Muscular Development – July 2019

SUPPLEMENTperformance By Robert A. Schinetsky

60 MD musculardevelopment.com July 2019

Scientists and supplement

companies alike have

searched for compounds

that are capable of

enhancing exercise-induced

hyperemia— “the pump.”

Best Supplements for the

Muscle PuMP

For decades we’ve known that to get big
and strong, you have to lift heavy things
multiple times, relatively frequently. However,
only recently have sports scientists begun to
uncover what is taking place at the cellular
level that drives muscle growth.
Suffice it to say we are in the midst of a
“golden era” for exercise science, particularly
in regards to muscle hypertrophy, as scores of
studies have been published in recent years
investigating the ins and outs of muscle growth
and human performance.  From this constant
research effort, scientists have identified three
main mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy^1 as:

• Mechanical tension (i.e., weight on the bar)


• Muscle damage


• Metabolic stress
  However, a new systematic review indicates
  that cellular swelling may be a much more
  powerful driver of muscle growth than
  previously thought. Before we get into the
  study and its findings, let’s quickly review what
  happens when you get a muscle pump.

How Do Muscle

PuMPs work?

During resistance training, arterial blood
flow to the working muscles increases while
muscle contractions cause compression
of veins. This creates a scenario similar
to turning a faucet on high, and attaching
balloon to it that has pinhole on the end. The
water will rush in, and since the exit (hole) is
so small, the balloon continues to fill, getting
bigger and bigger.
The same thing happens in your muscles.
More and more blood flow is being pumped
to the muscle, yet due to repeated muscle
contractions, the “exit” (veins) is restricted,
creating a “pooling” of blood in the muscle
along with tremendous cellular swelling
and one hell of a muscle pump. The body
perceives this sudden swelling as a threat
to the structural integrity of the cell and its
survival. In response to this threat, the cell
enacts various anabolic processes (including
upregulation of protein synthesis) while

simultaneous downregulating catabolic

processes occur to make a bigger, stronger,

more resilient muscle cell.^2

So, maybe all those gym bros who were

chasing the pump for years and years in the

gym were onto something?

Still, the common belief among researchers

was that cellular swelling and various other

metabolic stress factors weren’t directly

responsible for muscle growth. They were

either “permissive” of anabolism or a

“secondary” factor due to performing greater

amounts of mechanical work, with the thinking

being that lifting heavier weight (increased

mechanical tension) would lead to higher

levels of metabolites.^3 However, recent

studies suggest that cellular swelling and

metabolites may be an independent factor of

muscle hypertrophy, not merely a supporting

cast member or by-product of heavy lifting.^4

A new review published in Nutrition set out

to investigate the role various cell-swelling

supplements have on muscle growth.^5

3 ways to Increase

cellular swellIng anD

get a Muscle PuMP

Over the years, scientists and supplement

companies alike have searched for compounds

that are capable of enhancing exercise-induced

hyperemia— “the pump.” As you’ve probably

seen, there’s no shortage of ingredients and

full-blown pump pre-workouts from which

to choose. But, not all products are created

the same, nor do they all work via the same

pathways. In fact, researchers have identified

three main mechanisms by which sports

supplements enhance cellular swelling:

• Vasodilators, such as nitric oxide boosters.


• Anaerobic energy system ergogenic aids
  that increase metabolite production, such as
  beta-alanine and creatine.


• Osmolytes, such as creatine and betaine.
  Let’s take a deeper look into each of these
  categories to see how they impact cellular
  swelling, and potentially muscle growth.

VasoDIlators

Vasodilation refers to the opening or

widening of blood vessels, which leads to an

increase in blood flow and decrease in blood

pressure. A number of compounds, termed

vasodilators, have been investigated over the

years that promote this expansion of blood

vessels and increase in blood flow. These

blood flow-boosting agents are highly sought

after by the medical community for their

role in promoting cardiovascular health and

treatment/prevention of hypertension, while

the lifting community is primarily interested in

their ability to yield massive muscle pumps.

Vasodilators work primarily by increasing