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Muscle memory is not what you might think it is, or maybe it is
By Christina | April 25, 2008
I have heard over and over that you get in shape faster after a hiatus if you were in shape before you took the break because of muscle memory but what does that mean really? Beyond what does that mean, why is it so?
When an active person trains repeatedly the same muscle doing the same movement it will stimulate the mind’s adaptation process. This is turn will induce physiological changes which increase the levels of accuracy and performance through repetition. The process should be called brain-muscle memory or motor memory, but often we hear the expression “muscle memory”. Individuals rely upon the mind’s ability to assimilate a given activity and adapt to the training. As the brain and muscle adapts to training, the subsequent changes are a form or representation of its muscle memory.
As one reinforces movements through repetition, the neural system learns those fine and gross motor skills to the degree that one no longer needs to think about them, but merely to react and perform appropriately. In this sense the muscle memory process is an example of automating an OODA Loop insofar as one learns to Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act.
Another theory or explanation for muscle memory is something called multi-nucleation. 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 being used 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 second explanation is my interpretation of muscle memory in the way we define it at the gym but both are accurate. If you, like me were not really sure exactly what muscle memory was, I hope this helped.Â
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Topics: Fitness Tips, Personal Training |
