Whether you're a fan of social media or not you've probably read or heard the word "swole."  You can't miss the fitness inspired tweets, Instagram or Facebook posted with hastag #swole or #swolemate. So what does swole mean? We've all experienced the feeling of being "pumped up" after a tough weight lifting workout or even a Crossfit Workout.  Walk through the weight room in any gym and you're likely to see more than one guy checkin himself out in the mirror admiring the physique he thinks he's achieved at that moment.  The muscle pump you see and feel from your workout is simply a byproduct of the increased blood flow to the muscle tissue. Soon after you leave the gym, so goes the pump unfortunately.

What Does Swole Mean?

Swole is slang for "swollen."  It's just a term to describe that pumped up feeling or appearance you get from working out. Swolemate is another popular hashtag that refers to a workout partner or inspirational person. With any exercise, your body's natural response it to flood that muscle with nutrient and oxygen rich blood in order to support the movement / function of the muscle.  The blood vessels in your muscle tissue is actually expanding (dilating) allowing more blood into the cells than normal.  This process results in the swole look or pumped up look.

The selfie craze has also spurred the gym selfie craze!  I can pretty much guarantee all these ripped up torsos are the "before" pics from the gym… they're right after a workout when everything is swole!

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