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Congestion in bodybuilding

Congestion in bodybuilding

 

During a workout in the weight room, you'll feel a variety of sensations, from breathlessness due to the increased heart rate during certain exercises, to the burning sensation caused by the increase in lactic acid in the muscle during short but very intense efforts. But there is a muscular sensation that gives you a feeling of power, as if you were covered in armour and pumped up. This sensation is called muscular congestion. A sensation, but also a physical state.

Congestion: definition

Muscle congestion is the feeling of swelling and fullness in a muscle after an intensive workout or sports session. This is the result of a very large influx of blood into the muscles, after several exercises during a workout.

It's not uncommon to gain 1 to 2 cm of arm circumference after a session of weight training where congestion has been very high. Of course, this growth disappears some time after the end of the session and the effort. It diminishes in the recovery phase.

Purpose of congestion in bodybuilding :

Muscle congestion is one of the objectives that bodybuilders seek to achieve in training, as this state is of real interest in the quest for a developed, voluminous muscle. Indeed, when a muscle is congested, the large quantity of blood flowing through it brings in large quantities of nutrients and oxygen.

However, good congestion is no guarantee of muscle gain, because if you work with light loads and a very high number of repetitions, you'll be stimulating the muscle's tough fibers, which are not conducive to mass or volume gain. So watch out Arnold Schwarzenegger apprentices!

If you work in short sets (3 to 6 repetitions) and with heavy loads, the blood flow won't be high enough, but you'll be working on building strength by stimulating fast fibres. So you need to use the right range of repetitions and the right loads to achieve good muscle congestion and mass gain. You need to listen to your body.

For even greater congestion, intensification techniques are often used. The reputation of supersets is well deserved: these series (barbell, bodyweight or other) are degressive, with reduced rest periods to give the muscles and the body more time. What you also need to know is that the bigger the muscle, the greater the congestion if the training is carried out properly.

What's more, when it comes to nutrition, you need a fairly high daily intake of carbohydrates to boost yourself via the diet, as congestion is closely linked to carbohydrate consumption as well as good hydration. Overtraining can be a hindrance to achieving good congestion, especially as overtraining causes muscles to lose energy.

Note also that muscle congestion is stronger with creatine (taking creatine or arginine as a product or through nutrition with meat or fish consumption), which you can find at all prices on the internet, depending on stock.

Our message: now that you know a little more about congestion, roll up your sleeves and pump your muscles to the max!

Author Alexandre CARPENTIER

Bodybuilding Champion N.A.C 2012

Alexandre shares his experience of bodybuilding with MegaGear blog readers