8 Ways To Get Better Muscle Pumps
There is no better feeling than the pump as Arnold used to say back in the day “The pump is better than having sex with a woman” If you have been training for some time you probably know the incredible feeling of having an amazing pump. In this article we will talk about 8 ways you can get a better muscle pump when lifting weights in the gym.
Stay Hydrated
The easiest way to visualize the impact of hydration on your muscles is to picture a dried fruit. How do they look? Typically they are all shrivelled up and dead. On the other hand how does a fruit like a tomato or plum, that are full of water, look? Full, plump and delicious! If you are getting plenty of water in your diet you can expect a similar impact on your muscles. You will have more blood and fluids to fill your veins which will them be pumped into your muscle, giving you a great looking pump. Keep drinking water throughout the day and make sure you compensate for any drinks that have a dehydrating effect like soda or coffee. Fortunately water is very cheap so following this tip won’t cost you much besides a couple extra trips to the urinal each day.
Consume Lots of High-Quality Carbohydrates
Taking carbohydrates before you work out is extremely important. Your muscles want to fill with glycogen to get that tight muscle pump and have adequate energy to complete a difficult workout. Not to mention it will also make your muscles look bigger and fuller. Typically people on low-carb diets have muscles that appear flat even though they are lifting hard and that’s because they don’t get enough carbs. While we understand some people’s bodies respond very poorly to excessive carbs we do recommend trying to take in any carbs you DO consume close to your training session so you can get a better muscle pump and improve your recovery speed.
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Squeeze the Muscle
If you are going through your workout on “autopilot” while thinking about other things, you won’t get a great pump. You want to keep yourself focused on every set and really focus on contracting your muscles on every rep – make sure you are squeezing the muscle at the peak! If you do this it won’t take many reps to get your muscle feeling very tight.
Use Supersets to Mix it Up
Supersets are when you perform two exercises back to back without any rest. It’s a great way to mix it up so your muscles don’t get familiar with what you are going to do. It also increases blood flow to your muscle and exhausts them faster. You can mix up different body parts or do two exercises targeting the same muscle group – it’s really up to you. Experiment and see what gives you the best results.
Add-in some Dropsets
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Dropsets are one of the best ways not only to get a great pump but also to exhaust the muscle. You perform an exercise until you reach failure and then drop down to a lower weight and continue. Some bros will go right down the free-weight rack until they are literally curling 5lb dumbbells at the end. While you don’t need to go this far you WILL get a great pump when you do it. Dropping the weight 2-3 times is more common, however.
Use Nitric Oxide Supplements
Nitric Oxide supplements will help give you a great pump during your workout. Having high Nitric Oxide levels in the bloodstream will mean better blood flow so your muscles can fill up and look great. Make sure you take a supplement, like Nitrocut, that uses ingredients that are proven to boost NO levels! – See our research on nitric oxide boosters here.
Shorten the Rest Periods
While taking long rests is helpful when you are working with heavy weight at low reps, it’s not ideal when trying to get a great pump. By shortening the rest periods more blood will remain in your muscle tissues giving you that consistently swollen feeling.
Reduce the Tempo
Perform your reps slowly and really focus on contracting the muscle. Maximizing the time under tension and focusing in squeezing the muscle will force more blood into the muscle and will have it feeling very tight, quickly. When combined with short rest periods you can expect a solid pump!
