JackSteel
MuscleChemistry Member
The Science Behind the Pump | MUSCLE INSIDER
“For me the pump is key.” -jack steel
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PUMP
Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger explained the satisfying feeling of a muscle pump in the popular documentary Pumping Iron, bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts have been chasing “the pump.” Arnold explained just how gratifying a muscle pump can be, even comparing it to orgasm, which makes sense because a great muscle pump and great sex can induce a mega-rush of endorphin release:
The greatest feeling you can get in a gym, or the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym, is the pump. Let's say you train your biceps; blood is rushing into your muscles and that's what we call the pump. Your muscles get a really tight feeling like your skin is going to explode any minute, and it’s really tight, and it’s like someone is blowing air into your muscle and it just blows up and it feels different. It feels fantastic. It’s as satisfying to me as cumming is, you know, as in having sex with a woman and cumming. So can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like getting the feeling of cumming in the gym; I’m getting the feeling of cumming at home; I’m getting the feeling of cumming backstage; when I pump up, when I pose out in front of 5000 people I get the same feeling, so I am cumming day and night. I mean it’s terrific, right? So you know, I am in heaven.
Although many lifters chase that pump for the instant gratification that Arnold described, there’s scientific rationale behind pumps and the muscle growth attributed to them. There are even a host of different supplements and ingredients now available that can help enhance muscle pumps. The funny thing is, many of these popular pump supplements are also effective sex supplements and can help improve erectile function in men through various nitric oxide (NO) pathways. I’ll explain the science behind the muscle pump, and six of the best pump-promoting ingredients you can use for greater pumps and growth!
The Science Behind the Pump and Muscle Growth
The scientific term for a muscle pump is “hyperemia,” which means the increase of blood flow to muscles of the body. A muscle pump saturates the muscles with nutrient-rich and oxygenated blood; this is one mechanism by which the pump can help stimulate new muscle growth. More nutrients and oxygen means muscles can work harder and longer in the gym, and they’ll have the building blocks needed for optimal recovery and growth. When the muscle is pumped up beyond its normal size, pumps can also enhance muscle growth by way of fascial stretching. When the fascial tissue is stretched, room for more muscle growth is made available. Over time, the pump can also result in a greater number of capillaries in muscle tissue, which means they can provide the muscles with more nutrients and oxygen for even bigger pumps and more growth long-term!
You can use various training techniques to achieve greater pumps, and proper nutrition is critically important. If you aren’t able to get a decent pump, it usually means your muscles aren’t properly fed/hydrated and the conditions needed for muscle growth aren’t optimal. So, make sure you’re eating a clean diet with a good amount of carbohydrates if you want massive pumps. In addition to your diet and training, you can also look to a few key ingredients to help induce greater muscle pumps!
CITRULLINE
Citrulline is an amino acid that’s converted to L-arginine in the body, during the urea cycle and alongside L-ornithine. Supplementing with citrulline is actually a more effective way to raise arginine levels and enhance nitric oxide (NO) production in the body, rather than supplementing with arginine itself. The issue with arginine is that oral supplementation of arginine is often subject to quite extensive “pre-systemic” and “systemic” elimination from bacteria in the stomach and the enzyme arginase in the gut and liver. Citrulline works better than arginine because it’s converted to L-arginine in the kidneys and increases the level of L-arginine in blood plasma. L-arginine is then readily available to feed into the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) pathway of NO production. Arginine is converted into NO, and increases blood flow and nutrient delivery to working muscles.
In addition to helping deliver great muscle pumps, citrulline has also been studied for its effects on erectile function! Essentially, any supplement that boosts NO can be used for muscle pumps and erectile function. In one study, men with mild erectile dysfunction received a placebo for one month and L-citrulline at 1.5 grams per day, for another month. A total of 24 patients were entered and concluded the study without adverse events. The improvement in the erection hardness score from 3 (mild erectile dysfunction) to 4 (normal erectile function) occurred in 50 percent of the 24 men taking L-citrulline. All patients reporting an erection hardness score improvement from 3 to 4 reported being very satisfied. That’s good news for anyone who needs a little extra erection help!
BEETROOT
Nitrate-rich vegetables such as beetroot are becoming more popular in supplements because they have vascular-influencing effects. In fact, beetroot can promote NO production via the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, which is a completely different pathway from the citrulline-arginine-NOS pathway. So, this makes the combination of citrulline and beetroot very effective since each is working to boost NO by way of different mechanisms. In recent studies, researchers have examined the effects of beetroot intake on lowering blood pressure. The studies demonstrate that the natural nitrate content of beetroot has vascular-influencing effects, which promote NO production via the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway. Nitrate from beetroot has even been shown to improve exercise performance, enhance blood flow, and lower oxygen demand from exercise. Beetroot can improve not only pumps but also performance!
