Word Count: 737 Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 12:24 AM
Is Achieving A Muscle Pump or Burn During Weight Lifting Workouts Necessary For Muscle Gain?
Many bodybuilders who wish to gain substantial levels of muscle mass aim to produce a muscle burn or pump during their weight lifting workout sessions, with the feeling that such a sensation is indicative of muscle fatigue and breakdown, therefore improving the opportunity for muscle gain. Bodybuilders will even specifically seek out the muscle burn or pump by modifying certain weight lifting workout methods in order to encourage such a feeling, and often tell other bodybuilders how their workout was extremely potent 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 flaw with this bodybuilding concept? Certainly, any individual who has lifted weights is well aware of the muscle burn and pump fascination, as bodybuilders often speak of this phenomena, but how specifically is the muscle burn or pump achieved, and are the methods that generate such a sensation actually conducive towards muscle gain?
The muscle burn and pump are a function of high rep ranges, where a bodybuilder uses lower weight in order to fail using a much higher number of repetitions, which results in muscle fatiguing in a much different way than with higher weight and lower reps. Because a muscle is capable of functioning for longer periods during a weight lifting set when using higher reps, there is a muscle burn and pump that begins during the latter segment of a high rep range, as the muscle reaches failure, but by virtue of using lower weight in order to achieve the muscle burn and pump rep range, muscle building is impacted adversely, and although the workout session may actually feel more effective and intense due to the muscle burn and pump, the type of fatigue, which is focused upon endurance, is not the most effective for those who wish to accumulate the greatest amount of muscle mass.
When using a lower rep range and higher weight, the workout set will usually not lead to anywhere near the level of muscle burn or pump as compared with higher rep, lower weight workouts, but because the weight used is greater when reps are lower, the muscle receives a more substantial level of overload and shock, resulting in superior overall bodybuilding results 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 aim for a muscle burn or pump during workout sessions that has as its primary focus muscle building.
Lower weight and higher rep workouts are beneficial for overtraining prevention, joint recuperation, and muscle recovery, but are far less effective at building muscle mass in most areas as compared with heavier weight lifting workouts that do not offer any noticeable muscle burn or pump. There are also particular exercises that result in a greater sense of muscle burn or pump, especially those that stretch the muscle significantly (such as pec deck), but they also function in the same method just described, in that the muscle burn and pump will increase substantially with higher reps and lower weight, but, the most vital point to always keep in mind is that the greatest level of muscle gain will not occur by aiming for a muscle pump or burn, but rather through organizing weight lifting workouts to function within a lower rep range where greater weight will be utilized to produce a much higher level of workload.
If you wish to experience a muscle burn or pump, then you can always implement one set at the very end of each weight lifting workout exercise that is comprised of higher reps and less weight (a burn out set), as this will not hamper muscle gains assuming that all prior workout sets are organized using a lower rep range and heavier weight, which is conducive towards maximum muscle gain. The goal is not to feel as if a muscle has grown in size during the actual weight lifting workout session, but rather to produce weekly measurable muscle building, so do not make the mistake of believing a muscle burn or pump during a workout will facilitate any extra sustainable muscle gain unless you have planned your weight lifting session with heavier, lower rep workouts for maximum muscle overload.
About the Author
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for gaining muscle mass 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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