Managing arm pump: Part 2 Nutrition

Hydration, nitrates, and anti-inflammatory foods are a few things that will help arm pump.



Not only is diet and nutrition a highly sought after subject in sports, but it is also hotly debated. With the plethora of information touting the benefits of various fad diets such as low carb/high fat (keto), vegan, vegetarian, and carnivore, to name a few, it can feel near impossible to find the "perfect diet", let alone one that is ideal for combating arm pump.

Throughout my career, I have experimented with many different vitamins, minerals, and foods in an attempt to manage my arm pump. While I can’t say I’ve found a “magic cure” for arm pump in the foods I eat, there certainly are foods that move the needle in either direction.

Foods that I have learned to avoid include gluten, dairy, processed foods, and sugar. I inevitably experience worse arm pump when I eat these foods more frequently. On the other hand, foods such as leafy greens, vegetables, avocados, beets, steak, chicken, and fish have had a positive impact.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term everything in moderation, but I believe this is another important mantra for long term success in this area. The 90/10 rule, 90 percent of the time you're focused on clean, high quality, organic, grass-fed, free range foods, and the other 10 percent of the time is spent satisfying those cravings and being human. After all will power is a finite resource and it definitely dwindles for most of us on the weekends!

The common belief that ‘red meat' causes arm pump is a myth and we have yet to see any scientific data to back this up.  Also please don’t be duped into thinking that having chicken for months on end will be your solution either, as this will more likely lead to developing an intolerance or allergy to chicken while also making you just plain bored with your food. This is why rotating your protein sources is ideal, so that you’re giving your body and digestive system a break, regularly.  I try to have a different protein source daily. (Ie Monday-chicken, Tuesday-beef, Wednesday-fish, Thursday-pork chops Friday- vegetarian, etc.)

Now, for a deeper dive into this topic, Kenneth Smith, with a Phd in Nutritional Science, will identify and explain several factors that can play a role in managing arm pump.

TIP # 1: Anti-inflammatory foods!

One thing that can be helpful is eating foods that are anti-inflammatory. Anti-inflammatory foods include green leafy veggies such as arugula, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale and collards . Another great tip is eating the rainbow, meaning, the more colourful you can make your salads - tomatoes (red), carrots (orange), peppers (green), spinach (green), blueberries (blue) - the more micronutrient dense your food becomes; meaning, you’ll cover the full spectrum and be healthier because of it! 

Tip # 2 Nitrates

A food that has been called “nature’s multivitamin” and can play a unique role in fighting arm pump, is BEETS! (Spinach is also very high in nitrates) In addition to vitamins and minerals, beets contain a consistent concentration of nitrates.  Nitrates are converted into a nitric oxide which directly affects vasodilation and blood flow to working muscles. As a result, this leads to more oxygen being shuttled throughout your circulatory system that can help fend off the dreaded arm pump by prolonging your time to fatigue. Loading up on beets for a few days leading up to an event can provide a noticeable improvement. Be cognizant of the fact you may pee or poop red for a few days though!

Hydration is important, so is water quality!

TIP #3: HYDRATE

Hydration is another factor that can play a major role in arm pump or more importantly managing it. The key with hydration is developing good practices and habits. Hydration habits can be a boost to stable performance and recovery, so if you find yourself struggling to drink enough throughout the day develop a plan to remind yourself to drink. Better drinking habits might be achieved through setting a timer on your phone or writing a reminder for yourself on a white board. While you are developing your routine be sure to avoid sugary drinks as they can be detrimental to your overall health. Go for water most of the time and add in electrolyte tabs like Nuun, PNG, Maurten or Skratch type drinks prior to or during a workout. 

At this point you might be saying to yourself “Yeah I know hydration is important. But what is really going on when I am dehydrated and what does it mean for arm pump?” While there are numerous things that occur when we are dehydrated, one thing that is impacted is blood volume. When you are dehydrated your blood volume will decrease. The result of this decrease is a drop in blood pressure. In order to counteract this change in pressure, your brain sends signals to your body to constrict blood vessels. This is the opposite action to the foods mentioned above that dilate blood vessels. With this constriction, blood flow can be disrupted. Instead of a steady smooth flow, blood will experience a turbulent flow. While not a perfect analogy, one way to think of blood flow is to think of a river. Without rapids the river looks smooth and calm with rapids it is turbulent and choppy.  As you can imagine turbulent blood flow is not great. The turbulent flow can cause some blood to swirl or even flow backwards. With this swirling or backflow, there is a build up of pressure in the veins. This pressure can cause swelling of the veins which can put pressure on the surrounding tissue and nerves or limit blood flow to parts of muscles. The result of this is that all too familiar pins and needles feeling or pain. When enough pressure has built up the result can be debilitating. While dehydration is not likely the only cause it’s one that we have control over. So drink up!

As we mentioned above, the topic of nutrition can be very nuanced, and controversial.  This is why we have put together a team of experts at Troll Training.  We hope this article will help shed some light on common misconceptions and provide a clearer lens on which to navigate this subject.  Stay tuned for more articles on the topic of arm pump in the coming weeks at www.trolltraining.com   Feel free to leave any comments below on things that have helped you with this nagging problem.

Thanks for reading!

Dr Kenneth Smith

Alex Martin