This week, we want to talk to you about something that's going to make returning to the gym a little easier now that they have finally reopened.

If you've ever stopped training for a period of time, you might have noticed how quickly you can lose strength and definition. 

 

It can be tough to see all of your hard work slip away and can make the whole process of building your body again seem a little discouraging. 

 

At the end of the day, who wants to spend time climbing a mountain only to plummet back to the bottom if you're temporarily held back.

 

Well, we've got some good news for you because that is not actually the way it works!

 

In fact, we're sure anyone who has had some time off from the gym will agree that getting your strength and definition back is a lot easier than building it in the first place.

 

What is muscle memory?

 

An interesting concept you may have heard of before called muscle memory actually makes it less difficult to build muscle the second time around.

 

That's right - it's actually as if your muscles remember how they were built the second time around. 

 

Muscle memory isn't some mythical concept or random piece of bro-science that you might have heard being discussed at the gym before.

 

It's a real concept that is grounded in years of scientific research. 

 

How can it help you?

 

When you train at the gym and utilise progressive overload, new nuclei are added to your muscle cells and when the new nuclei is created it remains even when you stop training for a period of time. 

 

This means that when you get back in the gym, you completely bypass the step of needing to develop additional nuclei before you see progress. 

 

So, if you've been out of the gym for a little while, don't worry about it too much. 

 

When you get back to lifting weights, your muscle memory will help ensure it's not like starting from square one. 

 

If you’re in need of some guidance getting yourself back into the gym you know where we are.