POMEGRANATE EXTRACT
Pomegranate is another new ingredient in the pump category and appears to support nitric oxide and exercise endurance in the same way that beetroot does. It has a high natural nitrate and polyphenol content, which can increase NO production and enhance exercise efficiency. Some research even shows that pomegranate can reduce muscle soreness that’s attributed to intense exercise. Although the science on pomegranate and NO is still emerging, some research shows that supplementation can quickly elevate NO levels when taken about 30 minutes before exercise. Start with one or two pills per day of 500 milligrams of pomegranate extract.
AGMATINE
Agmatine is a by-product of the amino acid arginine, and is produced through a process called decarboxylation. Essentially, agmatine is arginine with the carboxylic acid end removed. Before we get into how agmatine works, we need to understand the basics of NO and the NOS enzymes. NO is a signalling molecule and is involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. The regulation and function of NO is dependent on the dynamic regulation of its enzyme, nitric oxide synthase (NOS). There are three types of NOS: endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). eNOS generates NO in the endothelial cells of blood vessels (in the cardiovascular system), nNOS generates NO in the nervous system, and iNOS generates NO in the immune system.
Agmatine upregulates eNOS in the endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels. By increasing the activity of eNOS, agmatine can boost NO production in blood vessels, and this means an increase in blood flow and greater muscle pumps and nutrient delivery! Agmatine is really an NO modulator and isn’t just a straight NO booster like citrulline. It affects each of the three NOS enzymes in a different way. It upregulates eNOS so you can get better pumps and blood flow, and inhibits nNOS and iNOS, which provides neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting benefits.
BETAINE
Betaine is a trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine and is a component of many foods including wheat, spinach, beets, and shellfish. Some research studies show that betaine supplementation can boost endothelial NO-induced blood flow, whereas other studies contradict this finding. One thing is for sure: Betaine works to deliver muscle pump and performance-enhancing effects by way of other mechanisms of action. One of the physiological functions attributed to betaine includes acting as an osmo-protectant, which means it can help protect cells against dehydration by acting as an osmolyte and increasing the water retention of cells. Although this effect isn’t related to NO and blood flow, it can still have a significant impact on muscle pumps!
GLYCEROL
Glycerol is the backbone that triglycerides (fats) are attached to. It has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its high level of solubility in water and its ability to attract water molecules. Glycerol is a hyper-hydrating molecule that pulls water and muscle-building nutrients into muscle cells for inflated muscle pumps and prolonged endurance. Research supports positive effects of glycerol supplementation for maintaining hydration when it’s consumed before a workout. Although glycerol doesn’t impact NO like some other ingredients do, its hydrating effects in muscle cells make it a worthwhile pump agent.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
“For me the pump is key.” -jack steel
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PUMP
Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger explained the satisfying feeling of a muscle pump in the popular documentary Pumping Iron, bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts have been chasing “the pump.” Arnold explained just how gratifying a muscle pump can be, even comparing it to orgasm, which makes sense because a great muscle pump and great sex can induce a mega-rush of endorphin release:
The greatest feeling you can get in a gym, or the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym, is the pump. Let's say you train your biceps; blood is rushing into your muscles and that's what we call the pump. Your muscles get a really tight feeling like your skin is going to explode any minute, and it’s really tight, and it’s like someone is blowing air into your muscle and it just blows up and it feels different. It feels fantastic. It’s as satisfying to me as cumming is, you know, as in having sex with a woman and cumming. So can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like getting the feeling of cumming in the gym; I’m getting the feeling of cumming at home; I’m getting the feeling of cumming backstage; when I pump up, when I pose out in front of 5000 people I get the same feeling, so I am cumming day and night. I mean it’s terrific, right? So you know, I am in heaven.
Although many lifters chase that pump for the instant gratification that Arnold described, there’s scientific rationale behind pumps and the muscle growth attributed to them. There are even a host of different supplements and ingredients now available that can help enhance muscle pumps. The funny thing is, many of these popular pump supplements are also effective sex supplements and can help improve erectile function in men through various nitric oxide (NO) pathways. I’ll explain the science behind the muscle pump, and six of the best pump-promoting ingredients you can use for greater pumps and growth!
The Science Behind the Pump and Muscle Growth
The scientific term for a muscle pump is “hyperemia,” which means the increase of blood flow to muscles of the body. A muscle pump saturates the muscles with nutrient-rich and oxygenated blood; this is one mechanism by which the pump can help stimulate new muscle growth. More nutrients and oxygen means muscles can work harder and longer in the gym, and they’ll have the building blocks needed for optimal recovery and growth. When the muscle is pumped up beyond its normal size, pumps can also enhance muscle growth by way of fascial stretching. When the fascial tissue is stretched, room for more muscle growth is made available. Over time, the pump can also result in a greater number of capillaries in muscle tissue, which means they can provide the muscles with more nutrients and oxygen for even bigger pumps and more growth long-term!
You can use various training techniques to achieve greater pumps, and proper nutrition is critically important. If you aren’t able to get a decent pump, it usually means your muscles aren’t properly fed/hydrated and the conditions needed for muscle growth aren’t optimal. So, make sure you’re eating a clean diet with a good amount of carbohydrates if you want massive pumps. In addition to your diet and training, you can also look to a few key ingredients to help induce greater muscle pumps!
