I’ve heard that after a period of inactivity, you can return to your previous level faster than if you were starting from scratch. Is this actually true? Muscle memory is a concept often mentioned when talking about regaining muscle mass and strength after a period of inactivity. For cyclists who are sometimes forced to stop training due to injuries, seasonal breaks, or other reasons, this principle can be crucial in rebuilding their cycling fitness.
Muscle Memory
Muscle memory refers to the phenomenon where muscles develop a sort of ‘memory’ for previous training experiences. When muscles are trained, they undergo changes at the cellular level, including an increase in the number and size of muscle fibers and the strengthening of neuromuscular connections. These adaptations are stored in the muscle nuclei, which remain even after a period of muscle atrophy.
Recent research has shown that when muscle mass decreases due to inactivity, the extra muscle nuclei created during training do not disappear. These nuclei can quickly respond when training is resumed, allowing muscle mass and strength to be restored more rapidly than if someone were starting from scratch.
This means that regaining cycling fitness after a break can take less time than originally expected. This is especially beneficial for athletes who had a solid training base before experiencing an interruption in their training regime. The body ‘remembers’ the previous state of fitness and can therefore return to that previous form more quickly.
This principle is also hopeful for riders who have dealt with injuries. After recovering from an injury, there may be a fear that all their hard work was for nothing. However, thanks to muscle memory, the period needed to regain their former strength and endurance is significantly shorter than the time it took to reach those levels initially.
Additionally, having experience in how to get back in shape also plays a role. You already know how your body should feel after a hard training session and perhaps also after overtraining. This allows you to avoid past mistakes and make faster progress. Being able to apply a better strategy in improving your cycling fitness also plays a significant role.
Theory of Epigenesis
Related to this topic and perhaps equally motivating to get back on the bike quickly is the theory of epigenesis. Although there is limited scientific evidence for this, it appears that frequent training can also be passed on to your offspring. Training positively changes your DNA, and this can be inherited. Supporting evidence for this theory comes from a study of children born before and after the Dutch famine in the same hospital. During the famine, adults, including pregnant women, consumed an average of only 400 to 800 kilocalories per day, whereas normally around 2300 kilocalories are recommended. ‘Hunger winter children’ were found to have a higher risk of health problems such as obesity and type 2 diabetes in older age. This suggests that epigenetic changes during the mother’s pregnancy were passed on to the child, with metabolic adaptations during food shortages having long-term consequences.
Cycling and sports in general also have long-term effects. Therefore, don’t always look for short-term gains but remain consistently physically active throughout the year.
