How can I tell the difference between a productive workout and a "pump workout"?

[NoStoppingMe]

How can I make sure that the workouts and routines I experiment with will actually give me results instead of pumps?

For example, for legs:

Front squat: 6 x 15, 20 sec rest between sets
1 min rest
Barbell hack squat: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets
1 min rest
Lying leg curl: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets

Microtrauma or pump?

[Mikey1]

i have no idea how you can do that many sets of squats in a row.......but anyway.....you should just know in your head after a workout wether or not it was productive......i certainly do

your main concern should be....did you increase reps or weight since your last workout?.....the answer should be yes

[Defiant1]

How can I make sure that the workouts and routines I experiment with will actually give me results instead of pumps?

For example, for legs:

Front squat: 6 x 15, 20 sec rest between sets
1 min rest
Barbell hack squat: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets
1 min rest
Lying leg curl: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets

Microtrauma or pump?

If you are doing bodybuilding reps and get a pump, that is a good thing. If you get a pump in a bodypart that goes away while you are still training it, you are doing too much.

Past a certain stage, you cannot expect strength gains each workout, and since the optimum workout for strength gains (esp. short term) is not the same thing as the optimum workout for size, you can use the pump as a gauge to judge your workouts.

edit:bodybuilding reps are 5-20 or so for practical purposes.

[Nick666]

How can I make sure that the workouts and routines I experiment with will actually give me results instead of pumps?

For example, for legs:

Front squat: 6 x 15, 20 sec rest between sets
1 min rest
Barbell hack squat: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets
1 min rest
Lying leg curl: 3 x 12, triple drop sets, 1 min rest between sets

Microtrauma or pump?

My answer's gonna sound funny, but you know if you have made microtrauma if you grow, that's all. If there are microtrauma and sufficient calories, the homo sapiens muscles hypertrophy - and those of most other mamals I guess since these adaptations have existed for millions of years-.

Not more complicated than that.

So if you don't grow, the real question to ask is: why the hell didn't I make microtrauma, and how am I gonna manage to make microtrauma next time?