STRONG CAMP: BOUNCE BACK BETTER
RAWDAH
What is muscle memory?
It refers to the idea that it’s much easier to regain lost muscle mass than it is to gain new muscle from scratch.
How does it work?
We used to think that neurological factors were solely responsible for muscle memory, making it easier to relearn a task previously undertaken. Like ‘riding a bike’, it’s easier to do even after months with feet off the pedals than it is when riding a bike for the very first time.
A 2010 University of Oslo study expanded this understanding. Researchers used imaging techniques to determine what happened to myonuclei during periods of detraining. Myonuclei are the numerous nuclei (control centres of the cell) that populate muscle cells. This differs from other cells in the body that only have a single nuclei or powerhouse.
Myonuclei oversee a specific area and amount of muscle, and they can only oversee a finite amount, limiting muscle from growing infinitely – shame, I know! The only way to continue growing more muscle tissue is to lay down more myonuclei and this takes time.
This same study from the University
