Do your muscles have a memory?

I stopped working out about 5 years ago. I started up again about 4 months ago and I'm almost back to where I was strength wise. I'm only like 15-20 pounds of strength away from where I was.

Someone told me that muscles have a memory, is this true?

"muscle memory"

yes its true:)

Yeppers. They remember how far you took them and upon being re-stressed, they say, "OK, OK, we'll go there, you don't have to beat me to death, I remember!"

[QUOTE=Tyrbolift]Yeppers. They remember how far you took them and upon being re-stressed, they say, "OK, OK, we'll go there, you don't have to beat me to death, I remember!"[/QUOTE]

Well said.

:eek: muscles can talk???????

It has been theorized that multi-nucleation might explain the longstanding anecdotal phenomenon most athletes call "muscle memory".

Muscle memory is recognized when someone who has had substantial muscular mass and then lost it due to injury or layoffs from training, returns to training and regains the majority of the mass in a much shorter time than was initially required to develop it.

What could be happening is that the specific muscle proteins in the muscle were cannibalized by the body for energy production during non-use. The muscle, however, retains a higher than average number of nuclei that the previous exercise stress caused the body to create.

When presented with exercise and proper nutrients, new protein synthesis can occur at an accelerated rate.

The short version....Yes!:rolleyes:

I was going to the gym for about 3 years full on and was weighing about 202 lbs then I badly dislocated my shoulder and was out of action for about another 3 years. In that time I dropped down to 178 lbs.
2 months ago I started back and I am already at 191 lbs and I am lifting the same amount as I was before I stopped and that is without supps. I think I will exceed my previous size in about another 2 months. Muscles definitely have memory.

Yes, through proprioceptions. Your CNS "remembers" things like movements as well as amount of force required to lift something. It's on of the reasons why repetitive tasks like swinging a golf club or riding a bike become thoughtless acts after a while. The CNS force proprioceptions are how your body knows how much force to use on a lift. For example, if you had two identical chairs but one weighed more than the other, after lifting the heavier chair 10 times, what would happen if you lifted the lighter one? You'd use more force than was needed and the chair would get lifted very quickly. It's the same reason why most people feel like the first rep is harder, because your body is trying to figure out how much force it needs to complete the lift. After that first rep the rest kind of fall into a groove.

Not only do muscles have memory but they're freakin smart too. I tried to fool mine into believing I once had 20" arms and they wouldn't buy it :D

lol u are 20" bitches.. dont you REMEMBER damn it!! heh...

Yeah but I definately notice the 1st rep phenomenon especially when you start dealing with heavier weight. It's like... oh **** thats heavy then.. but wait I have enough power no problem.

like when u shoot a basketball

Years ago Robbi Robinson (a long retired body builder) trained for the Masters circuit and won first place in only 6 weeks of training! before then he was retired for some years. Amazing though, dormant muscles can spring back to life.

[QUOTE=Overload]Not only do muscles have memory but they're freakin smart too. I tried to fool mine into believing I once had 20" arms and they wouldn't buy it :D[/QUOTE]
I showed my arms pictures of Lee Priests and said, "Don't you remember you looked like that?" and they started laughing so hard they almost fell off my arm bone!

[QUOTE=Tyrbolift]I showed my arms pictures of Lee Priests and said, "Don't you remember you looked like that?" and they started laughing so hard they almost fell off my arm bone![/QUOTE]

Hehe

[QUOTE=Elliot0409]I stopped working out about 5 years ago. I started up again about 4 months ago and I'm almost back to where I was strength wise. I'm only like 15-20 pounds of strength away from where I was.

Someone told me that muscles have a memory, is this true?[/QUOTE]


yup muscle memory is a beautiful thing...I've been working out for 4 months now after taking 10 years off. I'm very close to where i used to be strength wise. Sweet.

You have had to train consistantly to actually remember anything.

Yes I have muscle memory.

I think a good example is the old empty carton of milk thing.

When you go to lift a carton of milk, thinking its full and then lifting it much higher and faster then you expected. Your muscles knew how much force normally would have been needed to lift it and apply it only to realize it was empty and used way too much.

I guess it is not only for muscles, the same thing happens to other parts of body.

That's why obese people have a hard time losing weight. Because they have been in that weight for so long, their bodies remember exactly how they used to be even after losing weight. So it is extremely easy for them to gain the weight back.

keeping it in very simplistic terms - yes - it's far easier to regain lost muscle than it is to build new muscle

[QUOTE=bbgbo]I guess it is not only for muscles, the same thing happens to other parts of body.

That's why obese people have a hard time losing weight. Because they have been in that weight for so long, their bodies remember exactly how they used to be even after losing weight. So it is extremely easy for them to gain the weight back.[/QUOTE]

Yup. I think fat has memory too.

Please. For the love of god, people, don't ever let yourself get fat. Never. Not even once.

[QUOTE=GetImpact]Yup. I think fat has memory too.

Please. For the love of god, people, don't ever let yourself get fat. Never. Not even once.[/QUOTE]
I'm not fat--I'm "bulking" (for the last 5 years)

[QUOTE=GetImpact]Yup. I think fat has memory too.

Please. For the love of god, people, don't ever let yourself get fat. Never. Not even once.[/QUOTE]
Yes, fat does have memory...Actually, it's more like a nightmare...:(