunges, your knees should not go forward of your toes.
• To pump up your legs and buttocks, add barbell weight. Squeeze your buttocks while performing pump exercises.
• If you are not in the best physical shape, do not overdo it. Experienced athletes push their body much harder than you do. Don't chase them.
• In every lesson you fight with yourself, with fears and laziness. Increase the load gradually and set yourself a goal.
• Follow the trainer's instructions. Proper execution of the exercises will ensure the effectiveness of the exercise and help avoid injury. If you have any doubts about the correct execution of the pump exercise, contact your trainer.
• To feel comfortable during training, give preference to clothes made from “sports synthetics”. It “fits” the figure, is breathable and wear-resistant.
• Training should be regular. The creators of Body Pump recommend exercising 2-4 times a week. Don't miss classes. With long breaks, the transformation process will take quite a long time.