Here’s the truth about your muscles: if you’ve trained them before (even if it was a decade or more, ago), they can be trained at a quicker rate than before. Here’s what you need to know about muscle memory to turn your body into a toned, ripped machine!
What is Muscle Memory Anyways?
When you strengthen your muscles (even if the last time you strength trained was in high school) your muscles, which are made of multinuclear cells, grow. The more you strengthen them, the more they grow in size. When you stop working out, you have what’s called ‘muscle memory’. According to scientific studies, that multinuclear cells you once build and that grew as you worked out are never really lost. They don’t fade away, and when you start training again, larger muscles can grow because essentially, you aren’t starting out from square one again. If that isn’t a great reason to head back to the gym and start lunging, lifting and pressing, we don’t know what is! Here’s a quick cheat sheet to get you building muscle once more, and stay on track easier on ever before:
• Find a workout you will do weekly, and enjoy. Experiment with different opportunities to build your muscles. Do you enjoy boot camp style fitness? Do you like kickboxing workouts with a heavy bag? Do you enjoy the stress release that comes with lifting heavy weight with dumb bells and barbell training? Find a few workout scenarios that you’ll be excited to commit to!
• Start off with one or two workouts, and make them count. A high-intensity workout is a great way to jump start both your weight loss and strength training. It raises your heart rate, which allows you to get into the ‘fat burning’ zone, and it boosts your energy. Begin with a realistic workout schedule, with two 45 minute workouts a week. You don’t have to be a workout superstar just yet. Getting to the gym and incorporating full body workouts such as deep squats, walking lunges, planks, deadlifts and burpees are a great way to retrain your muscles.
• Pick two new exercises a week to master. If you’re feeling intimated about getting back into a workout routine, pick two exercises you’d like to try out. For example, if you’re interested in rowing and the deadlift, talk to a trainer about correct posture and positioning. Watch YouTube videos that will show you a ‘beginners’ workout. Ask a trainer for some guidelines.
With consistency, dedication and a wiliness to put the ‘work’ into your workout, you’ll build upon your muscle, and it’s ‘memory’ that’s already there—allowing you to get into the best shape of your life!
