A “pump,” scientifically known as hyperaemia, is the process of increased blood flow to different tissues throughout the body. It’s a feeling that bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger describes as “the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym.”
Physical activity directly affects mental health. Scientists wondered, however, to what extent working out affects someone’s mental status. According to a study published in 2022, done by the Health Starts Here cohort of George Mason University, 346 first-year college students, and 264 students reported through a survey that they experienced high levels of loneliness and stress. The 82 students remaining reported low levels of loneliness and stress. The underlying difference between the two groups, however, was diet and physical activity. Those who had high levels of loneliness and stress did not work out and had a poor nutritional diet. Those who worked and kept a balanced diet had low levels of loneliness and stress. Working out, it seems, can be the first step to finding a way out of the rut.
“When working out, endorphins are released into the brain to relieve the stress on the muscles,” said Skyline Psychology Professor Tarek Eljarrari.
This hit of endorphins causes the individual to feel good, and is the feeling associated with the “pump.” By working out, you are effectively forcing joy into your nervous system. This release of endorphins also takes the power away from cortisol, which is released during times of stress.
Eljarrari added that when someone is depressed, their cortisol levels increase, causing them to shut down. Eventually, this turns into an endless cycle of feeling and doing nothing. The way to break free from it, according to Eljarrari, is as simple as going for a walk. Humans are built to move, and feel sunlight. The increased blood flow from even going for a walk is enough to fracture the wall of depression someone is experiencing and could lead them to start thinking about what exactly the situation they find themselves in.
Former Skyline soccer coach Kevin Corsiglia mentioned that one of the reasons why many people have fallen into depression may be because people are moving much less today compared to their ancestors.
“If you think back to the way we have evolved as a human species, we are conditioned a lot of times to move,” said Corsiglia. “That’s what we’re meant to do.”
Corsiglia also added that many people don’t fully understand the process of working out, and if they did, they may be more motivated to explore the gym.
“A lot of the time it’s not because they physically can’t do it, it’s that they have low motivation, and so we have to find ways to motivate people to seek out physical activity,” he said.
Creating a workout plan, or even having a basic knowledge of calisthenics could be enough to motivate someone into the gym, where they will then experience a “pump.” There is no question that once an individual decides to work out, and stays with it, it changes their life.
For Skyline student JR Tassano, who started working out after joining wrestling in high school, it relieves his stress and increases confidence in himself.
“I think working out definitely helped boost my confidence because I feel more self-reliant and more capable [of] being independent,” said Tassano.
Lastly, working out can help someone break out of their shell to become more sociable, said seasoned lifter Aiden Peralta.
“It gives you a topic to relate to and have a conversation about,” said Peralta.
One way working out has affected Peralta is now everyone is coming up to him because of his big size. People have questions about the type of lifts he performs, or his diet, and simply want to know what he does because he inspires them. Illustrating that working out can entice more people to become interested in you, thus allowing the possibility to create new relationships.
Overall, working out and mental health go hand in hand. Physical activity is needed in everyday life. Working out and feeling the “pump” greatly benefits those who experience it by opening the doors for a better state of mind and the opportunity to make friends with those who feel the same way. When an individual first steps into the gym, the “pump” is the signal that lets them know they are taking their first steps in the right direction. YouTube fitness influencer Mike Tornabene of BroScienceLife states it clearly: “A ‘pump’ is seeing your future.”