Many bodybuilders who wish to build substantial levels of muscle mass aim to achieve a muscle burn or pump during their weight lifting workout sets, feeling that such a sensation is indicative of muscle overload and breakdown, therefore improving the chances for muscle growth. Bodybuilders will even specifically search for the muscle burn or pump by modifying certain weight lifting workout methods in order to encourage such a feeling, and often tell other bodybuilders how their workout session was extremely effective or describe a specific weight training exercise as feeling superior specifically due to the muscle burn or pump that is part of each set.

But, is there a serious drawback to this bodybuilding concept? Certainly, any weight lifter is well aware of the muscle burn and pump fascination, as bodybuilders often speak of this phenomena, but how exactly is the muscle burn or pump produced, and are the techniques that foster such a sensation actually conducive towards muscle growth?

The muscle burn and pump are a function of high rep ranges, where a bodybuilder uses less weight in order to fail using a much higher number of repetitions, which results in muscle fatiguing in a much different way than with lower reps and higher weight. Because a muscle is capable of functioning for longer periods during a weight training set when using higher reps, there is a muscle burn and pump that accompanies the latter portion of a high rep range, as the muscle reaches failure, but by virtue of utilizing less weight in order to sustain the muscle burn and pump rep range, muscle building is impacted adversely, and although the workout session may actually seem more effective due to the muscle burn and pump, the type of fatigue, which is more endurance related than muscle building in nature, is not the most effective for those who wish to accumulate the largest amount of muscle mass.

When using higher weight and a lower rep range, the workout set will usually not lead to anywhere near the level of muscle burn or pump as compared with lower weight, higher rep workout sessions, but because the weight used is greater when reps are lower, the muscle receives a far more significant level of overload, therefore causing superior overall bodybuilding progress in most muscle groups. Therefore, although the muscle pump and burn is much less noticeable in heavier weight training sessions, since muscle growth is superior, there is no legitimate reason for a bodybuilder to seek a muscle burn or pump during workout sessions that has building muscle mass as its primary focus.

Higher rep and lower weight workout sessions are beneficial for overtraining prevention, joint recuperation, and muscle recovery, but are far less effective at building muscle mass in most areas as compared with heavier weight training workout sessions that do not offer any significant muscle burn or pump. There are also certain exercises that tend to cause a greater sense of muscle burn or pump, especially those that stretch the muscle significantly (such as pec deck), but they also as just described, in that the muscle burn and pump will increase substantially with higher reps and lower weight, but, the most important point to always keep in mind is that the largest level of muscle gain will not occur by seeking a muscle pump or burn, but rather through structuring weight training workout sessions to function within a lower rep range where greater weight will be utilized to produce a higher level of workload.

If you wish to experience a muscle burn or pump, then you can always perform one set at the very end of each weight training workout exercise that is composed of higher reps and lower weight (a burn out set), as this will not interfere with muscle growth assuming that all prior workout sets are constructed using a lower rep range and heavier weight, which is conducive towards maximum muscle growth. The goal is not to feel as if a muscle has increased in size during the actual weight training workout session, but rather to achieve weekly measurable muscle building, so do not make the mistake of believing a muscle burn or pump during a workout will facilitate any additional sustainable muscle gain unless you have planned your weight training session with heavier, lower rep workouts for the greatest muscle stimulation.