Muscle Memory

[Voodoo]

I want an opinion on muscle memory;

A- Whether its a legit process, or just an anabolicly created plateau..
B- if it is legit how does it work?
C- can exogenous hormonal sources influence where an individuals muscle memory limit lie?

[sfearl1]

interesting post. i was thinking about this the other day!

[thesinner]

Muscle memory as in you haven't worked out for a while (usually due to injury) and are able to get back to par pretty quickly?

Or "Muscle Memory" as in you've taken a week or two off as a means for continued gains?

[Gixxer82]

Originally Posted by thesinner

Muscle memory as in you haven't worked out for a while (usually due to injury) and are able to get back to par pretty quickly?

Or "Muscle Memory" as in you've taken a week or two off as a means for continued gains?

I believe he is referring to the first one.

I believe in it. I've had a friend that was injured and couldn't work out for over a month and lost some considerable weight. He was able to get it all back within weeks.

[thesinner]

Well the reason you lose the weight is because of the concept of "use it or lose it". Since there's absolutely no need to have 18" biceps when the most you do is pick up the TV remote, the body stops maintaining that size and gets rid of it.

[Voodoo]

Originally Posted by thesinner

Well the reason you lose the weight is because of the concept of "use it or lose it". Since there's absolutely no need to have 18" biceps when the most you do is pick up the TV remote, the body stops maintaining that size and gets rid of it.

well yes, but I meant, say I get sick, or someone takes a month off due to some reason or another... will the muscle size/weight come back after a month of nonabuse?

also, say on cycle (it would have to be an extended cycle) you took the last 2 weeks off, due to whatever reason, and lost 5lbs during that time period.. well you can see where Im going.

[thesinner]

Originally Posted by Voodoo

well yes, but I meant, say I get sick, or someone takes a month off due to some reason or another... will the muscle size/weight come back after a month of nonabuse?

also, say on cycle (it would have to be an extended cycle) you took the last 2 weeks off, due to whatever reason, and lost 5lbs during that time period.. well you can see where Im going.

eh, now we're getting into theoreticals.

I'm gonna say what I believe in, and that is that lifting weights is a lot like riding a bicycle. Winter comes and you can't ride your bike in the snow (I mean, come on). But when summer rolls around your body still remembers how to ride the bike without biffing (like when you were still learning).

Weight training is the same way. The body still (for example) how to bench press 315 (i.e. how many fibers need to be recruited and whatnot); however, it no longer possesses the necessary amount of muscle to get the job done. Naturally, it works to get this going.

How does this differ from your normal training? Simple. Let's say the most you've ever benched was 315. Given energy efficiency factors, it will take a certain amount of muscle to accomplish this feat. However, the body has not yet learned how to bench 345 now, has it? So not only does the body need to build more muscle to accomplish the new feat of 315, but it also needs to "learn" how to do it.

Where there are some biochemical factors involved (such as enzymes, hormones, and receptor sensitivity), the concepts in my example should show that with recovery of "muscle memory" it is the lack of mass that stands in your way, as opposed to regular training where the lack of mass as well as the lack of coordination (knowing how to perform a lift at a certain weight) are both feats to overcome.

With the instance of using steroids, I would say it depends. There are some people who use gratuitous amounts of steroids and are unable to maintain their strength or size without 'em. In this instance the answer is an obvious no; however, if it is something that can be maintained without 1000mg of Tren per week (dramatization), I don't see why not.

[Hank Vangut]

i think my muscle has the worst memory possible.....i think it has alzheimers.

i quit training for a bit and it forgets everything and takes me forever to get it back.

[Voodoo]

Originally Posted by Hank Vangut

i think my muscle has the worst memory possible.....i think it has alzheimers.

i quit training for a bit and it forgets everything and takes me forever to get it back.

welcome to the club. either Im at the gym every day/every other day or Im shrinking.

[thesinner]

LOL, your muscle has a learning disability. :P