Muscle memory may be more powerful than previously thought – study

If you’re an avid gym-goer then you would have heard the term “no pain, no gain”. This actually stems from the commonly held belief that if you stop or take extended breaks from your daily gym routine, that your muscles start weakening and it takes longer to get back in shape when you start again.

While, in some sadistic way, this belief may have been the encouragement that we all need to stick to our daily workouts, new research proves that muscle memory is actually a lot more powerful than was previously thought.

However, the study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology and conducted by a group of experts from the University of Massachusetts says this shows greater results if training begins in youth.

Professor Lawrence Schwartz, a co-author of the study, said it was well-documented in the field of exercise physiology that it’s far easier to reacquire a certain level of muscle fitness through exercise than it was to achieve it the first place, even if there has been a long intervening period of detraining.

“In other words, the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ might be more accurately articulated as ‘use it or lose it… until you work at it again’.”

If anything, the findings are certainly great encouragement for parents to get their kids off the sofas and their electronic devices and into the habit of exercise.

In a separate article on the truth about muscle memory, Applied Fitness Solutions advises the following:

• Get your kids exercising as soon as possible! It’s easier to develop these nuclei when you are young. Since lean mass is such an important predictor of long term health, you would be doing them a huge favour.

• It’s not too late to start back up! Get off the couch and return to old form. Improving your level of fitness will give you the confidence to pick up sports you once played, which will further improve your fitness.

• Never exercised? While it’s easier for young kids to develop these nuclei, it doesn’t mean that you can’t build more when you are middle-aged. In addition to the immediate benefits, you will also be investing in your long-term health!

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.