Time to play the muscle memory game
HAS it been a while since your last workout? Don’t sweat it. Thanks to a fitness phenomenon called ‘muscle memory’, your former fit self might not be too many burpees away.
WHAT IS MUSCLE MEMORY?
“IN SIMPLE terms, muscle memory is the neurological message system between your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments,” says Marvin Burton, head of fitness at Anytime Fitness UK (anytimefitness.co.uk).
While your muscles can’t remember information, Marvin explains that our biceps and other muscles contain neurons that are attached to the nervous system, which are connected to motor learning.
Whether it’s a squat or push up, any movement of the body relies on the brain, and repeating an exercise enough times triggers patterns in the brain regions responsible for your motor skills.
“Muscle memory is essentially created through repetition,” says Marvin.
“If a movement is repeated consistently over time, it can be performed with less effort and more efficiency.”
HOW CAN UNDERSTANDING MUSCLE MEMORY HELP YOU SEE BETTER RESULTS AT THE GYM?
MUSCLE memory isn’t just your body learning a task; it’s also learning how to repair and rebuild tissue more rapidly, says Marvin.
“Muscle memory is improved by moving through the same patterns on a consistent basis.
“Understanding how this works is incredibly useful for your physical activity, as it allows you to learn the strengths and weaknesses of your body, and improve your overall health.”
Repeating the same exercises means these actions can be performed faster, more smoothly and more accurately.
Marvin continues: “While repetition and allowing your body to become familiar with certain movements is important, it’s even more significant for you to create new patterns which will allow you to further improve your health and fitness levels.”
Try switching up your usual run for a pilates class or your weights session for boxing.
HOW CAN YOU REGAIN MUSCLE STRENGTH IF YOU’VE BEEN SKIPPING YOUR WORKOUTS?
“MANY people will have unfortunately found themselves in this position, due to the enforced closures of gyms, but don’t be disheartened – thanks to your muscle memory, it won’t take as long as you think to return to your previous levels of strength,” says Marvin.
Initially, he suggests focusing on compound exercises, which are movements that work out multiple muscle groups, like deadlifts, squats and push-ups.
Re-establish the basics before you lift heavy. Too much, too soon can result in injury, says Marvin, so start with higher repetitions and mix in bodyweight training to lay the foundations.