Not getting a pump during workouts. WHY?

[huikim]

What's the reasoning behind not getting that pumped feeling during workouts?
because this happens to me from time to time, sometimes, I get such an amazing pump, however others I dont feel anything at all. Especially when it comes to compound chest workouts.

during chest, i have that feeling of where nothing gets pumped and i feel like ive started working out for the first time and my muscles just give in, my triceps just hurt and give in. and i get a hurting feeling more than a blood-to-muscles feeling.

No pump -> no increase in size -> no confidence -> no strength -> bad workout.

Anyone want to help me out, whats with not getting a pump during workouts.
And it's not just chest either, sometimes it's with my arms, back, etc.

and its not as if ive changed anything, same diet, workout routine, etc. but something is wrong because it happens from time to time.

[SuffolkPunch]

Pump is not important. If anything it's a sign that you used a weight that was too light.

All it does is temporarily fill your muscles with blood. This is not what actually makes them grow.

[SuffolkPunch]

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/PumpBurn.html

[Zero-Kelvin]

Pump is not important. If anything it's a sign that you used a weight that was too light.

All it does is temporarily fill your muscles with blood. This is not what actually makes them grow.

^ Don't listen this guy

The pump is what gets nutrients to your muscles. The pump is important.

I don't think your warming up, or good enough at least. Try doing at least 1-2 warm up sets before each workout, with weight that isn't too light but not too heavy either. And make sure your form is good, don't do the workout too fast. Also make sure your hydrated and you have ate, and stretching for 1-2 minutes wouldn't be a bad idea either, to loosen up your muscles.

[SuffolkPunch]

^ Don't listen this guy

The pump is what gets nutrients to your muscles. The pump is important.

I don't think your warming up, or good enough at least. Try doing at least 1-2 warm up sets before each workout, with weight that isn't too light but not too heavy either. And make sure your form is good, don't do the workout too fast. Also make sure your hydrated and you have ate, and stretching for 1-2 minutes wouldn't be a bad idea either, to loosen up your muscles.

^^ This guys has a lot of red squares next to his name for a very good reason. He likes to argue with people who know more than him because he likes the attention.

[Zero-Kelvin]

^^ This guys has a lot of red squares next to his name for a very good reason. He likes to argue with people who know more than him because he likes the attention.

No, those red squares are there because I disagreed with people about my goals and Starting Strength.

And you know more than me? Yet you don't know the importance of the Pump? You fail dude.

[LOOT310]

dudes the guy with the red squares is right for the most part. why do you think products like nitric oxide exist? they dialate your blood vessels and allow more oxygen and nutrients to get to into your muscle cells and help you get through sets. this allows you to do more weight and more reps. its also why some people beleive in taking supps like arganine before bed and when youre not even lifting.

[SuffolkPunch]

No, those red squares are there because I disagreed with people about my goals and Starting Strength.

And you know more than me? Yet you don't know the importance of the Pump? You fail dude.

Let's assume I don't know anything. Did your read the link I posted? Care to argue with the highly qualified people who wrote it? OK, you probably would. Having the last word in a thread and declaring "YUO FAIL DOOD!!!1" is not the same thing as winning an intellectual argument.

[SuffolkPunch]

dudes the guy with the red squares is right for the most part. why do you think products like nitric oxide exist? they dialate your blood vessels and allow more oxygen and nutrients to get to into your muscle cells and help you get through sets. this allows you to do more weight and more reps. its also why some people beleive in taking supps like arganine before bed and when youre not even lifting.

There is no proof NO products do anything useful

[Engineer_Guy]

Lots of construed information in this thread. I'll throw in my two cents.

Pump does not mean mass gains. I could get some good pump in my biceps by doing 100 curls of light weights but I won't see any results from this. Yet you could do 10 reps of a high weight, get insignificant pump but it will be beneficial towards gaining mass.

[kev120782]

Lots of construed information in this thread. I'll throw in my two cents.

Pump does not mean mass gains. I could get some good pump in my biceps by doing 100 curls of light weights but I won't see any results from this. Yet you could do 10 reps of a high weight, get insignificant pump but it will be beneficial towards gaining mass.

+1 on this^.

[The Big Sleep]

Lots of construed information in this thread. I'll throw in my two cents.

Pump does not mean mass gains. I could get some good pump in my biceps by doing 100 curls of light weights but I won't see any results from this. Yet you could do 10 reps of a high weight, get insignificant pump but it will be beneficial towards gaining mass.

I think you mean Misconstrued, but I think you guys are missing a key point: There's more than one way to stimulate hypertrophy!

