Feeling the burn necessary?

I know it's probably not optimal to feel sore the next day. I am wondering, however, if it's optimal to feel 'burning' or 'the pump' in your muscles while you are actually engaged in the workout. I normally start to feel burning near the end of my work set. I find when I don't get this burning sensation, it feels like I'm not trying hard enough. Is this optimal? Thanks.

***Just want to re-emphasize - I'm not talking about feeling sore the next day! I'm talking about end of work set 'burning' sensation in the muscle itself. I find I experience more hypertrophy when this happens.***

The short answer is no. Lacking the "burn" does not mean you're not trying hard enough.

Next should be Slizzardsman with the long answer.

RandomHavoc said:

Next should be Slizzardsman with the long answer.

I think that the burn sensation is the one in the 8-12 reps range, which doesn't occur in the 3-5.

It can occour in far less repetition...I can get burn sensation on rings with heavy elements much much sooner.

Adriano said:

RandomHavoc said:

Next should be Slizzardsman with the long answer.

I guess I was wrong.

The "burn" is the beginning of metabolic fatigue.

You don't need it to get strong. It can be one of the ways to gain muscle mass however if that's what you're looking for.

I never felt the burn when i trained with my strenght training. maybe a bit but the most of time no and i very well progressed..

RandomHavoc said:

The short answer is no. Lacking the "burn" does not mean you're not trying hard enough.

Next should be Slizzardsman with the long answer.

HAHAHAHA oh, what a reputation. Slizzardman, he whose verbosity dwarfs even the sky with its endlessness...

It's already been said that the burn is associated with hypertrophy. Here's the science babble, copied from brianmac.co.uk:

The expression "lactic acid" is used most commonly by athletes to describe the intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise, especially in events like the 400 metres and 800 metres. When energy is required to perform exercise, it is supplied from the breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The body has a limited store of about 85 grms of ATP and would use it up very quickly if we did not have ways of resynthesising it. There are three systems that produce energy to resynthesise ATP: ATP-PC, lactic acid and aerobic.

The lactic acid system is capable of releasing energy to resynthesise ATP without the involvement of oxygen and is called anaerobic glycolysis. Glycolysis (breakdown of carbohydrates) results in the formation of pyruvic acid and hydronium ions (H+). The pyruvic acid molecules undergo oxidation in the mitochondrion and the Krebs cycle begins. A build up of H+ will make the muscle cells acidic and interfere with their operation so carrier molecules, called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), remove the H+. The NAD+ is reduced to NADH that deposit the H+ at the electron transport gate (ETC) in the mitrochondria to be combined with oxygen to form water (H2O).

If there is insufficient oxygen then NADH cannot release the H+ and they build up in the cell. To prevent the rise in acidity pyruvic acid accepts H+ forming lactic acid that then dissociates into lactate and H+. Some of the lactate diffuses into the blood stream and takes some H+ with it as a way of reducing the H+ concentration in the muscle cell. The normal pH of the muscle cell is 7.1 but if the build up of H+ continues and pH is reduced to around 6.5 then muscle contraction may be impaired and the low pH will stimulate the free nerve endings in the muscle resulting in the perception of pain (the burn). This point is often measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold (AT) or onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA).

The process of lactic acid removal takes approximately one hour, but this can be accelerated by undertaking an appropriate cool down that ensures a rapid and continuous supply of oxygen to the muscles.

The normal amount of lactic acid circulating in the blood is about 1 to 2 millimoles/litre of blood. The onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) occurs between 2 and 4 millimoles/litre of blood. In non athletes this point is about 50% to 60% VO2 max and in trained athletes around 70% to 80% VO2 max.

Basically, when you are working in the anaerobic glycolysis timeframe, typically 30-50s of tension, you start building up lactic in the muscles and eventually the blood. This time range is typical of hypertrophy-specific training, so it is to be expected that you get more hypertrophy when you work out to "feel the burn." A secondary effect is that lactic acid appears to stimulate growth hormone release post-workout, so long as you don't spike your insulin. This is another reason why people who work out for the "burn" experience more growth, though not necessarily more strength development.

Strength-oriented work, with shorter sets, higher intensity, and longer rest periods tends to not build up enough lactic acid to cause a burning sensation. You'll simply be unable to complete the 6th or 7th rep, but it won't burn... you just won't be able to do it.

Thanks slizardman for those advice