Keeping muscle mass post workout

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posted by bwu

Hi Guys,

Just a quick question. I usually feel really good by the end of a workout and I'm satisfied with how I look (pretty pumped). But my size rapidly shrinks after a few hours, and by the next day, I find there's barely a difference. Been going to the gym for several months now and haven't seen any measurable difference. Is there a trick to keeping muscle volume post workout?

Thanks,
Ben

posted by illsniggles

lol um no, your muscles are all torn and contracted at the end of the workout, when the pump ends, the muscles heal. You, personally, aren't really going to notice gettin bigger.

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

Make sure your diet is in order to grow, but it does come slowly and is hard to notice on yourself. Other people usually notice it more than you do.
We all wish we looked like we look when we're pumped all the time, ain't gonna happen.
Actually just yesterday I was bitching to my wife that I wasn't growing. She said I was crazy and measured my arms and thighs. I've put 1 1/4" on my arms and 2" on my thighs in a little over a month. Needless to say, my bitching turned to stupid giggling.:thumbs:
Gotta keep records of measurement, bodyweight, weight lifted, etc. so you can track your progress. If you're really not improving, take a look at your diet and training.

posted by brsett

The pump is pointless, it isn't neccesary for growth. I try and avoid the pump to some degree.

Want proof? Curl a light weight to failure (fail around 30 or 40 reps). You will have triggered no muscle growth, but the pump will be enormous.

You grow between workouts, not during them (and according to Haycock, the muscle only grows for the next 48 hrs, though you may be sore much longer).

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I don't know, man. There might be something to be said for repeatedly stretching the muscle fascia to the limit. Though I agree that the pump in and of itself isn't making you grow, it is stretching the muscle and filling it with oxygen and nutrient rich blood.
Plus, if you are deliberately trying to avoid the pump (I know it can be a little painful while juicing) how hard can you be working your muscles? You'd have to stay very low reps and take long breaks. More powerlifting than bodybuilding.

posted by brsett

Yeah, I favor lower reps -- I periodize on low reps as long as possible until overtraining sets in. I kinda overstated the case against the pump I guess. The pump is fine (though annoying sometimes), and probably useful to getting your muscles healed. On the other hand, I don't think its that critical for muscle growth. I may be wrong . . .

I'm pretty strongly in the diet being the key number one factor camp -- assuming your training isn't braindead. I may look back at myself in a few years as being mistaken, time will tell.

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I love to train heavy, too. When I was younger I did everything low reps long breaks and was very strong for my size but not satisfied with my growth. I brought up my reps a little and started changing it up, sometimes really heavy, sometimes crazy high-rep drop sets. Depends on your goals, most bbers are bigger and better looking than pwrlftrs but not as strong.
Except for Pudzianowski, but he doesn't count. He's not human.

posted by president_fad

ya cus coleman deading 800, front squating 585, and benching 500 is more bbing than pling......big weight = big muscles IMO.

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I never said bbrs aren't strong. I agree big weight=big muscles. I guess what we're talking about is what is low reps. I consider 4-6 reps to be "heavy" some would say 1-2 reps. Regardless of how many reps you do it should be as heavy as you can possibly handle.

posted by brsett

This I definitely do not agree with. Going to failure should be an infrequent, very planned type of thing imo.

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I go to failure on about 85% of my sets. Eat good and rest well to recover. If I begin to overtrain I do less sets but still to failure. Now forced reps and negatives are a different story, they are planned and infrequent. Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm wrong but I train with all the intensity I can muster. I'm steadily making progress so it's working at least for now.
It irritates me to see guys in the gym who look the same and use the same weights week after week and month after month with no noticable improvement. They are usually the ones telling me that I'm not doing something right. I will not be one of those guys.

posted by brsett

I agree, everyone has to use what works best for them.

I don't know how many times people have tried to talk to me about my squatting too low. Its a good reminder to me to keep my big mouth shut to everyone else. I strictly mind my own business in the gym (which is fine because I'm usully too tired to make much sense when talking anyway).

posted by Dex

i dont stick to any amount of reps. i go by what i feel. for the most part i dont go over ten unless its for legs

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I keep it changing constantly to keep my muscles from adapting but most of the time my reps fall in the 6-8 range.
Just thinking about 15-20 reps on squats makes me want to slap the shit outta someone. or puke, whichever comes first. but it's gotta be done:laughing:

posted by Dex

i hate puking after quads. feels like a lung is about to come up

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

God blessed me with a nice pair of chicken legs. I hate leg day more than anything I can think of, especially because my brother I train with has naturally strong legs. Works out good, though, we make monday leg day so we're fresh off a 2 day break and he motivates me to hammer my legs far beyond what I would probably do on my own. I am determined to bring them up at least to where they're not embarrassing. Nothing's worse than a guy who's a monster up top walking around on sticks.

posted by Dex

lol its just genetics. im lucky i was born with big legs and calves.

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

I have an unsubstantiated theory that says if you want a glimpse at a guy's bbing potential look at his legs and calves. Seems like guys born with big strong legs, especially calves, get bigger and stronger than the stick people.

That doesn't mean skinny legged guys can't build muscle, I just don't think they can equal the thicker guys all else being equal.

posted by Dex

you could just inject synthol and become the man whos legs exploded

posted by SMBLSBGARMS

Just looking at that guy can make your head explode.

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