What are some of the ways a person can achieve a good pump?
One word: carbohydrates! Complex to be specific - baked, frozen French fries, baked potatoes, yams, brown rice, pasta, and whole grain bread work best. This is because carbohydrates are the body's number one fuel source, so when the body is almost swimming in carbohydrates, the pump comes very quickly.
I know many people who drink protein shakes before training, or supplement with carbohydrate drinks that contain high amounts of glucose. I'll tell you the problem with this: you will begin your workout and about 15 minutes or so into it, you will become completely flat.
This is a term I, and many bodybuilders, use to express the opposite of pumped. Ever look at a flat tire? It has no air and is saggy looking, and doesn't hold its shape at all. Well, the same thing happens to your muscles when you ingest glucose into the system.
The body cannot use all of those carbs all in one shot, so it shuts off its supply after around 10 to 15 minutes or so, and stores the rest as fat. But when you eat complex low glycemic carbs, your body uses them like a fireplace would use a nice piece of oak wood. It burns it nice and slow and continues to fuel the fire right through the workout, thereby creating an incredible pump.
|