Painful pumps

[bloodchoke]

These pumps I'm wearing are giving me corns!

Just kidding. I just switched from a three-day split to a six-day split and only decreased my workout time by about 5-10 mins. I def have muscle exhaustion but, more than that, my pumps actually hurt. Tonight it feels like, if I bend my arms too quickly, my tris are going to rip through my skin. Also, I feels like my pecs might burst. I might have to chill on the AAKG.

No question really, I just can't talk to anyone else bout this shit. I think my roommate is going to kill me with scissors if I say another word to her about weights, food, or muscles.

[Khazima]

Haha it can get like that when you're smashing the pump enhancers and doing set after set, especially for arms. The worst are calf and lower back pumps haha, and sometimes i cramp when my quads get pumped which hurts BAD.

[NACH3]

I agree w/those low back pumps lol - straight debilitating sometimes(especially after back and ending w/deads & weighted hypers

[bloodchoke]

YES -- and I only get those debilitating back lower-back pumps on the days I go in with the intention doing PR deadlift. Then, when I'm at about 80% of what I want to lift, I'm like "what's going on with my back?? Is it pump or did I use the wrong muscle? Am I hurt or is this nothing?" Then it's in my head and I'm pretty well done with deadlifts for the day.

At my age, just because I heal so damn slowly now, if there is any chance that I may have an injury--no matter how minor--I move on to something else.

[jackfrost88]

Sounds awesome but i'd definitely take it easy on the pump enhancers haha. On a side note, big hamstring pumps have to be the most killer. Feels like your legs going to snap off.

[bloodchoke]

Sounds awesome but i'd definitely take it easy on the pump enhancers haha. On a side note, big hamstring pumps have to be the most killer. Feels like your legs going to snap off.

I love the hour or so when my cargo shorts fit like lycra.

Ok, so I guess I do have a question:
Do vasodilators offer any *performance* benefit? I understand the physics and inverse relationship between the diameter of a medium and its impedance, so it seems like it might offer a real benefit. But, I'm also am well acquainted with the fact that the intuition of an concept and the essence of that concept are often at odds. Input?

[bloodchoke]

Sounds awesome but i'd definitely take it easy on the pump enhancers haha. On a side note, big hamstring pumps have to be the most killer. Feels like your legs going to snap off.

I love the hour or so when my cargo shorts fit like lycra.

Ok, so I guess I do have a question:
Do vasodilators offer any *performance* benefit? I understand the physics and inverse relationship between the diameter of a medium and its impedance, so it seems like it might offer a real benefit. But, I'm also am well acquainted with the fact that the intuition of an concept and the essence of that concept are often at odds. Input?

[Khazima]

I love the hour or so when my cargo shorts fit like lycra.

Ok, so I guess I do have a question:
Do vasodilators offer any *performance* benefit? I understand the physics and inverse relationship between the diameter of a medium and its impedance, so it seems like it might offer a real benefit. But, I'm also am well acquainted with the fact that the intuition of an concept and the essence of that concept are often at odds. Input?

They may offer some benefit as there is some evidence that pumps can enhance muscle growth through direct and indirect means.

At the same time they may hamper the total mechanical tension you can put a muscle through since they stop you being able to do longer sets (lactic acid and blood builds up too fast), these are my thoughts (tojust a theory).

Also, my above theory may be negated since there's evidence that hypertrophy may be more about total 'difficult' sets as volume rather than sets × reps × weight. As mentioned in this article.

The New Approach to Training Volume • Strengtheory

[NACH3]

They may offer some benefit as there is some evidence that pumps can enhance muscle growth through direct and indirect means.

At the same time they may hamper the total mechanical tension you can put a muscle through since they stop you being able to do longer sets (lactic acid and blood builds up too fast), these are my thoughts (tojust a theory).

Also, my above theory may be negated since there's evidence that hypertrophy may be more about total 'difficult' sets as volume rather than sets × reps × weight. As mentioned in this article.

