How does muscle memory work?

I guess that many of you have asked several questions, quite important to us, in connection with the closed gyms. I'm sure one of them was, "What if I lose all my hard-earned muscle because I don't exercise?" I completely understand you, I ask myself this question very often, whether it is because ofor because of illness, injury or because of the current situation of closed gyms.

People often believe that if they stop exercising for a long time, they will actuallyThey will lose all their acquired muscles and have to start building everything from scratch. But thanks to muscle memory, this may not be true in principle. So in this article I would like to focus on this topic and try to explain to you as best I canwhat muscle memory actually is, how it can be understood, how it works and how we can even improve it.

The term "muscle memory" can work in basically two ways. Muscle memory in the muscle fibers and muscle memory in the brain. I will address both of these ways in this article.

Muscle memory in muscle fibres

During heavy training, we try to shock the muscles, get them into a state of hypertrophy, and therefore also tear up a significant amount of muscle fibers. Muscles have to adapt to this load, which is why they gradually become bigger and stronger.

But what happens to the muscles if we start exercising again after a long break? In this case, we understand muscle memory as memory in the muscle fibres.

How muscle memory works

By regularly subjecting muscles to stress caused by the ever-increasing intensity of our workouts, satellite cells are activated. These cells are attached to muscle fibers and help in the recovery of these training-torn muscle fibers. One of the abilities of these satellite cells is that they can provide the muscle cells with new nuclei. Basically, every cell in the body has a nucleus within it that acts as a control center. Moreover, muscle cells are somewhat more exceptional in this respect because they contain several nuclei. Each of these so-called muscle nuclei (myonuclei) oversees proteosynthesis.

You could say that each nucleus oversees a specific area within the muscle cell. Then, when the muscle starts to get bigger as a result of training and diet, the space that the muscle nuclei have to look after also starts to get bigger. However, they can only look after a limited amount of space and so the muscle has to stop growing. The only way to build new muscle is to create new muscle nuclei. More muscle nuclei means more protein that can be converted into muscle. In other words, the muscle nuclei, because of their greater number, can oversee a larger space and the muscles can continue to grow. Thus, a greater number of nuclei allows the muscle cell to grow.

Then, if we don't exercise for a long period of time, whether due to injury or illness, our muscle fibers simply shrink, thus atrophy occurs. By not using them, it is useless for them to be so large. The increased number of of muscle nuclei will remain in the muscle cells. This means that if we start exercising again after a longer period of time, the body no longer has to waste time forming new muscle nuclei. So muscle growth and muscle hypertrophy occurs much faster than before. And this is made possible by muscle memory.

A certain study has looked at muscle memory from the perspective of epigenetics, which is the branch of genetics that looks at changes in gene expression. This study pointed to the fact that due to intense training, genetic changes (modifications) occur that are written directly into our DNA. These modifications then remain written in our DNA even after seven weeks of non-training. However, it is quite possible that these genetic changes can exist in our DNA for several years. Thus, some form of memory is written directly into our DNA for at least seven weeks without intensive training. It follows that these genetic modifications make it easier for our bodies to regain lost muscle mass.

The effect of anabolic steroid use

Interestingly, it is also the use of anabolic steroids that, according to some studies has a direct effect on muscle memory. Anabolic steroids positively affect the formation of muscle nuclei, which then make muscle cells grow. The increased number of muscle nuclei then remains in the muscle cell even after discontinuation of anabolic steroids. Exercisers who have used anabolic steroids in the past therefore have a significant advantage over naturalbecause their body does not have to deal with the formation of new muscle nuclei again.

How to save muscles after a long period of not exercising?

1. I would definitely recommend the following for the first few weeks full-body training three times a week. It is absolutely useless for you to go straight into some bodybuilding split, where you would go to one part of thefour to five exercises, and you'd only do each part once a week.
2. Next, you need to focus first on proper technique and execution of the exercises. Attempting to lift heavy weights that you can only do one or two reps with is really pointless at first and would only risk injury.
3. As a last thing I would definitely like to mention that with training you also need to knowfocus on a good diet, sufficient intake of all macronutrients and minerals. Above all, you need to make sure you get enough quality protein. Especially in the period of 24 to 48 hours after training, when increased proteosynthesis takes place in the muscles.

You can't expect that after the first week of training you will be as strong and as voluminous as you used to be. However, your results will definitely improve very quickly, thanks to muscle memory.

Muscle memory in the brain

How it works

I'm sure all of us have had the experience of our body remembering how to perform a certain movement without us being aware of it. This often leads us to mistakenly believe that we remember these skills because of the memory stored directly in our muscles. But in these cases, it's all about the processes going on in our brain. It is the brain that directs and controls these movements, while the muscles only act as mediators.

Every movement our body makes requires a connection and communication between the brain and the muscle. In the central nervous system (CNS), this works so that every time we learn a new motor skill, we storethis information is stored in certain parts of the brain that are involved in controlling the coordination of movements. Examples of these parts of the brain include the cerebellum or the motor cortex. The motor cortex, through constant repetition of an action, develops ever stronger connections between the individual neurons in the muscles that perform the action. This essentially creates muscle memory in the neurons of the muscles, which makes it much easier for us to perform a certain activity. We can even perform it more efficiently and better without conscious effort. The neurons in our muscles clearly play an important role, but it's important to remember that everything is is the brain.. So muscle memory is memory for the muscles, not memory in the muscles.

Tips on how to improve muscle memory

Of course, each person is different and so different strategies and rules may work for each person. However, certain rules and tips, in my opinion, can apply and work for all of us. So here are some useful tips on how to improve muscle memory.

1. The first tip is actually quite simple. You have to repeat a certain movement over and over, over and over again. This is because, as I explained above, by constantly repeating an action, the brain strengthens the connections between the neurons that are responsible for performing that action. This basically means that the more often we perform an action, the morethe faster our brains, and therefore our muscles, can process that action. The more often you perform an activity, whether it's a deadlift, a dance move, or even drawing.the more you can do it and the less effort you'll need to do it.
2. The second tip is basically closely related to the first. Muscle memory simply cannot distinguish whether you are performing a given movement or activity well or poorly. If you continually perform squats with incorrect technique, you essentially "teach" your muscles and nervous systemthat this is the way to do the movement, even though it may be ineffective or even dangerous for you. I know from my own experience that relearning just the wrong technique of an exercise, for example, is a very difficult and long process. Therefore, learn the correct technique of the exercise or activity in the first place, and then focus on improving your muscle memory. This will help you avoid a number of health problems that could manifest themselves sooner or later.
3. Furthermore, of course, a considerable amount of patience is needed. You can't learn perfect squat or pitching technique in a few days, just as you can't learn to play guitar like Jim Root in a few days. It takes hours and hours of developing and improving at an activity before you can perform it fully automatically. So the main thing is not to give up and to persevere. It will happen, it just takes time.

Finally, I would like to recommend the following videos Jeff Nippard or Jeff Cavalierewho also dealt with muscle memory. If you have no problem with English, do not hesitate to watch their videos. We hope you enjoyed this article and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask in the comments.

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