[Closed] ARM PUMP

Brakes powerful enough

Suspension set up

Grips? Revgripl supposed to be good but pricey,

Lever angle?

Adjusting brake alignment can make a surprising difference. So can changing grips or even bars. So can arm position but that's kind of difficult to actually deploy consistently, we all tend to fall back into our normal shape when it gets harder...

Slow pushups helped me (that was for motorbike purposes, but it's much the same thing)

IT AFFECTS YOUR HEARING AS WELL!😉

WHAT? SPEAK UP!

Also, Aaron Gwin has some tips for grip strength improvement here:

If you're quick, there's an answer to this on Chris Kilmurray's Instagram story @point1athletic

There was always talk of Moto riders getting an operation. I don't know if that was urban legend or an actual solution.

I remember a windsurfer talking about a similar operation. He called it a strapadictomy 😉

Got some of those Ergon GA3 grips with that ‘Ergonomic wing offering wrist support and relief’ that have really helped.
Some good tips there guys about angles and things. I am sticking to one bike all the time now (not usual for me) it’s full sus and super light so I will alter the cockpit a bit.
Onzadog, I tried stickadictome, but I haven’t tried that one. Is it much cock ?

make sure you have the bar roll and the brake levers at the angle you are comfy with. That makes a huge difference.

mark88
Full Member

There was always talk of Moto riders getting an operation. I don’t know if that was urban legend or an actual solution.

It's a different thing- if you're really strong, and also really hammering it, you risk compartment syndrome, the muscles basically out-swell the fascia and crush themselves, cutting off the bloodflow and also potentially impinging nerves. But normal people in normal use won't usually have that issue, you need to have both the right arm development and then put it to the right stresses.

Basically there's a lot of things going on in your forearms, muscles and joints and nerves and lots of blood, and a bunch of them can cause similar symptoms from various different reasons. Arguably what we usually get as normal mortals isn't arm pump at all, it's just Sore Arm Due To Bad Setup Or Overwork

Grips would be my first foray into trying something different.

I've used skinnier grips for a long time, which always felt nice and secure, but left me with sore hands eventually. Also very cold fingers on winter rides, no matter what gloves I used.

I'm now on DMR Deathgrips that are noticeably fatter. A lot more comfy, and no cold hands.
😁

When you say ache during rides can you explain more what you mean? When does it happen? Does it get worse over a rider etc?
Arm pumo is generally on downhill sections and will build up then fade as the descent ends/eases off.

Arguably what we usually get as normal mortals isn’t arm pump at all,

Is "arm pump" a real thing with a proper definition then?

Maybe try using something like this to strengthen your forearms and improve your grip strength...

Suffer with this myself, bringing my brake levers up to just below flat has helped for me, not 100% but definitely better.

I used to get arm pump*, and hand/wrist aches/pains really badly whilst riding downhill/techetc. Now despite being older, weaker, and heavier, I hardly get any symptoms. I did three things:
1) Bars are very wide these days, I'm just below average height and discovered that wider than 780mm really makes my hands and wrists hurt.
You can experiment by moving your grips and controls inwards by 5mm at a time until you are comfy. then cut the bars to suit.
2) I had my brake levers angled down too far, they are much closer to horizontal now, maybe 15-20 degrees below horizontal?
3) I used to brake a lot, everywhere. I learned to pump to get over rock gardens roots and rough sections, now I hardly brake in those areas and just brake on smoother straight sections (obvs within reason), made me faster and more comfortable. For me pumping is everything, its the key to being a good rider. You may already be beyond this stage so this part of my advice can be safely ignored, in fact, so can the rest of my advice.
4) Note I bought a variety of hand/wrist/forearm strenghteners which had little effect.

*Arm pump - as defined by 5plusn8 is pain in the forearms which can lead to the hands feeling weak, so weak as to lose grip on the bars, and reduce ability to operate the controls. It is thought that overworked forearm muscles get "pumped up" and compress the tendons/nerves but this may be internet bullshit or author fantasy.

OP Are you a relaxed rider?
As 5plusn8 says ^^ if you can cut back on any over-braking and 'deathgrip' that will help.
For me (an XC mincer) climbing/bouldering also helped with my arm/upper body strength when things went outside my mincing comfort zone

Apols - one thing I did not make clear - my experience of arm pump is that it is caused by the combination of braking and resisting body weight changes and variable bike loads through the bars - ie braking whilst going over bumps etc. Avoiding this reduces arm pump in a big way. Hence not braking in the rough stuff.
You can practice by finding a a rock garden or rooty area which is on the flat, so it takes braking out of the equation. Practise different approaches whilst not braking at all.
Then you can practise braking just before the obstacle.
We have a great track near us which is rooted and rutted to hell, but on zero gradient. I ride it all, except entry into a sharp corner, without braking and pumping the bike over everything. The suspension works fabulously and it feels smooth/awesome. Years ago I either would not ride it or would be braking like hell on all the rough stuff.

greyspoke
Free Member

Is “arm pump” a real thing with a proper definition then?

Sorta, kinda, which is why I said "arguably". The most accepted medical use for it is definitely compartment syndrome like I mentioned. But is that because it's the correct usage, or is it it because that's the only place where the medical profession is making money doing surgery to fix it?

Colloqially we use it to describe pretty much any arm discomfort which isn't much use and doesn't really involve any pumping, so it's not a very useful term from that point of view.

It's a mess really. I mean, if you say "arm pump" on a bike forum people will get roughly what you mean, but equally it'll lead to discussion of surgery which is for a different thing with similar symptoms. The terminology isn't helping the conversation basically

*Arm pump – as defined by 5plusn8 is pain in the forearms which can lead to the hands feeling weak, so weak as to lose grip on the bars, and reduce ability to operate the controls. It is thought that overworked forearm muscles get “pumped up” and compress the tendons/nerves but this may be internet bullshit or author fantasy.

You don't like my definition then???

I dont get arm pump, but I do get death grip where my hands and fingers hurt a lot, but seem to be fixed in position of gripping the grips and brake levers, and releasing that grip hurts even more. Once the grip is released the pain goes away almost instantly.

Despite years and years of mtb racing I never really analysed my riding style until my arms started to play up. So much so that I had to get off and walk on a long downhill section in Wales ! Awful !
Thanks again guys for some really in-depth answers. I have changed a couple of angles on the cockpit and it has definitely helped.
I’ve been using thin grips for years but maybe that was the wrong thing to do. Interesting

bringing my brake levers up to just below flat

This