Many weight lifters who wish to build significant levels of muscle mass aim to achieve a muscle burn or pump during their weight lifting workouts, with the feeling that such a sensation is indicative of muscle overload and breakdown, therefore improving the chances for muscle growth. Bodybuilders will even specifically seek out the muscle burn or pump by modifying certain weight lifting workout factors in order to encourage such a feeling, and often tell other weight lifters how their workout session was extremely effective or describe a specific weight lifting exercise as feeling superior specifically due to the muscle burn or pump that accompanies each set.
But, is there a serious drawback to this bodybuilding concept? Certainly, any weight lifter is well aware of the muscle pump and burn fascination, as bodybuilders often refer to this concept, but how exactly is the muscle burn or pump produced, and are the techniques that generate such a sensation actually conducive towards muscle growth?
The muscle pump and burn are a function of high rep ranges, where a bodybuilder uses lower weight in order to fail using a much greater number of repetitions, which causes the muscles to fatigue in a much different way than with lower reps and higher weight. Because a muscle is able to function for longer periods during a weight lifting set when using higher reps, there is a muscle pump and burn that accompanies the latter segment of a high rep range, as the muscle approaches failure, but by virtue of utilizing lower weight in order to achieve the muscle pump and burn rep range, muscle building is impacted adversely, and although the workout session may actually seem more intense due to the muscle pump and burn, the class of fatigue, which is more endurance related than muscle building in nature, is not the most effective for those who wish to produce the largest level of muscle gain.
When using a lower rep range and higher weight, the workout set will usually not produce anywhere near the level of muscle burn or pump as compared with higher rep, lower weight workout sessions, but because the weight used is greater when reps are lower, the muscle receives a more substantial level of overload, therefore causing superior overall bodybuilding progress in most muscle groups. Therefore, although the muscle pump and burn is far less in heavier weight lifting sessions, since muscle growth is superior, there is no legitimate reason for a bodybuilder to seek a muscle burn or pump during workout sessions that has muscle gain as its primary focus.
Higher rep and lower weight workout plans are beneficial for muscle recovery, overtraining prevention, and joint recuperation, but are far less effective at building muscle mass in most areas as compared with heavier weight lifting workout sessions that do not offer any significant muscle burn or pump. There are also particular exercises that tend to cause a greater sense of muscle burn or pump, especially those that stretch the muscle significantly, but they also function in the same method just described, in that the muscle pump and burn will increase substantially with lower weight and higher reps, but, the most vital point to remember is that the largest level of muscle growth will not occur by aiming for a muscle pump or burn, but rather through structuring weight lifting workout sessions to function within a lower rep range where greater weight will be used to produce a much higher workload level.
If you wish to experience a muscle burn or pump, then you may perform one set at the conclusion of every weight lifting workout exercise that is comprised of higher reps and lower weight (a burn out set), as this will not interfere with muscle growth assuming that all prior workout sets are organized using a lower rep range and heavier weight, which is conducive towards maximum muscle growth. The goal is not to feel as if a muscle has increased in size during the actual weight lifting workout session, but rather to achieve weekly measurable muscle gains, so do not make the mistake of believing a muscle burn or pump during a workout will translate into any additional sustainable muscle growth unless you have structured your weight lifting session with heavier, lower rep workouts for sufficient muscle overload.
Author Resource:-
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for muscle building without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling weight training equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.
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