“Exercise and temperance can preserve something of our strength in old age.”
This quote by Cicero may be more factually accurate than any of us ever thought, especially considering what new scientific evidence reveals about muscle memory and muscle frailty in old age.
{Getting your killer biceps back is just a matter of hitting the weights again!}
With science on your side you can stop using tired old excuses to get out of exercising because your body remembers the good old days when your muscles were toned, which means getting back there isn’t as difficult as you think.
Keep reading to find out why your muscles may remember their old form!
What Is Muscle Memory?
In traditional fitness terms muscle memory refers to your muscle’s ability to remember certain movements that are performed repeatedly. Most often it is used to describe why over time certain physical activities become easier and less effective for muscle building. But in general it is used to describe any physical activity with which our bodies grow accustomed.
Today when we talk about muscle memory though we mean the ability of your muscles to remember how physically fit they used to be.
The notion that muscles have memory has always been controversial. Some bodybuilders and fitness trainers have sworn for years that muscle memory is real and that it can help you rebuild muscles are long periods without working out. On the other side of this argument are those who think that muscle memory is complete bollocks.
Now, science is on the side of fitness trainers and bodybuilders. According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, muscles remember their former fitness, making it easier to bounce back for those who in the past have been in good physical shape. This means that if you were an athlete in high school or college but life got in the way, it isn’t too late to get those muscles back in to shape.
The Science
We have all heard the term ‘muscle memory’ but if you’re like me you probably had no idea what that really means. Muscles aren’t people or independent entities, how can they remember anything?
As it turns out the muscle’s memory is stored in nuclei which contains DNA, and that memory is multiplied during exercise. It was once thought that those nuclei got lost when you stop working out for a long period of time, or your muscles begin to atrophy, but the August 16th study has found otherwise.
What It Means
This is good news for most of us who were very physically active at some point in early adulthood, because it means its never too late to get back in shape. As it turns out having been in good shape at some point earlier in life makes it that much easier to get back into shape when you want or need to.
That extra nuclei that contains DNA creates a muscle memory that allows your muscles to “bounce back” when you restart a weight training program. This doesn’t mean that you won’t experience muscle soreness when getting back in shape; it simply means that your muscles will quickly remember their former selves and begin to increase the nuclei in case you stop again.
This muscle memory study presents good news for most of us. Although losing weight is still an uphill battle, that battle is more mental than physical. Because muscle memory is real you never have to feel depressed about your ability to get back into shape. If you can control your diet, your body will help you get back into shape.
What is even more compelling is that this study provides good news for all of us as we age. Research has indicated that this muscle memory can be effective to help stave off frailness in the elderly. Although our ability to build muscle mass decreases as we get older, building muscles in our early life can decrease how much muscle mass declines in old age.
{Muscle memory isn’t just for bodybuilders, get your old muscles back whatever they look like!}
What you should take from this is that working out regularly, even if not to increase muscle mass, can make it easier to get back in shape and slow down muscle decline as we get older.
Your Physical History
The key to muscle memory and the ability of your muscles to get back in shape after a long period of dormancy is directly related to your previous history of physical activity. This does not mean that unless you were an extremely ripped bodybuilder, muscle memory won’t work for you. But if you had muscle definition in the past, then your muscles contain nuclei that will allow them to quickly return to previous shape.
If however you have gained a lot of weight since your physical glory days, it will take longer before you can actually see those results. Just like with anyone who has a significant amount of weight to lose, seeing the results of strength training will require burning off the fat through cardio exercise. This is why so many people don’t believe that muscle memory exists, but getting back in shape takes more than lifting a few weights.
Getting Back In Shape
The information revealed in this study does provide compelling and motivating reasons to hit the gym again, but your weight loss and fitness goals must also be taken into consideration before you begin any weight loss program.
Your weight will always be a factor in how quickly you begin to see the results of muscle building, even when you begin to feel the effects immediately. You may be able to open a jar without assistance or lift more weights after just a few days, but you don’t quite see the sculpted muscles you were hoping for.
This muscle memory study doesn’t change what you need to do to lose the weight so your muscles are visible. You need a regular cardio workout along with a well balanced diet in order to lose fat. A well balanced diet will help you reduce your calorie intake to melt the fat away, while your weight training will keep sculpting muscles so you have a beautiful and toned body when your weight loss goal has been reached.
If you’re like most people and find it difficult to control your calorie count, then read our Eat Stop Eat review to find out if intermittent fasting can help you shed the excess fat.
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