Why does a muscle pump feel so good?
Arnold once famously said that the pump–that lovely sensation caused when the muscles you’ve been training are engorged with blood–was better than a certain activity that begins with S and ends with X.
That was classic Arnold–hyperbole, for sure, but great publicity.
Yes, I know that achieving a pump has little or nothing to do with whether a particular workout has helped to advance one’s strength or fitness. We don’t train in order to feel a pump. But the pump is not insignificant because it is an intrinsic reward of the workout. We’re more likely to continue activities that make us feel good. This is just one of the ways that training enhances life.
But why does the pump feel so good? Does it spur the release of endorphins, maybe?
All I know, since I haven’t done the research yet, is that it feels wonderful. And when I descend the stairs at the gym and head for the bench (and the pull-up machine and the dumbbells and so on), more often than not, I have a smile on my face.
What do you think? What does the pump do for you?
