Why did I just go to the gym when I got big, even with a shirt, did I go home?

Remember the first day you entered the gym? Maybe you have started with the lightest weight, with the spirit of determination, you have also raised a lot of unity. As soon as you put down your weight and look into the mirror, a sweet feeling immediately appears: Your muscles are nearly as big.

Not the gym mirrors flatter you, and not the psychological effect. Your muscles really expand, so much so that you can see that your skin is full of tension thanks to a phenomenon called The Pump.

It happens a lot in the training environment: after you put down the weight, when you finish the first 3km of jogging and is especially pronounced at the moment you step out of the pool. Unfortunately, the muscle pump did not last too long, at the time you finished bathing and walked out of the locker room, strangely, the muscles were no longer as big as before.

What happened after all? What is a muscle pump, and does it work on your muscles in the long term?

Muscle pump phenomenon occurs a lot in the training environment.

Where does mechanical pumping happen?

Let's see what happens on the first day you walk into the gym. You pick up a fruit and start practicing your biceps. When you fold your arms to lift the dumbbell, individual strands inside your biceps will expand at the same time.

This activity results in veins being compressed, blood is squeezed out of the muscle. But because the training process increases arterial blood flow, the blood is finally pumped into your biceps much faster than it is forced out. Your muscles will temporarily flood with blood.

So after each practice, blood flowed to the muscles more. It also carries more compounds called metabolites. These substances are partly responsible for the burning sensation you feel at the end of the session. On the other hand, they also attract more fluids into the muscles.

When both blood and fluids accumulate more in your muscles, it's time you see your biceps get a little bigger as soon as the dumbbell is put down. In other words, the muscle pump is the accumulation of blood and fluid into the muscle.

Bodybuilders are the ones who know this effect best. Before stepping out to the stage, they all enlisted to quickly complete a series of overall movements. This will help their muscles look bigger, increase the competitive advantage in the competition.

Unfortunately, the effect of muscle pumps is relatively short. You can see your muscles tense right after placing the dumbbell down, but the moment you enter the bathroom and get out of the changing room, the size of your muscles will return to normal.

It must be said that not all strength exercises will make your muscles look bigger immediately. Training programs that aim to increase muscle mass - usually heavy weights, with low repetitions and long rest periods - often does not cause muscle pumping.

Why? Less repeated turns mean you will accumulate less metabolites and the time is simply not enough for your muscles to become bloody. Taking a few minutes to rest between each exercise session also gives your body more time to free the " crowd " from gathering in your muscles.

The main pump is the accumulation of blood and fluid into the muscle.

Does muscle pump work for a long time?

That's what many people often wonder, does muscle pump phenomenon work with long-term muscle growth? Some coaches say it is only a temporary cosmetic effect. Your muscles will look bigger in a few hours, but that doesn't mean it will grow faster in the long term.

However, some other coaches believe that muscle pumps are essential for muscle development. Exercises that don't create this effect are a waste. They claim muscle pumps are a sign that growth is stimulating inside muscles.

Some scientific studies show that exercises with light weight and more turns - the type of training that gives you a clear muscle pump effect - is an effective way to build muscle in the long term.

However, your muscles will also develop with strengthening exercises - lifting heavy weights but few turns and taking a few minutes between each set. Although, the muscle pump effect of this type of workout is much worse, as said.

To answer the question, a 2015 study compared these two opposition training programs over a period of 8 weeks.

Volunteers in group 1 made 4 rounds of light weight lifting from 10 to 12 turns, and spent 1 minute resting between each round. Group 2 volunteers also made 4 rounds, but with heavier weights, they only gained 3-5 turns, then rested for 3 minutes between each round.

Now, if you think that muscle pump is an essential factor to stimulate muscle growth, you would expect group 1 to end 8 weeks with muscle bigger than group 2. But the truth is, there is no significant difference. any story between the two groups, when they practice the same number of cards, divide equally into the same time periods.

Even volunteers who increase their muscle mass more are in group 2, which is a group of heavy weights, less turns and less muscle pump effect.

Muscle pumps do not contribute much to the long-term development of muscles.It only gives you a sense of excitement in a short time.

So the pump effect actually doesn't contribute much to muscle development . It can only give you a sense of excitement in a short time, when you look at a mirror in the gym. Muscle pumps are not in the formula to achieve long-term and sustainable results.

However, to separate everything and be really fair, practice light weight and many turns to help maintain muscles. You will still increase muscle after exercising to create a muscle pump effect, but the muscle pump is not the main cause.

To maximize the benefits of both mental and muscle training, perhaps you should combine both styles of exercise. Lifting heavy weights with low turns and long break times between each half helps you increase your muscle faster and more sustainably. Meanwhile, lifting light weights with more turns can encourage you every time you look in the mirror, and feel your shirt bulging due to the pumping effect.