Getting a "pump" is just one of those pathways to hypertrophy, but look at powerlifters and even sprinters, those guys train for maximal force with very few exercises aimed at getting a pump and yet their some of the strongest/leanest/most muscular individuals on the planet.

In reality, all your body is doing when you lift lighter weights for higher reps is battling a threshold of lactic acid buildup and thus, to defend itself, it needs to get blood in there to remove those metabolic waste products; otherwise your muscles would "burn" indefinitely, so to speak.

[laborm]

No, those red squares are there because I disagreed with people about my goals and Starting Strength.

And you know more than me? Yet you don't know the importance of the Pump? You fail dude.

Agreed that the pump is an essential ingredient. It's NOT the end all be all, but it is nice for a few reasons.

Like zero said - A pump is when blood rushes to your targeted muscle, bringing with it oxygen and nutrients. A good pump also helps eradicate waste.

And dude so many factors can play into a pump.

Your body wont function right if you dont have enough sleep is one

If you dont do a proper warm up, you most surely wont recieve a pump

Do your reps with mind muscle connection in mind. Try to feel the muscle working, and only that muscle. Like bench, try to only feel your chest, block out other groups.

[princesoni]

i get good pump on my chest day, and i don't get much pump during arms day, but my arms are growing better then chest. so you can't compare pump with progress!

[BananaHammocks]

For what it's worth, I never feel "pumped" when I bench and I increased it by 50 lbs in 3 months. Sure, I'm very much a beginner, but to say that no pump = no strength is ignorant at best.

[Coach-C]

i get good pump on my chest day, and i don't get much pump during arms day, but my arms are growing better then chest. so you can't compare pump with progress!

Your chest is going to grow faster then your arms, because you can lift heavier weight with it and it is a bigger muscle then your arms. So that is ine. Here is what i believe about pump vs burn. Do i think one is better no, but do i think both is needed in a workout to get the BEST results somewhat. Some people can grow having one or the orther just fine. Some people grow fine without either and some people grow more with both IMO. Here is what I do, Chest for ex is compound so i get more of a burn with heavier weight and almost going to rep failure that means having a set of 6 reps and doing a weight i cant get no more then 6. I get the burn from this and i do the same with Incline, but here is where i get my pump. After the compund lifts, i do Flys and dips this is where my pump comes that gets the blood flowing and pushes that latic acid out and promotes muscle growth. This is how i do it for every exercise. Burn wash with pump has always been my motto and it works very effective for me.

[Malig]

So red squared people think pump is important and green squared people say it isn't something to worry about

[ironwill2008]

The pump doesn't signify anything other than the muscle involved is getting some work. It doesn't signify that the muscle will grow.

I can pick up a pair of 10 pound dumbbells, and crank out 25 quick reps of curls, and get a nice "pump" without breaking a sweat. OR, I can grab the 50's, and bust out a difficult set of 6. Which set do you want to put your money on that it's going to produce growth?

The pump "bringing 'nutrients' to the muscle?" Is there no blood supply to said muscle if there's no pump?

If you think it's beneficial to train to "pump up" your muscles, then go for it. A far better goal would be to train for what's actually important--progressive increase in load, week-to-week.

[Zero-Kelvin]

The pump doesn't signify anything other than the muscle involved is getting some work. It doesn't signify that the muscle will grow.

I can pick up a pair of 10 pound dumbbells, and crank out 25 quick reps of curls, and get a nice "pump" without breaking a sweat. OR, I can grab the 50's, and bust out a difficult set of 6. Which set do you want to put your money on that it's going to produce growth?

The pump "bringing 'nutrients' to the muscle?" Is there no blood supply to said muscle if there's no pump?

If you think it's beneficial to train to "pump up" your muscles, then go for it. A far better goal would be to train for what's actually important--progressive increase in load, week-to-week.

But would you get a "pump" after cranking out a set of 6 with those 50's? Most likely yes, and I don't know anyone who would get a pump from doing 25 reps with 10lb dumbbells, that's too light of weight.

But either way it goes, your still lifting weights, whether its 10lbs or 50lbs, if blood rushes to that muscle it's going to deliver nutrients. And of course lifting 50lbs is going to produce more muscle growth than 10lbs, that doesn't even relate to this topic.

Also, the pump actually does signify muscle growth, if you have protein in your red blood cells [which idk anyone who doesn't] and your blood rushes the muscle your working out and delivers the protein [which protein is required for "muscle growth"] then your muscles are growing no doubt about it.

That just made me think of something, you know how people say it's important to get lots of protein immediately after your workout? Well most likely your still going to have some kind of pump, and while that protein goes into your body your body is going to break it down and your blood is going to deliver the protein throughout your body and deliver more to the muscles that are still pumped or even have just a slight pump. So either way, the pump actually IS beneficial to muscle growth.

