Never ending arm pump

Can you ride slower? Are you going out there and trying to go “fast”? Can you go out and ride at 30% of your abilities for longer? 
 

You have to ride to get the feeling, to get the timing, to get the flow, to start to see and understand the track and the bike. You can’t learn that if you’re pumped up in the pits.

go as slow as you have to go until you can ride a full session. Eventually you’ll be able to add a % more of speed here and there and before you know it, you can ride at 80% of your sprint for 30 minute motos. But you have to build.

also find areas you can relax, a smooth corner, or straight etc where you can really dial it back, relax take a breath let the hands open up, and then roll back into it.

it’s like ego lifting at the gym. Don’t swing the weight to get a forced rep, better off lowering the weight, getting the form, and doing 20 proper reps, compared to 3 forced injury prone reps.

Two things help my arm pump. Cardio and seat time..

Smaller things helped me too. Thin grips n thin gloves. Fatter grips like pillow tops screw me in a couple hard laps. 

Don't try to put in full laps or motos.  Practice working sections on the track which forces you to completely relax when you pull off the track to go back through the section.  Get comfortable doing sections while working on form, getting super comfortable, and remembering to breath.

Also, from someone who has worked out nearly their entire life, lifting weights trains the muscles to pump up.  You don't want your muscles to pump up when riding.  The only way to correct that now (assuming you work out as stated) is stretching your forearms really good before riding.  I start stretching my forearms while driving to the track in the morning.  

Stopping weight lifting honestly was the best thing that helped me with arm pump.

I’ve always struggled with arm pump to the point where at the end of 1 decent lap I was too pumped up to hold on for any more. The past 6 years I’ve been weight training pretty hard and gained about 45lbs while maintaining really good cardio as well. Rode 1-2 times a week pretty consistently over the last few years. 
 

Earlier this spring I decided to take riding more seriously so I virtually cut out weight lifting from my workouts and just ran and did core 3 times a week. Basically from March-June I went from struggling to do 1 hard lap to being able to blast out 10-12 as intense as I could, while keeping my normal riding schedule of 1, sometimes 2 times per week. 

So for me, arm pump was all about weight lifting, and I never directly train arms either. I was able to eliminate it completely within 2 months but at the cost of not being able to lift, which I enjoy. 

 

Labor Day was my first time back on a bike in a year and a half. Arm pump in the first half a lap. I took my time, stood up as much as I could including through ruts in corners and made sure to breath calmly through my nose. Standing up through the corners helped me to start squeezing the bike with my legs a bit more and loosen my grip on the bars. Within 4 laps I rode right through the arm pump and picked up speed with each lap after. Did 2 more motos after that, each at 20 minutes and didn’t have anymore arm pump.

I have struggled with arm pump off and on ever since I started racing in 1981 but recently I started having no sugar and no bread during the week and eating what I want during the weekends. I've lost a good 18lbs but the first thing I noticed was the very first time I raced after just 5 days of doing this was No Arm Pump. I can pretty much jump on the track and ride 15/20 minutes and not get pumped up like I used to and my endurance went up immediately I think it's worth a try.

BREATHE!! Seriously, proper breathing is vital to feeding the muscles with oxygen rich blood which will reduce arm pump. 

Instead of stopping the weights all together try just eliminating doing curls . That worked for me . Oh and buy a rowing machine 

Grip with your legs, start rock climbing at the gym

Hate pillow top grips

Expand on the rock climbing

Lol., I'm the exact opposite.  Skinny grips give me serious pump.  I have to run Torc1 lock ons (same as pillow top diameter) to not get arm pump.  To each their own.

I'm having trouble with just my throttle hand getting arm pump. It's weird. I don't remember getting it last season. I rode way more last season though. And I was on the old KTM chassis. I don't like to blame the bike though. My technique needs work

I like the Pillow Top Lites.  The full pillow tops give me arm pump. The Lites don't.

Fantastic for developing grip strength and endurance. It’s all a great cross training tool for moto because it’s a great all body exercise that improves coordination, balance, and mind-body connection.

Builds big strength and endurance without bulk. I’m surprised more moto guys don’t do it once or twice a week

Hand and wrist stretching... lots of videos on YouTube to follow. Good advice above as well.

No.kidding. I'm very proactive with training off the bike. You have my interest peaked

Me too mate. Life time of arm pump suffering. Since 92 at 11yo. Only in the last 12 months have I figured this out. I was drinking 2-3 energy drinks per day. I’ve stopped completely and my arm pump reduced by 60-70 percent. 
Wish I had done this when I was a teenager. 

