Does 'the pump' mean more muscle growth?
Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see if getting a big 'pump' during your first workout means you'll gain more muscle over time. They measured leg muscle size before and after the first workout, and again after 6 weeks of training.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
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Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists wanted to see if getting a big 'pump' during your first workout means you'll gain more muscle over time. They measured leg muscle size before and after the first workout, and again after 6 weeks of training.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 531 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Hirono T, Ikezoe T, Taniguchi M, Tanaka H, Saeki J, Yagi M, Umehara J, Ichihashi N
Related Content
Claims (4)
If a guy new to lifting weights gets a bigger muscle swell right after his first workout, he’s likely to gain more muscle over the next 6 weeks.
Lifting weights (3 sets of 8 reps at 80% of your max) three times a week for six weeks can increase the thickness of thigh muscles in young men who haven't trained before by about 2.9%.
After just one leg workout, the muscles in young men's thighs get temporarily thicker by about 8%, which is likely due to fluid buildup from the workout. This finding is from the abstract summary - full study details were not available.
That muscle 'pump' you feel when lifting weights? It might feel like growth, but this claim says it doesn't actually cause your muscles to get bigger over time.