What is muscle memory and how does it work?

Muscle memory is formed under the influence of regular physical activity. The better it is developed, the longer a person retains a good shape and the faster he recovers from illnesses.

The term “muscle memory” refers to the ability of muscles to remember changes in muscle tone and reproduce them. This goal is achieved through the restructuring of nerve and muscle cells. To develop this type of memory, you should regularly exercise the body and perform repetitive movements.

Due to this, it becomes easier for athletes to keep fit. In addition, the body will recover faster after injuries and illnesses.

How does muscle memory work?

Muscle memory is concentrated in the myonuclei, that is, the nuclei within the muscle fiber. These fibers are called long because they are the result of the fusion of several cells and are much larger than all other cells. Skeletal muscles are made up of these fibers.

• If a person trains regularly, new nuclei begin to form inside his muscle tissue. The more frequent and longer workouts, the more cores. Each trip to the gym, to the pool or to the court reinforces the results of previous sessions of physical activity.
• Most cells in the human body throughout their existence have one nucleus. However, muscle fibers have the ability to capture nuclei from satellite cells. This happens when muscle cells begin to increase during training. Satellite cells are precursors of muscle cells and can transform into them.

Three parts of the brain play a role in the development of muscle memory

1. Cerebellum – It saves information about the movements made and adapts it for a more comfortable perception.
2. motor cortex – Provides the very possibility of conscious execution of movements.
3. Basal ganglia – Thanks to them, the athlete remembers where the movement begins).

Purkinje cells inside the brain store quantitative and qualitative information about the performed muscle contractions. If the memory of the movement is firmly fixed, the brain spends less effort on reproducing the work of the muscles. Motor activity is automated.

It is convenient to illustrate the theory with the example of a person who learned to ride a bicycle as a child. He is now 35 years old and has not ridden a two-wheeled vehicle for the past 20 years. If this person is given a bicycle, he will not have to re-master the technique of pedaling. Let him first feel insecure in the saddle, the muscles will quickly remember how they need to work.

The older the person, the more muscles atrophy and the harder it is to recover. To maintain muscle mass in good shape, it is important to engage in strength exercises. They will help the body to accumulate a supply of myonuclei for the future.

Why is muscle memory important?

• People who go to training set certain goals for themselves, such as losing weight, gaining muscle, or learning to move more gracefully.
• The more regular physical activity, the easier it is to achieve the desired performance. Muscles remember what they want from them, and progress accelerates. The concept of muscle memory is relevant for all parameters of motor activity: strength, flexibility, agility.
• As soon as training stops, myonuclei do not disappear anywhere. They remain inside the muscle cells for up to 3 months and are on standby.

Well-developed muscle memory speeds up rehabilitation after a heart attack, stroke, injury and various diseases.

How to develop muscle memory

Professional athletes have a lot of cores, so it’s easy for them to get back in shape after a long break. In people who started sports from scratch and did not adhere to a strict training schedule, muscle memory has not yet been developed.

Therefore, after long pauses, they have to start all over again with great effort.

Muscle memory is determined by three factors:

• state of health;
• the degree of training;
• individual characteristics of the body.

Muscle memory is formed over many months. So that the muscles learn to remember information faster.

It is important to observe the following rules:

• Exercise regularly Ideally at the same time of day.
• Respect the optimum time – It is optimal to go to the gym not every day, so that the muscles have time to adapt to the loads.
• howl attentive – From the very beginning, remember the correct technique for performing exercises. If the muscles “learn” the uneven distribution of the load during weight work or the wrong punch in boxing, it will be difficult to “reprogram” them to correctly execute these movements.
• Diversify the load – Muscles need to be given different exercises, varying the number of repetitions and approaches.

At home, the following exercises will provide results:

• on the press from the floor, from 5 approaches;
• classic squats, from 30 times;
• bridge from the floor, 10-15 seconds each;
• stand in the bar, from 30 seconds;
• tilts to the sides with a touch of the floor, 10 times in each direction.

For beginners who want to develop muscle memory in the shortest possible time, swimming, dancing, football, hockey, volleyball and tennis are the best places to start.