Muscle memory is a double-edged sword at times, and whilst it can help boost our gains and help us avoid injury, it can also affect our performance when something goes wrong.
Whilst it is a nebulous concept, muscle memory is the changes that occur in our brain where a series of actions that form a task (for example throwing a ball or swinging a bat) are consolidated into one task in our brain, allowing us to do it easier, quicker, safer and without thinking about it as much.
A great example of this is tying your shoelaces. When you first learn, it can take a long time as you have to consciously focus on creating the loops and tying the knot, but once you learn it becomes second nature.
This is why the more you do an activity, the easier it becomes, not only because you are not thinking about the task, but your body feels less stiff.
As well as this, if you suddenly stop exercising, lose mass or gain weight, you will find that once you return to your fitness regime that you will build up muscle faster until you reached your original peak.
This works due to the development of myonuclei, which are part of the development of muscle fibres. Myonuclei numbers increase as you exercise more and reach a state known as hypertrophy, but whilst muscle fibres reduce if you do not exercise, myonuclei numbers stay the same.
This is fantastic for recovering from injuries and allows people to bounce back if they have been unable to exercise for some time.
The best way to make muscle memory work for you is to keep training and let your body recover.
For more information and advice from a sports therapist in Maidenhead, get in touch today.