Post-surgery and muscle loss
Many people have had times when they had to go long periods without training because of work commitments or travel, or due to injuries and illnesses… I have two pieces of news… one bad and one good…😆
Do you know what muscle memory is?
Let’s start with the bad news: The bad news is that this “time away” naturally causes muscle atrophy… This atrophy can happen even faster in cases of immobilization due to some kind of trauma…
Now for the good news: Don’t worry! NOT ALL IS LOST! Have you ever heard of muscle memory?
A recent study concluded that the phenomenon of MUSCLE MEMORY can be explained, in large part, by the fact that muscles maintain the same number of muscle nuclei during muscle loss or periods without training.
Memory cells
These muscle cell nuclei seem to act as “memory cells.”
They “remember” the amount of muscle mass you had before you stopped training. THEREFORE, the longer you have trained throughout your life, the longer it will take for you to lose the fitness you have achieved.
Muscle volume is regained more quickly by trained people, but remember: Increases in weight should be gradual to avoid the risk of injury!
By the way, aside from injuries or illnesses, I personally don’t think there’s any reason to stop all physical activity, even while on vacation.
In fact, with more free time during vacation, you could dedicate even more time to it! Keep training, and do so mindfully! Your health will thank you!
Muscle memory after surgery
Don’t worry. Muscle loss in this case is normal. But thanks to muscle memory, your gains will return to where they never should have left!
Muscle memory is the ability to retain a specific motor task in memory through repetition.
While your muscles themselves don’t remember anything, they are full of neurons connected to your nervous system that play a role in motor learning.
Every movement requires brain activity, and repeating a movement, even a complex one, often triggers recognizable patterns in the areas of the brain responsible for motor skills.
This results in learned movements requiring less brainpower in the future.
Muscle memory is a factor to consider when rebuilding strength and muscle mass after a period of inactivity, but it isn’t the only one.
