My Theory On Muscle Memory

Flexxx

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If anyone has worked out for a long time then they probably have experienced "muscle memory". When starting out it may take you a few years to gain some size and strength you have but when you take some time off, say a few months, you will lose some of this size and strength. However, after getting back into the gym you discover that you can quickly get back to your former size and strength in a fraction of the time it took you in the beginning. While it may have taken you 3 years to get your bench up to 315, after taking some time off you now struggle with 175. However, in 2 months you're back to your 315 bench.

Why is that?

My theory is based upon the fact that your muscles are covered by a very thin, but very strong sheath of clear fiber that holds the muscles together and in place. This sheathing is very difficult to stretch. While butchering my own deer I have spent the additional time to patiently remove this sheathing around the meat as it tends to give animals the "wild" taste many people may not like. I found this sheathing to be very strong and not pliable.

When you workout and your muscles start to grow this sheathing has to expand to allow muscle growth. It is a slow process but the sheathing stretches and eventually accommodates the larger muscle belly it surrounds.

Now when you take some time off your muscles start to shrink and this sheathing likewise starts to contract around the muscle. But because it has already been stretched out, it responds much easier in the future to stretching when the muscle once again grows. It is not hindering the muscle from growing.

Think of how when you try to blow up a balloon. If you just start blowing into it, it can be very difficult to get it to expand. However, if you manually stretch the balloon first it is much easier to get air into it. The same can be true for your muscles.

I think Jelqing, to expand the size of the penis, works the same way. By constantly trying to stretch and break down the outer membrane of your penis shaft you make it much easier for the penis to grow.

Another theory I have for muscle growth, and although I have never heard it used for muscle growth, I would not be surprised if professional bodybuilders utilized Graston Technique massages to breakdown the sheathing around the muscles to promote muscle growth. Graston is a technique of rubbing the muscles with stainless steel bars to loosen muscle fibers and break up scar tissue, etc. I think it would make a very effective tool for promoting muscle growth. Unfortunately, it also can be a very painful procedure. No pain, no gain.

So what do you think? Am I onto something here?
 

Khegan

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someperson

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Why is that?

My theory is based upon the fact that your muscles are covered by a very thin, but very strong sheath of clear fiber that holds the muscles together and in place. This sheathing is very difficult to stretch. While butchering my own deer I have spent the additional time to patiently remove this sheathing around the meat as it tends to give animals the "wild" taste many people may not like. I found this sheathing to be very strong and not pliable.

So what do you think? Am I onto something here?
muscle memory is doing something, not weight lifting

i.e typing on a keyboard or driving..
i.e.. I owned a pick up truck that made wider turns and on my new car the same thing still happens
that is muscle memory...


sometimes i feel things tearing internally when using heavier weights


possibly the sheathing your talking about and it does not "hurt"..... I'm almost back to my previous weighs level after only a couple of months.... after taking a 5-6 year break(i got tired of it because i was getting nowhere with it and not gaining any size at all ), I have also seen a lot of growth to my shoulders, biceps/tri, traps and neck almost surpassing the previous size... despite my Test levels being in the low category...280 range I noticed my shirts lifting up in the traps and shoulders it was a little annoying at first
 
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Flexxx

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muscle memory is doing something, not weight lifting

i.e typing on a keyboard or driving..
i.e.. I owned a pick up truck that made wider turns and on my new car the same thing still happens
that is muscle memory...


sometimes i feel things tearing internally when using heavier weights


possibly the sheathing your talking about and it does not "hurt"..... I'm almost back to my previous weighs level after only a couple of months.... after taking a 5-6 year break(i got tired of it because i was getting nowhere with it and not gaining any size at all ), I have also seen a lot of growth to my shoulders, biceps/tri, traps and neck almost surpassing the previous size... despite my Test levels being in the low category...280 range I noticed my shirts lifting up in the traps and shoulders it was a little annoying at first
You have never heard of "muscle memory" ? You must live under a rock
 
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someperson

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You have never heard of "muscle memory" ? You must live under a rock
Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition, which has been used synonymously with motor learning.



nothing to do with weight lifting
 

DSF140

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Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that involves consolidating a specific motor task into memory through repetition, which has been used synonymously with motor learning.



nothing to do with weight lifting
In the gym world, "muscle memory" is the term used to explain exactly what @Flexxx initially described. Perhaps other people in other scenarios use the term in other ways, but in the gym, it has a particular meaning. Although it's not a scientific term, and thus arguing about it is pointless, what the original question asked is what is the underlying cause of the phenomenon that gym rats are experiencing across the globe, that we refer to as "muscle memory".
 
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Flexxx

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In the gym world, "muscle memory" is the term used to explain exactly what @Flexxx initially described. Perhaps other people in other scenarios use the term in other ways, but in the gym, it has a particular meaning. Although it's not a scientific term, and thus arguing about it is pointless, what the original question asked is what is the underlying cause of the phenomenon that gym rats are experiencing across the globe, that we refer to as "muscle memory".[/QUOTE
thank you for your explanation. I was going to chime in again but I figured some muscle heads still wouldn't understand