MUSCLE MEMORY

By Alex Przeslawski

Muscle memory is often spoken about within a gym environment to explain the quick recovery of ‘gains’ made after a prolonged time away from training. Although this phrase is said a lot, what are the actual reasons we recover muscle and training levels quicker than someone just starting out as a beginner?

Well, there are a number of factors for this which I will briefly explain:

Movement Efficiency and Proprioception

Those who have trained effectively for a prolonged period of time will have allowed their body to adapt to the stresses of their particular training. Our body adapts to the specific stimulus we give it, hence why focussing upon one or two elements of training is far more productive than trying to become the fastest 10k running powerlifting cricketer there is.

As we start training, unless given guidance from the start, we will most likely have flitted from one machine to the next, performing movements in such a way that we look like someone at a rave. As we learnt the movements, however, we will have got a better understanding of how to perform the exercise with correct technique. When back from a prolonged absence we won’t have forgotten those movements, and be starting them from scratch. This means once we get back into our training again we’ll be doing it at a far greater efficiency. We’ll also understand where we should be feeling the muscle engage, as opposed to hoping for the best.

Exercise Selection

As human beings we are all individuals and constantly learning. This is very much so in the gym or training environment where different exercises or training differ in effectiveness for different individuals. I have learnt that although I have a way of training my clients, due to their particular individuality, I need to alter exercise selection to what best fits them.

For example, it could be a certain style of deadlift depending upon lever lengths, or foot placement in the squat determined by hip structure. Plus what exercises work best for you is something which takes time to learn. Unless we have had some life altering surgery or an injury this will be the same when restarting training. We will know what works for us and how to utilise those movements for specific goals.

Nutrition

Experience is a very valuable asset, and this counts for nutrition as well. No matter what our goals were (and genetic traits aside), if our goal is to build muscle in the gym or complete a marathon outside, the dietary needs for each are going to be very specific. Once we realise we cannot simply grow muscle by adding one extra protein shake a day, or perform aerobic based work effectively and consistently without sufficient carbohydrate intake, we begin to make more progress. Again, once we are back into training we will already have the knowledge of what nutrition standards to adhere to, to get back to where we were.

Muscle Nuclei

The final factor here that I will discuss is muscle nuclei. The regrowth of muscle when we come back into the gym is effected by the above to a huge degree. The previous points are learnt from experience. However our body also makes adaptations consciously unbeknown to us. As our muscle grows from resistance training so does the number of nuclei within that muscle. The nuclei enable protein synthesis, and while we may lose muscle from a prolonged time away from resistance training the nuclei remain.

One way of looking at it is that they are effectively lying dormant, ready to respond to training again. This will speed up recovery to pre-training cessation far more quickly than someone who is starting out and getting ‘newbie gains’. How long they remain dormant for is unclear but this is a huge factor in getting our gains back after time away from the gym!

Having some time away from the gym may well result in atrophy (muscle loss) and a decrease in strength and performance. However, from the adaptations that have occurred within our body, whether learnt, mechanical or biological, we will see quicker adaptations back to prior training status.

A prolonged period away from training may be required depending upon individual circumstance. However correct periodisation, session planning, rest and nutrition should mean that we can continue training all year round.

About the author

Alex is an experienced PT at Halo Gym holding several qualifications including a degree in Exercise and Health from Oxford Brookes University, and performance related qualifications such as Powerlifting, Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning as well as Pre and Post Natal Programme Design and KBT Nutrition Level 1. He is working his way towards becoming UKSCA accredited and is currently working within the Sports Science department of League Two football club Crawley Town.

Alex has a particular interest in developing his clients’ strength, performance, physique and also confidence in the gym.