Muscle Memory

scotty2

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Was wondering to what degree, if any, this principle has to do with weight gain. Last year I bulked up to 260(from 210). I was huge(strong and fat). I cut all the way down to 207(after some UA), I started bulking, very slowly. Prior to starting a T1 pro cycle, I gained 15 lbs in a couple of weeks(water and glycogen I surmise). I am near the end of my cycle and am up 14 lbs. How much of this weight gain can I attribute to the ph, and how much to plain old muscle memory?
 

Big H

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If you are talking about weight gain, then I don't think that, that has to do with muscle memory. Muscle memory mainly deals with the CNS, which was trained to fire a certain number of fast twich fibres (slow twitch if you ran). Now, say you are off for 4 weeks. Your muscles start to atrophy, but your CNS still has the potential to get back to the strength it was before you quit. Now, when you lift again after 4 weeks, your muscles respond faster and grow faster than at first, because your CNS relearned the motor skills faster than it took the first time.
 

John Benz

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Muscle memory is a fact.

After several years layoff (married life) I got back to 90% of my absolute top condition in less than 6 months. The gains have been slower since, but I steadily gained and I am now at the best shape in my life.
 

Andy2k

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Muscle memory counts for a lot if you do things properly.
It's a combination of CNS, vascularization and to some extent, hyperplasia. it is certainly much easier (although that is a relative term!) to get the muscle back than to try building it in the first place...........At least that's what I'm hoping for!

Trying to separate muscle memory from PH use is pointless though - the PH will assist in the recover time, nitrogen retention etc, but you will still gain more because of the muscle memory.
 

40 in 12

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just a thought,.....say during a cycle of AS...you made great gains. but after your cycle was done, you lose some of your gains.....shouldnt it now be easier to gain back the muscle naturally be cause you had the size before?
 

YellowJacket

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Probably 90% of the gains lost after a well thought out AAS cycle is water.
 

ex_banana-eater

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The reason why muscle loss is much more predominant in a properly training bodybuilder compared to a powerlifter is because of sarcoplasmic atrophy. The muscle sarcoplasm both gains, and shrinks at a much higher rate. Once the sarcoplasms has been through hyperplasia from previously being big, as well as being stretched (same thing fat cell memory) it makes it easier to bring back size.
If you were once fat, and cut down, you did not obliterate fat cells, the ones you created when you were fat have just shrunk down, which means it is probably a little easier to gain adipose tissue size when you get fat again.
 

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