Fix your technique…Ryan Hughes and AJ Cantanzaro techniques are the best out there.  This will take all the pressure off your arms and hands…you may need to strengthen your core and legs to do it correctly for more than a couple laps at first…

Proper technique allows you to ride with Loose hands…Loose wrists…loose elbows…loose shoulders…loose neck.  Don’t lock any of those up.

breath breath breath…even if you think you are breathing, you most likely aren’t-or you aren’t breathing correctly.  
 

Fitness including diet.  Gotta be in shape to ride with proper technique so you can go as fast as you want/can without over using your arms.

And a distant fifth possible solution, would be bike set up…where are your levers?  Do you like the bar bend? How are the ergos on the bike?  Do you need to drop the pegs? Move the bars forward/backwards?  Etc.
 

If you can cruise down a dirt road at 20 mph and not get arm pump…it’s a technique problem…if your arms lock up riding down a road at 20 mph, then it’s a medical issue and you need to get that checked out.  It’s probably a technique issue though…

I had a break from riding for about 7 years.  I mainly ride off-road but used to suffer from arm pump.

Last year got back into riding and training for a major off-road race.  My arm pump has almost entirely disappeared, which I attribute to three things:

1.  Much higher level of aerobic fitness, but specifically I now make myself consciously focus on breathing when my heart rate is elevated.

2.  Gripping the bike better with proper technique.  Not just squeezing but balls of my feet on the legs and rotating ankles to really lock in the lower legs.

3.  Grip strength training.  A bit on lower arm strength but mainly hand finger strength.

EDIT - forgot to mention much improved core strength.

You need to go with the bike more, improve your timing in the corners & theotttle control, how are you at pulling roll offs under acceleration? Basically you got to ride light & relaxed as much as possible, it’s the only way to have endurance from my experiences. 

Ride more. Let the bike push you and not pull you. Move your head over the bars more so the bike pushes you and not pulls your arms.

Relax and try to ride smooth.

Try to cut out the carbs the day before you ride and see if that helps.. it helps my friend who struggles with armpump.

try different bars and grips and gloves.

Great advise in this thread - for me. If u pump after one lap (me) keep going, reduce speed to as fast as you can safely ride but don't pull off the track. Keep at it until u do x(4,5,6) laps or x minutes. I find it's like the gym in a way - your training you body for an activity and it needs to endure it so it can adapt. I find it helps if u can get the blood moving before getting on the bike - jog a lap of the pits or to the bio hut and back. (body get's ready to work)  

I'm in the same boat as you, I've been telling myself that if I come off the track after a moto and my arms hurt worse than my legs, my riding posture/technique was wrong. Use legs, legs, legs.  

Grip strength training. I like to use the lightest grip at high repetition. Bring in the car. 

and diet avoid at least on ride days inflammatory foods like breakfast sandwiches and other breads. 
seek anti-inflammatory foods like blueberries raspberries strawberries. 
You will end up transferring your endurance problem to your legs, heart and lungs but it removes the scare factor of arm pump and not being able to hang on. 
I like to wear a HR monitor, surprising how high it goes compared to other endurance activities. 

AJ was riding at a track I was at a couple weeks ago. I'll tell you what, he practices what he preaches. Flawless technique. His feet didn't come off the pegs even once. Standing through certain corners. It really was a pleasure to watch. AND he had his CR125 AF. Seeing him in person made me want to take his classes

Proper warm up, No weight training when riding season starts, thinner grips, squeeze bike with legs, dedicate a few spots on the track to take deep breathes, look ahead, door knob throttle technique, proper hydration….bar bend that you are comfortable with….

I had bad arm pump til I started taking a Diosmin, Hesperidin supplement. I couldn't believe the difference.

Then one day I ran out because the brand I used, was (and still is), sold out, so I was off it. To compound the issue, I had adjusted my levers up, trying to update my setup to what the RC and up generation seems to like, and I couldn't go 2 laps hard without the tops of my arms blowing up. I adjusted my levers back down and got on a different Diosmin and Hesperidin supplement and all is good again. 

Note: That supplement is for circulation and it can actually repair damaged veins in your system. Good stuff. I'll never stop taking it.

Do three sets of finger tip pushups for 15 reps or so. Dead hang from pull up bar for a minute or more. Focus on breathing. 

It's so funny how we all have different answers. I rarely, if ever get arm pump. I'm a fat, out-of-shape IT guy. It's all in technique, and for me - smaller grips (I have small hands). I know when I had Pillow Tops at one point those made my arms stiff up a bit, but never bad.  Technique helps more than anything, and I never actually taught myself to ride intentionally to avoid arm pump but I am a shorter guy so I would always lean forward while accelerating and grip my my bike with my legs.