We have all heard the term «muscle memory» which describes the ability of skeletal muscles to «remember» loads and workouts that were previously trained and adapt very quickly after long periods of untraining.
So is muscle memory capable of «remembering» past workouts and movements? Or is it a catchphrase used as a marketing tool?;
What is muscle memory?;
Muscle memory refers to the ability of the body to regain muscle mass (rapidly) in previously trained muscles.
This means that if a person has been doing strength training and for some reason has taken a long absence from training, they can, if they come back, recover muscle tissue faster than the time it would take compared to a person who previously did not train.
The term muscle memory, therefore, is a bit of a misnomer as it does not reflect the ability of muscles to remember movements. Information about movement patterns and technical execution of exercises takes place in the brain.
There the information is recorded, stored and reused. We can therefore agree that the phrase «the muscle remembers» refers to motor learning of the central nervous system, expressed in movement through muscle contraction.
It is therefore clear that muscle memory has nothing to do with the muscle cells that «remember» the exercise.
As the muscular system is stimulated by strength training, the number of muscle fibre nuclei can increase as muscle mass increases. There is a gap in the scientific community regarding the exact training volume required to increase the number of muscle cores as well.
Can we benefit in hypertrophy from muscle memory?;
According to the available scientific literature, there are two models that could be used to achieve muscle hypertrophy conditions by exploiting muscle memory (Snijders et al., 2020).
It is mainly aimed at people who are absent from training (due to work, holidays, injury), so they try to get the most out of the time available for exercise.
A) Sufficient traffic during the day. It is a fact that the more inactive one remains during the period of abstinence from training, the more the muscles atrophy. Cycling and walking are mild forms of activity that make a huge difference to being cooped up at home and lying around watching TV.
B) Predefined training structure. This model refers to the training interval and suggests sufficient volume to induce muscle hypertrophy (Fry et al., 2014). Consistency in weekly frequency (3-4 times per week) with a training volume of 3-5 sets and a range of 6-12 repetitions, in a 4-6 week plan is essential.
In conclusion, it is worth emphasizing that fitness should be practiced for life and with an individualized training plan if one wants to get the most out of it. However, the fast pace of life does not always leave room for exercise, forcing long gaps.
By exploiting science, we can get the most out of it even if we can keep the least. The first research on muscle memory and the rapid adaptation of the muscular system after periods of abstinence took place in 1991 (Staron et al.).
The study group consisted of female participants, who were able to return to the same condition (as before the absence of exercise), with the same percentages of strength and muscle fibre size, after joining a 6-week strengthening programme.
Dimitris Dangas, gymnast