CITRULLINE
Citrulline is an amino acid that’s converted to L-arginine in the body, during the urea cycle and alongside L-ornithine. Supplementing with citrulline is actually a more effective way to raise arginine levels and enhance nitric oxide (NO) production in the body, rather than supplementing with arginine itself. The issue with arginine is that oral supplementation of arginine is often subject to quite extensive “pre-systemic” and “systemic” elimination from bacteria in the stomach and the enzyme arginase in the gut and liver. Citrulline works better than arginine because it’s converted to L-arginine in the kidneys and increases the level of L-arginine in blood plasma. L-arginine is then readily available to feed into the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) pathway of NO production. Arginine is converted into NO, and increases blood flow and nutrient delivery to working muscles.
In addition to helping deliver great muscle pumps, citrulline has also been studied for its effects on erectile function! Essentially, any supplement that boosts NO can be used for muscle pumps and erectile function. In one study, men with mild erectile dysfunction received a placebo for one month and L-citrulline at 1.5 grams per day, for another month. A total of 24 patients were entered and concluded the study without adverse events. The improvement in the erection hardness score from 3 (mild erectile dysfunction) to 4 (normal erectile function) occurred in 50 percent of the 24 men taking L-citrulline. All patients reporting an erection hardness score improvement from 3 to 4 reported being very satisfied. That’s good news for anyone who needs a little extra erection help!
BEETROOT
Nitrate-rich vegetables such as beetroot are becoming more popular in supplements because they have vascular-influencing effects. In fact, beetroot can promote NO production via the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway, which is a completely different pathway from the citrulline-arginine-NOS pathway. So, this makes the combination of citrulline and beetroot very effective since each is working to boost NO by way of different mechanisms. In recent studies, researchers have examined the effects of beetroot intake on lowering blood pressure. The studies demonstrate that the natural nitrate content of beetroot has vascular-influencing effects, which promote NO production via the nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway. Nitrate from beetroot has even been shown to improve exercise performance, enhance blood flow, and lower oxygen demand from exercise. Beetroot can improve not only pumps but also performance!
POMEGRANATE EXTRACT
Pomegranate is another new ingredient in the pump category and appears to support nitric oxide and exercise endurance in the same way that beetroot does. It has a high natural nitrate and polyphenol content, which can increase NO production and enhance exercise efficiency. Some research even shows that pomegranate can reduce muscle soreness that’s attributed to intense exercise. Although the science on pomegranate and NO is still emerging, some research shows that supplementation can quickly elevate NO levels when taken about 30 minutes before exercise. Start with one or two pills per day of 500 milligrams of pomegranate extract.
AGMATINE
Agmatine is a by-product of the amino acid arginine, and is produced through a process called decarboxylation. Essentially, agmatine is arginine with the carboxylic acid end removed. Before we get into how agmatine works, we need to understand the basics of NO and the NOS enzymes. NO is a signalling molecule and is involved in the regulation of the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems. The regulation and function of NO is dependent on the dynamic regulation of its enzyme, nitric oxide synthase (NOS). There are three types of NOS: endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). eNOS generates NO in the endothelial cells of blood vessels (in the cardiovascular system), nNOS generates NO in the nervous system, and iNOS generates NO in the immune system.
Agmatine upregulates eNOS in the endothelial cells that line the walls of blood vessels. By increasing the activity of eNOS, agmatine can boost NO production in blood vessels, and this means an increase in blood flow and greater muscle pumps and nutrient delivery! Agmatine is really an NO modulator and isn’t just a straight NO booster like citrulline. It affects each of the three NOS enzymes in a different way. It upregulates eNOS so you can get better pumps and blood flow, and inhibits nNOS and iNOS, which provides neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting benefits.
BETAINE
Betaine is a trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine and is a component of many foods including wheat, spinach, beets, and shellfish. Some research studies show that betaine supplementation can boost endothelial NO-induced blood flow, whereas other studies contradict this finding. One thing is for sure: Betaine works to deliver muscle pump and performance-enhancing effects by way of other mechanisms of action. One of the physiological functions attributed to betaine includes acting as an osmo-protectant, which means it can help protect cells against dehydration by acting as an osmolyte and increasing the water retention of cells. Although this effect isn’t related to NO and blood flow, it can still have a significant impact on muscle pumps!
GLYCEROL
Glycerol is the backbone that triglycerides (fats) are attached to. It has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its high level of solubility in water and its ability to attract water molecules. Glycerol is a hyper-hydrating molecule that pulls water and muscle-building nutrients into muscle cells for inflated muscle pumps and prolonged endurance. Research supports positive effects of glycerol supplementation for maintaining hydration when it’s consumed before a workout. Although glycerol doesn’t impact NO like some other ingredients do, its hydrating effects in muscle cells make it a worthwhile pump agent.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
