No Pump Chump: Tips For A Better Muscle Pump
Author: Dr. Lonnie Lowery

We all go through periods when pumps elude us. Frankly, these periods really suck. And worse, they seem beyond explanation. It's a bloody shame, considering how motivating enlarged, vascular muscles can be. As Arnold once said, a huge pump in a body part is almost as good as having sex… and you know how you feel when you're denied that. So what can you do? What, oh what can you do?

A quick look at the underlying physiology of "reactive hyperemia" (a localized pump) suggests a couple of things. First, blood flow to an area is critical. Interestingly, exercisers develop an improved ability to shunt blood to working muscles due to things like increased vasculature(1) and nitric oxide (NO) production.(4) Admittedly, weight trainers have different capillary adaptations than say, runners (depending upon how the changes are expressed) but we won't quibble — most lifters do some "cardio" anyway.

Second, a muscle full of glycogen has greater cell volume, which — at least pragmatically — facilitates (allows?) a big pump.

Another big factor, one that's affected positively by anabolic agents, is potassium shift. Potassium is our primary intracellular cation (positively charged mineral in this case). When one's growing on androgens, insulin, beta-agonists and the like, there's typically a shift in this electrolyte.(2,9) It moves from the vascular and interstitial spaces (extracellular compartment) to the intramuscular space. As the mineral enters, water accompanies it.

We've all seen professional bodybuilders "blow up" their muscle bellies in just brief periods by (presumably) using such traditional anabolics. Conversely, preserving optimal amounts of muscle potassium is one reason behind the popularity of "potassium-sparing diuretics" in competitive bodybuilding.

Fourth, intramuscular creatine elevation occurs in methods similar to those discussed for potassium (anabolic agents, etc.). Elevated creatine concentrations within skeletal muscle are a longstanding way to make a muscle appear bigger.

Lastly, leanness also contributes to a satisfying pump as muscular changes are more visible.

By reading that brief list, we see that there are some opportunities for intervention. There are a few substances that can increase peripheral blood flow, such as ginkgo(10,11) and there are environmental issues like temperature. And of course, proper hydration is critical, regardless of how one chooses to manipulate it (via distilled, filtered or even tap water).

Okay, that'll get us fluid availability but what about materially affecting the target muscle cells?

Basically, the more stuff we can get into our muscles, the better our chance of an explosive pump. Creatine, carbohydrates, potassium, magnesium (the second most abundant intracellular cation), intramuscular triacylglycerol (fat), and amino acids like alanine and glutamine are key nutrients. We'll tackle these in turn below.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about reversing flatness and expanding our muscles is the time frame associated with it. I'm going to propose a one-week period (if the lifter is already lean) to banish the flatness demon for at least a while.