The New Approach to Training Volume • Strengtheory

Interesting - I was thinking half way thru that I get better pumps w/lower reps(HIT) w/RPs & drops but not exceeding 12 reps total in 1working set + RP + RP + RP/or a. Double drop depending on my beyond failure protocols and number of reps I've hit in that 1 working set - usually between 4-6 at failure then DD or RP + drop etc etc etc

Just shows how some respond to higher volume and or hypertrophy etc

[bloodchoke]

I have a confession: I have no idea what RP's, DD's are. I try to interpret your weightlifting posts, NACH3, and have no f***in' clue what youre talking about I'm sure I know by technique, just not by those terms. Please advise, buddy.

How I maximize my pumps varies from muscle to muscle:

major groups -- heavy weight, low rep failure

minor groups and traps (are traps maj or min?) -- moderate weight, high rep failure

My quads are different: leg extensions -- heavy weight, low rep
squats -- low weight (even body weight) -- very high reps

I haven't read Khazima's link yet (forgive me if this answered in there) but isn't the latest school of thought that lower weight *to failure* releases more GH than the usual hypertrophy range of failure (8-10 or 12)?

[Khazima]

I have a confession: I have no idea what RP's, DD's are. I try to interpret your weightlifting posts, NACH3, and have no f***in' clue what youre talking about I'm sure I know by technique, just not by those terms. Please advise, buddy.

How I maximize my pumps varies from muscle to muscle:

major groups -- heavy weight, low rep failure

minor groups and traps (are traps maj or min?) -- moderate weight, high rep failure

My quads are different: leg extensions -- heavy weight, low rep
squats -- low weight (even body weight) -- very high reps

I haven't read Khazima's link yet (forgive me if this answered in there) but isn't the latest school of thought that lower weight *to failure* releases more GH than the usual hypertrophy range of failure (8-10 or 12)?

RP (rest pause) DD (double drop) sets.

Maximizing the pump will vary from exercise to exercise and group to group but generally a moderate to high rep range will be your best bet or short rests/supersets/drop sets etc.

The link only really talks about training volume for hypertrophy (the key driving factor behind hypertrophy).

Hormonal fluctuations due to weightlifting mean nothing for actual hypertrophy. Think about this, your testosterone needs to be boosted significantly (doubled/tripled/quadrupled) with synthetic testosterone for an extended period of time (weeks) to see any gains from it. So a small rise within the physiological range for a short period of time is going to do nothing what so ever for real world results.

Same for GH. You need to run super-physiological doses for months to experience any real results. So a little spike after a set of squats isn't going to do a thing.

[bloodchoke]

Wow--thanks, man! I'm going to read the article over the weekend (I'm a grad student and, by nighttime, my brain is only suited for reading status updates and the like.)

[jackfrost88]

I love the hour or so when my cargo shorts fit like lycra.

Ok, so I guess I do have a question:
Do vasodilators offer any *performance* benefit? I understand the physics and inverse relationship between the diameter of a medium and its impedance, so it seems like it might offer a real benefit. But, I'm also am well acquainted with the fact that the intuition of an concept and the essence of that concept are often at odds. Input?

The benefit may well be mental as bigger pumps motivate you and have you going aggressive at the weights. In terms of measurable scientific benefit? I'm sure more blood gives the muscle greater room to grow. I'd be interesting to see if any scientific studies have been done on the subject.

[Khazima]

The benefit may well be mental as bigger pumps motivate you and have you going aggressive at the weights. In terms of measurable scientific benefit? I'm sure more blood gives the muscle greater room to grow. I'd be interesting to see if any scientific studies have been done on the subject.

There are a few. More room to grow isn't part of it. Dig around for a while on PubMed and Google you should find a few.

[CaptainGoose]

Trained chest and bis today. Thought my bis were going to explode after doing hammer curl drop sets.