Is the following statement about body building true?

[novalypse]

Is this true? or just a bunch of broscience?

"Muscle memory refers to the muscles ability to achieve a certain size again after
previously being there. If a pro bodybuilder that was 120kg of solid muscle was put
in a coma for some reason for 2 years, and shrunk to 80kg in this time, his body
would remember having this muscle. This is because the muscles casing (fascia)
has been stretched to this size previously.
If this bodybuilder had an identical twin with the same genetics, who had never
been over 80kg, and they both began working out together, the twin who had been
120kg would pack on the pounds much faster than his brother. His muscle would
fill out the casing much easier as it had already been previously stretched, much
like a rubber band stays partially stretched if you keep it stretched for a long period
of time.
You can use this to your advantage when bulking and then cutting. Any muscle lost
during the cutting cycle will be much easier to gain the next time around when you
are bulking, and this very much plays into the idea of cycling your diet regimes."

by the way zyzz wrote this ^

[Poontoss]

I think it is yes. If you took two people, one who trained for a year and then stopped and one who had never trained before, the guy who trained for a year would make more progress.

[dannytin]

i heard it was true, but i aint no broscientist.

[legocy]

there is some truth to it. your muscles will not permanantly stay stretched, our bodies are made to adapt, therefore if you hadnt lifted weights for 2 years and then started training again, its not going to be as easy as you think, your body would respond to the absence of myofibril stimulation and would contract.

I myself stopped training for a year, i lost quite a bit of size and strength and when i started again, it took almost as long to gain that size as it did the first time. but taking 2-3 months off you will gain it in no time.

[hilltopper1993]

I think it is yes. If you took two people, one who trained for a year and then stopped and one who had never trained before, the guy who trained for a year would make more progress.

the guy with experience would gain faster due to technique probably. Who knows.

[Saintsqc]

I call BS on this.

I cant find any serious article on that. It's way too simplified to explain a physiology adaptation. "Muscle memory" is probably the results of many factors. For example, a pro bodybuilder already knows perfectly how to train, he has a better genetics, he has the discipline for a constant training and gym intensity, his CNS knows better how to perform the lift, etc. , etc. , etc. Just with his brain, he can get better and bigger than any average gym goer.

About the cutting/bulking part. During a cut, you lose a lot of lean body mass...but this is mostly water weight. Eat more carb/sodium and drink more...and you will gain all this weight.


So yeah...IMO, the statement is 100% broscience.