[SuffolkPunch]

So red squared people think pump is important and green squared people say it isn't something to worry about

The rep system isn't to be taken too seriously but I strongly recommend you read the exrx link and listen to Ironwill

[Coach-C]

But would you get a "pump" after cranking out a set of 6 with those 50's? Most likely yes, and I don't know anyone who would get a pump from doing 25 reps with 10lb dumbbells, that's too light of weight.

But either way it goes, your still lifting weights, whether its 10lbs or 50lbs, if blood rushes to that muscle it's going to deliver nutrients. And of course lifting 50lbs is going to produce more muscle growth than 10lbs, that doesn't even relate to this topic.

Also, the pump actually does signify muscle growth, if you have protein in your red blood cells [which idk anyone who doesn't] and your blood rushes the muscle your working out and delivers the protein [which protein is required for "muscle growth"] then your muscles are growing no doubt about it.

That just made me think of something, you know how people say it's important to get lots of protein immediately after your workout? Well most likely your still going to have some kind of pump, and while that protein goes into your body your body is going to break it down and your blood is going to deliver the protein throughout your body and deliver more to the muscles that are still pumped or even have just a slight pump. So either way, the pump actually IS beneficial to muscle growth.

No one said the pump wasnt benefical to muscle growth. Your 17, you will realize with time.

[Orlando1234977]

why do you think products like nitric oxide exist?

Because if people that don't know any better buy them, they make money.

[Zero-Kelvin]

No one said the pump wasnt benefical to muscle growth. Your 17, you will realize with time.

The pump doesn't signify anything other than the muscle involved is getting some work. It doesn't signify that the muscle will grow.


If you think it's beneficial to train to "pump up" your muscles, then go for it. A far better goal would be to train for what's actually important--progressive increase in load, week-to-week.

Ironwill basically implied that it wasn't beneficial.

So did this guy

Pump is not important. If anything it's a sign that you used a weight that was too light.

So what were you saying again? Your only 3 years older than me dude, and I actually turn 18 soon so basically 2 years, so don't speak about age to me like you know so much more because you were born 2 years before me because you have no clue what you're talking about.

[InclineDBPresss]

(this is just from my 1.5 years experience and reading I've done, so take it with a grain of salt, just offering my perspective: )

On OP's question, the pump is related to a lot of factors. I'll rattle off some, energy levels, sleep the night before, carb intake, glycemic index of said carb intake, protein intake, How long ago you ate and how much, your level of hydration, supplements also play a role.

Not saying you should try to control all these to favor a pump, i'm saying there are too many factors so that you shouldn't feel bad when you don't get the best pump of your life. But if you want to get a better chance of a pump, I'd say make sure you're getting good quality rest, breathing well and eating well.

You should keep your workouts heavy like everyone else said. The style of your resistance training doesn't even matter much on pump. Sometimes I'll be doing doubles and get crazy blood flow. Sometimes I'll throw in some lateral raise tri-sets and thinking "MMC! MMC!" and won't get a pump at all.

Hope that helped.

[Coach-C]

Ironwill basically implied that it wasn't beneficial.

So did this guy



So what were you saying again? Your only 3 years older than me dude, and I actually turn 18 soon so basically 2 years, so don't speak about age to me like you know so much more because you were born 2 years before me because you have no clue what you're talking about.

I want saying that in any way to offend you. Also, if you want to go there i have been also training 2+ more years then you. All i was saying as you get more expereinced you will realize this, i was just saying you are young. I never said i knew more than you or anything like that.

[Bechsgaard]

All 'dem REDS GONNA RED

[Hltrskltr]

Try focusing on the negative part of your reps more than the positive. If you're bench pressing try lowering it slowly and exploding out of it and try not to lock out arms completely to keep the tension on the muscle. Had a similar problem while training chest and found this beneficial, sometimes I'd add a few more sets and play around with different rep ranges but always going to failure.

[Cranz]

It's scientifically proven that pump has nothing to do with gaining mass. You find this by a simple google search.

But you or anyone else are free to believe in what they want. No point arguing.

[ThickAsABrick]

Too bad this crap thread got bumped.

If you're training bodybuilding-style, you're going to get a pump. If you don't, something isn't right. If you're new, don't sweat it too much, but if you've been around a while, you may want to either adjust your form or increase your volume.

[Cthisi]

dudes the guy with the red squares is right for the most part. why do you think products like nitric oxide exist? they dialate your blood vessels and allow more oxygen and nutrients to get to into your muscle cells and help you get through sets. this allows you to do more weight and more reps. its also why some people beleive in taking supps like arganine before bed and when youre not even lifting.

"nitric oxide" lol