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Old 08-14-09, 08:44 PM  
Bearybuff
 
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Are Muscles Like Elephants?

So are muscles like elephants and never forget or do they get "sometimers" after a few years ? I was following the story about the trainer who gained 90 lbs. and people seemed to think that he would bounce back fairly quickly. Others were worried about him messing up his metabolism.

Is there a time limit or a weight gain limit? If you worked out 10 years ago or 5 years ago, would you have a quicker time getting back in shape than a newbie of similar age or is memory dependent on a year or two. Of course, different bodies, age, and metabolism play a part, but I was wondering if there were any generalities. I hate working my legs. They have no memory of me acting like this before, lol. It's been several months and they have just started getting it that I really mean it this time. So, what is your experience with muscle memory?
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Old 08-15-09, 01:26 PM  
Janga
 
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I believe personally that there is such a thing as muscle memory, although I have known trainers who dispute this.

Maybe it is a matter of how long ago the muscles in question existed before. To me it seems logical that if one has maintained good muscle mass for a long time and becomes very old and maybe doesn't workout for a long time or has an illness but then gets better, they'd probably still be able to build a large portion of that muscle back up, whereas if they worked out in their youth, laid around the house for the next 50 years and then decided in old age to get fit again, they'd have a much harder time doing that.

For me, I've exercised consistently for years but my muscle mass does go up and down (weight stays pretty consistent) depending on what exercise I am doing. I am not young or old but it is still very easy for me to take a month or so off from weights and lose muscle then build it quickly back up again by starting to lift again.

Hard to say. Good luck with your leg memory.
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Old 08-15-09, 01:44 PM  
RedPanda
 
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I'll just share the story of my new sparring partner. He boxed as a "young fella", as we say in Australia, and I'm guessing that would be about 15 years ago. In the meantime, he stopped working out and gained 30 kg (66 pounds). The boxing classes and some swimming are his re-entry into working out. While his cardiovascular capacity needs a lot of work his boxing skill is spot-on. I'm amazed that anyone could retain the muscle memory to punch as well as he does after that amount of time.

So yeah, I definitely believe in it.
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Old 08-15-09, 01:49 PM  
RedPanda
 
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Originally Posted by Janga View Post
I believe personally that there is such a thing as muscle memory, although I have known trainers who dispute this.
Maybe they dispute it because if muscle memory doesn't exist, it means more money for them.
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Old 08-15-09, 02:55 PM  
prettyinpink
 
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Originally Posted by RedPanda View Post
I'll just share the story of my new sparring partner. He boxed as a "young fella", as we say in Australia, and I'm guessing that would be about 15 years ago. In the meantime, he stopped working out and gained 30 kg (66 pounds). The boxing classes and some swimming are his re-entry into working out. While his cardiovascular capacity needs a lot of work his boxing skill is spot-on. I'm amazed that anyone could retain the muscle memory to punch as well as he does after that amount of time.

So yeah, I definitely believe in it.
So for him, boxing is, as they say, "just like riding a bike?"

In answer to the thread, riding a bike, playing an instrument, any learned activity like this, yes, there is such a thing as muscle memory. Now if you are asking about whether you have strong muscles when younger, whether it is easier to build them back up by lifting weights or whatever, that I don't know. I tend to think that if you are fit and active when growing up, that can only help, rather than starting out with very little muscle during growing years...but it's an interesting question.
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Old 08-15-09, 03:15 PM  
Jennifer R
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My glutes are more like heffalumps
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Old 08-17-09, 12:01 AM  
Janga
 
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Smile

I think you are right!

Quote:
Originally Posted by RedPanda View Post
Maybe they dispute it because if muscle memory doesn't exist, it means more money for them.
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Old 08-17-09, 06:30 AM  
Bearybuff
 
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Now if you are asking about whether you have strong muscles when younger, whether it is easier to build them back up by lifting weights or whatever, that I don't know. I tend to think that if you are fit and active when growing up, that can only help, rather than starting out with very little muscle during growing years...but it's an interesting question.

Yes, this is exactly what I was asking. A big deal is made about preparing a "bone bank" for when you are older. I was wondering if people noticed a "muscle bank." I would think you would have to be very active and fit to be able to see a come back many years later. Since this is a fitness forum, I was wondering what people have noticed in this regard.
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Old 08-17-09, 01:14 PM  
RedPanda
 
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Yes, this is exactly what I was asking. A big deal is made about preparing a "bone bank" for when you are older. I was wondering if people noticed a "muscle bank." I would think you would have to be very active and fit to be able to see a come back many years later. Since this is a fitness forum, I was wondering what people have noticed in this regard.
I remember someone asking about this a few years ago on a bodybuilding forum. The general consensus was that you start to lose muscle after about two weeks of not training.

"Muscle memory" generally refers to the memory of how to do something (like my sparring partner) rather than muscle retention.
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Old 08-17-09, 02:41 PM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buffwish View Post
Now if you are asking about whether you have strong muscles when younger, whether it is easier to build them back up by lifting weights or whatever, that I don't know. I tend to think that if you are fit and active when growing up, that can only help, rather than starting out with very little muscle during growing years...but it's an interesting question.
.
It is an interesting question! Personally I was very sedentary growing up as opposed to my two sisters, one who was into gymnastics and the other into rowing and swimming. I feel like I had to "start from scratch" when i started exercising as an (overweight) adult, whereas neither of them exercise anymore in their adulthood, but I feel like they have what I call "grandfathered" muscles because they still retained a large portion of their muscle strength and shape even though they are no longer active! I feel like there is a very believable theory to muscle memory. However, it could just be body shapes.
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