The pump you get during an intense workout, when it feels as if your muscles are going to rip through your skin, is awesome. But wait, there's even more good news—the pump not only feels great and looks impressive but it actually works in your favor to encourage long-term muscle growth.
This water swells muscle cells much like a balloon, placing a stretch on the membrane that encloses the muscle cell. This is believed to stimulate cellular processes that ultimately result in muscle growth.
In the gym, you can optimize your muscle pumps by keeping your reps in the moderate to high range and your rest between sets on the low end, from 30 seconds to no more than 90 seconds. To further enhance your pump, try stacking these three supplements before workouts.
NO BOOSTER
This supplement shouldn't be a surprise
addition to a stack designed to
maximize your pump. After all, nitric
oxide (NO) boosters have been hot
sellers for their ability to amplify muscle
pumps during workouts and boost
strength and mass gains. Most of these
products contain some form of the
amino acid arginine, which gets converted
into NO via the nitric oxide
synthase (NOS) enzyme. NO dilates
blood vessels, delivering more blood
to your muscles while allowing more
fluid from your blood to leave the vessels
and enter your muscle cells for
shirt-busting swells.
Today's best NO boosters contain much more than just arginine—they also have ingredients that increase the activation of NOS, such as pycnogenol and ginseng. Look for products that supply 3—5 grams per dose of some form of arginine—such as L-arginine, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, arginine ketoisocaproate, arginine malate or arginine ethyl ester—and take one dose 30—60 minutes before workouts.
CREATINE
While NO boosters work to enhance
a pump by delivering more water via
the blood to muscle cells, creatine does
its part from inside the muscle. Having
more creatine in your muscle cells
pulls more water into them, giving you
a massive, long-lasting (as long as you
take creatine regularly) muscle pump.
Taking creatine to maximize muscle
creatine levels while taking an NO
booster to get more water to the muscle
cells means you can draw in even more
water for an even greater muscle pump
than when taking either product alone.
Go with 3—5 grams of some form of
creatine—such as creatine monohydrate,
creatine malate, creatine ethyl
ester or creatine alpha-ketoglutarate—immediately preworkout.
GLYCEROL
Also known as glycerin, this sugar
alcohol is often added to protein bars
for sweetness and texture. Glycerol is
the backbone that fatty acids are
attached to, forming triglycerides. It
also has very strong osmotic properties,
which means glycerol is able to
bind large amounts of water. A study
performed at the University of Glasgow
(Scotland) reported that when
subjects consumed creatine alone,
glycerol alone or creatine and glycerol
together for seven days, the creatine
and glycerol combo increased body
fluids by almost 50% more than creatine
alone or glycerol alone.
Taking glycerol along with arginine and creatine will further enhance the pump symbiosis by enhancing the amount of fluid in your blood that arginine can help deliver to the muscle, while creatine will enhance the uptake of fluid into muscle cells. Get in 10—30 grams of glycerol about 60 minutes before workouts to take your pump to the next level. M&F
