Does muscle really have memory?

[venusgeneus]

Greetings!

I'm new and probably gonna ask questions that have been asked numerous times before but I hope you'll forgive me and give me some guidance. :)

I am 43 years old, 5'3, 140 lbs. I don't really want to lose weight because I do like being thicker and curvier, but for personal reasons I haven't been working out regularly like I used to for (eek) almost a year, and within the past month or so all of a sudden I really started seeing the changes, things are softer (um...flabbier) and have gone, well, southward a bit. Well, this put a fire up my...metabolism?...and I have been working out regularly for about 3 weeks now and have some questions I would be very grateful to have answered.

What is important for me to remember if I want to increase muscle size?
I have always had round hips/booty, and just recently it's becoming a little more square (lumpy, if you will) and not as full. I realize I need to lift and firm, but I'd also like to increase muscle size and definitely don't want to lose weight in that area.)

I would also like to increase chest size in the hopes of a "lift".

Again, I don't want to lose weight but rather turn the flab to muscle and I seem to have a lot of that on my upper-back, not sure how to address, would weight loss or building muscle address this?

Can working out muscles that are sore or the same muscle too often decrease size?

How can I tell if it is lift and firming that I need over building muscle (and vice verse) and plan a workout accordingly?

And, lastly, I understand muscle has memory, if I only just realized the muscle loss over the past month (which happened gradually over the past year) how long can it take to get back to where it was last year (which was the best I looked ever...and want to get it back).

Hope this wasn't too kooky and thanks so much for any help.

[discdoggie]

I would also like to increase chest size in the hopes of a "lift".

.

Exercises won't lift anything there. Unfortunately, nothing will but a surgeon's knife. Getting a stong chest probably will help the overall appearance. Or maybe not. The stronger my chest gets, the worse my "flapjacks" look. Oh well.

[freebirdmac]

If you have unwanted fat anywhere on your body, like your back, you will have to lose body fat all over in order to get rid of it. This will reduce fat in areas you don't care to reduce, but that is the way it goes. You can however build muscle in those areas to help make up for fat you have lost and get a better shape as a result.

Yes, muscle memory is real. But as you age and get further away from when you had that muscle, the harder/longer it can take to get it back.

The most important thing to remember when gaining muscle or losing fat is diet. It is so much easier to focus on one goal at a time, either muscle gains or fat loss. Given what you have said, increase your food intake and go for muscle. After 6 months to a year reevaluate your goals. You should be able to realize muscle gains with minimal fat gains. Get plenty of protein, good fats, and complex carbs.

You cannot change fat to muscle. You can lose fat and you can gain muscle. One does not convert to another.

Firming and toning = gaining muscle. Just different terms.

[venusgeneus]

If you have unwanted fat anywhere on your body, like your back, you will have to lose body fat all over in order to get rid of it. This will reduce fat in areas you don't care to reduce, but that is the way it goes. You can however build muscle in those areas to help make up for fat you have lost and get a better shape as a result.

Yes, muscle memory is real. But as you age and get further away from when you had that muscle, the harder/longer it can take to get it back.

The most important thing to remember when gaining muscle or losing fat is diet. It is so much easier to focus on one goal at a time, either muscle gains or fat loss. Given what you have said, increase your food intake and go for muscle. After 6 months to a year reevaluate your goals. You should be able to realize muscle gains with minimal fat gains. Get plenty of protein, good fats, and complex carbs.

You cannot change fat to muscle. You can lose fat and you can gain muscle. One does not convert to another.

Firming and toning = gaining muscle. Just different terms.

Thanks so much!

I loved where I was at last year, really wish I kept it up. I'm not far so hopefully I can.

I wanted to also know if working out a muscle too often will result in decrease in size?

[freebirdmac]

No, working out a muscle too often will not cause it to shrink. It can however hinder growth. Muscles need time outside of the gym to recover and grow. Newbies can work muscles more often than those who have been lifting for awhile. Full body routines 3x a week are common for newbies. After that, you need to be cautious about hitting a body part 2x week as more time is needed for recovery and growth. It also depends on the routine. There are hypertrophy routines for non-newbies that hit muscles up to 3x week, but they are specifically designed to avoid overuse.