Fitness goes well beyond the simple cardio and muscle gain for a dedicated bodybuilder. When it comes to flaunting those bulging aesthetics, a pro-athlete needs to focus on vascularity and pump.
These two terms may sound familiar to you if you have been hitting the gym for a while now! So, what do these mean, and how can a pre workout help achieve it?
Before you jump to any conclusion, know that it is not a magical solution that will overnight solve all your body goals. It acts as an add-on to your already existing diet and hard work.
Muscle Pump and Vascularity
Now before getting into the details, you need to understand that a muscle pump and vascularity are not the same things. Although they both help a bodybuilder achieve the dream physique, they are quite different factors.
A muscle pump is a phenomenon that happens when you can witness your muscle growth first-hand. A massive rush of fluids, including water and blood, into the active muscle fibres causes this movement. This is just a temporary increase in muscle size and vascularity, but it can cause long-term muscular hypertrophy when done correctly.
On the other hand, vascularity is related to the appearance of your veins rather than muscles. This is a common term in bodybuilding and refers to the prominent and superficial veins popping out of the muscles.
You can get vascularity when you build strong muscles over a long period of hard training and lose a lot of body fat. Simultaneously, focusing on making the biceps, triceps, and forearm stronger can cause increased vascularity.
Best Pre-Workout Ingredients for Muscle Pump and Vascularity
Even though the supplements are not vasodilators, they contain some specific nutrients that may help achieve the desired outcome.
There are various ingredients used in these supplements. Common ones include citrulline, caffeine, and BCAA (Branched-chain amino acids). However, to make the suitable choice, you need to know which ingredients can aid the muscle pump and vascularity.
Pump-boosting supplements are a bit different from regular pre-workouts. A few compounds and some natural ingredients can boost your pump and vascularity.
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline Malate, also known as L-Citrulline, is a great pump boosting supplement. This is because it has a high impact on increasing nitric oxide levels in your body. Now nitric oxide helps enhance blood flow, helping you achieve a stronger muscle pump. Moreover, it also helps accelerate fatigued muscle recovery and improve muscle endurance.
Beet Root
Red beetroot extract is a natural supplement that you can use as a natural muscle pump booster. This ingredient contains nitrates in large amounts, increasing the nitric oxide level in your blood.
Now, nitric oxide is responsible for dilating the blood, increasing blood flow, and causing pumped and vascular muscles. Beetroot may not be as effective as L-Citrulline, though, but it can certainly give you an extra boost.
Betaine
Another popular pump-enhancing pre workout supplement is betaine. Having 1500-2500mg of betaine before starting your workout can positively impact your body. It will help in increasing muscle endurance and resulting in longer and more intense workout sessions. As an impact, you will end up with increased strength and stamina.
Betaine is another ingredient that increases nitric oxide levels in your body and thus, boosts the pump and vascularity.
Conclusion
Simply having the right supplement will not be enough to achieve a Greek-god like physique. You need to be consistent with your hard work and discipline. Some other tricks, such as reducing the rest periods and slowing down between reps, can further boost your progress.