pump

In the gym, “the pump” is the tight, swollen feeling in your muscles during and right after a hard workout, when they look bigger than usual. A good pump is one of lifting’s favorite small joys.

What the pump means

Wiktionary defines the bodybuilding sense of pump as a swelling of the muscles caused by increased blood flow after high-intensity weightlifting. It doesn’t last, but while it does, your arms or chest look noticeably fuller. That’s why people take gym selfies mid-workout rather than the next morning.

You “get a pump” or “chase the pump,” and someone who is “pumped” in the gym literally has one (outside the gym, “pumped” just means excited). A “pump cover” is a baggy shirt worn over a tank top until the pump kicks in.

Examples

• “Two sets in and the pump is unreal.”
• “Taking the photo now, before the pump wears off.”
• “I’m not training for strength today, I’m just chasing a pump.”

Where it came from

It comes from the ordinary verb “pump,” as in pumping blood or pumping iron (lifting weights). Bodybuilders have used it for decades, and Wiktionary also notes it in rock climbing, where a “pump” is forearms so swollen and tired you can’t grip.

Related terms

• Swole: very muscular.
• Gains: lasting progress, unlike the pump.
• Mirin: admiring a physique.
• Leg day: a day of leg training.

See more terms like this in our gym slang guide.