Muscle memory: what is it, how does it work, and how long does it last?

If you have been physically fit in the past, will it be easier for you to be fit again in the future?

According to those who defend the existence of muscle memory, yes. But what does this concept consist of? It is a type of memory "located" in our muscles, which allows us to more easily do exercises that we have already practiced in the past.

In this article we turn to scientific research and different experts in the field to shed a little light on the different aspects that surround this topic: Does muscle memory really exist?

How does it work? What does it depend on? What factors determine that it appears before or after? How long does it last? We will answer these and other questions in this article.

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Muscle memory: what is it?

Many years ago, there was a tendency to think that muscles that atrophied, either as a result of their disuse, or as a result of an injury, never recover. However, today it is known that this is not the case, thanks to the concept of muscle memory.

But what is muscle memory? It is about the memory that our muscles "have", that is, that ability that allows us to repeat movements more easily when we have already performed them previously.

In this way, our muscles can "retain" the memory of certain exercises, and even of our previous muscle growth, as it ensures. Robert Seaborne, one of the researchers of a study developed by Keele University (United Kingdom) on muscle memory, and that we will comment more go ahead.

Muscle memory can be appreciated especially in sports people who, even if they temporarily abandon sport, regain their physical form more easily, and have ease for other people who have never played sports to return to doing certain training.

So this kind of memory helps us when we abandon our sports routines and return to the load, since it allows us to recover the physical form more easily. But does muscle memory really exist? What does science say about it?

Neuroscience and muscle memory

Science has tried to answer the question of whether muscle memory really exists and, if so, how it works. One of these answers, according to recent research, would be found in genetics (that is, the origin of muscle memory would be found here).

Along these lines, an investigation published in the journal Scientific Reports of Nature and developed by a team from Keele University (UK), suggests that human skeletal muscle has an epigenetic memory that is determined by earlier growth, which allows our body to recover more quickly.

However, the results of this research "collided" with what other theories say in relation to muscle memory. One of these theories is developed by the biologist Kristian Gundersen, according to which an increase in myonuclei (the nuclei found within muscle fibers) occurs in the cells of our muscle fibers, which would explain (roughly) how muscle memory works.

Returning to the subject of genetics, experts have found specific genes related to muscle memory and, therefore, with a better return to the physical shape of our body.

These genes could improve certain rehabilitation treatments what professional athletes are subjected to when injured, for example. It has also been seen how these genes could also lengthen the effects of certain drugs that some athletes take to improve their muscle building.

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Other investigations

Another study in the line of genetics, this time developed by Moberg et al. (2020), revealed that various regulatory genes, as well as some proteins involved in the adaptation that muscles make to resistance exercises, are related to muscle memory (that is, they are influenced by each person's previous training history).

One of the outstanding results of this study is that the cells of the leg exercised by the participants, after 10 weeks of training and 20 weeks of rest, they were better prepared to develop volume and strength, at the genetic level and metabolic.

Specifically, the researchers found a wide range of genetic markers, as well as biochemical signals, within of the muscle cells of the participants, related to the proper functioning of the muscles and their increase.

According to research, muscle memory clearly does exist, and it appears as a consequence of sports training. However, the researchers note that more research is needed in this regard.

Beyond genetics

However, it is not just believed that muscle memory is due to genetics. Francisco Ozores, anthropometry technician and physical education teacher, explains that muscle memory is a broad concept, that encompasses (or is explained by) three essential aspects: the organic, the psychological and the physiological.

According to him, people who are used to doing sports (especially professional athletes, or high performance), they have different capacities to the people "on foot" as a result of their work, beyond the physical.

These abilities have to do, for example, with a "strong" mind capable of training to the limit, or with the fact of being able to develop new capillaries for that muscle mass that once had the assimilation of proteins.

Thus, according to Ozores, muscle memory would be that capacity that makes it possible for us to develop past physical exercises much more easily (which is an advantage for athletes over non-athletes); later, according to him, genetics would also act, but for athletes and non-athletes alike.

How long does muscle memory last and what factors does it depend on?

According to experts, this depends on various factors, such as the age at which sports were stopped, the age at which they returned to exercise the body, the time elapsed between one moment and another, the type of diet, the activity itself, genetic factors and metabolic, etc.

Ana Chezzi, a nutritionist specializing in anthropometry, explains that muscle memory lasts about 72 hours; This means that ideally if we do sports on Monday, we should do it again on Thursday, since if no, all the preparation that our body (and therefore, our muscles) has done deteriorates and even losing.

The importance of sport (and youth)

It is not a novelty that sport is so healthy for our body (and eye, also for our mind!). Thus, experts agree to point out the importance of staying active and training our muscles as much as we can throughout lifealthough especially when we are young. This is so because, as our body ages (as do our muscles), muscle building becomes increasingly difficult.

In this way, although muscle memory seems to exist and that it can help us a lot in this regard (in our physical recovery, for example, or simply being in shape), we can always "make things easier" for you by putting our part. What's more, Let's not forget that without training, muscle memory does not exist.

Bibliographic references:

• Joanisse, S., Gillen, J. B., Bellamy, L. M., McKay, B. R., Tarnopolsky, M. A., Gibala, M. J., & Parise, G. (2013). Evidence for the contribution of muscle stem cells to non hypertrophic skeletal muscle remodeling in humans. The FASEB Journal, 27 (11): 4596-4605.
• Martin, D., Carl, K. & Lehnertz, K. (2007). Sports training methodology manual. Editorial Paidotribo. Barcelona.
• Moberg, M., Lindholm, M.E., Reitzner, S.M., Ekblom, B., Sundberg, C.J. & Psilander, N. (2020). Exercise induces different molecular responses in trained and untrained human muscle. Med Sci Sports Exerc.