Resisting getting back into the gym because you’ve fallen off the wagon? Stop. You can regain your size and strength in short order. Muscle memory is real and more powerful than you think.
In 2005, I tore my Achilles tendon rounding second base at the Skydome. My post game quotes from mlb.com:
I just haven’t really had a chance to allow it to sink in,” Kapler said after the game. “There’s going to come a time when reality hits me. It’s going to be a while before I can help my teammates. That’s going to be hard for me.
Sure, I was disturbed that my team would be going to the playoffs and that I wouldn’t be able to contribute, but I was more upset about the strength I was about to lose. I kid, but you see where I’m going. Sometimes, we have to take some time off from training. Whether because of injury, illness, a workout rut or simply because life got in the way, we lose our habits. That situation can be depressing. We worry that our power won’t return.
It’s an understandable worry, but an unfounded one. The worst case scenario would be to let that fear stop you from getting back into the gym. By the time I returned to spring training the following year, nearly all my base strength had returned. From lifehacker.com:
According to Sports-Specific Rehabilitation, “Strength trained athletes retain strength gains during short periods of inactivity (two weeks) and retain significant portions of strength gains (88% to 93%) during inactivity lasting up to 12 weeks.”
If you’ve gone without training for longer then that, don’t fret. Bodybuilders and strength athletes have long observed that even after a long period of inactivity outside the gym—sometimes lasting years—previous levels of strength came back relatively quickly. It’s almost as if one’s muscle retains a “memory” of how strong it once was. (Hence, the term for this is “muscle memory.”)
I wouldn’t suggest going years without weight training. As you know, I believe that the best way to build lean tissue over time is through incrementally adding weight to the bar over time. You also know I stress recovery. Last month, I wrote about taking a break from working out:
The “getting fitter” part -– the body’s response to that stimulus -– comes afterward. While you eat and rest, the body gets to work repairing tissue damage, strengthening the heart and other muscles, restoring depleted fuel reserves and getting better at transporting oxygen throughout the body, making itself a little more efficient and stronger than before. Then we go out and do it again.
Many of you wrote in to express your concerns about regression. You will benefit more by giving your body the appropriate rest that it needs.
Ultimately, inertia is a powerful force. It is easiest to maintain your current state, whether resisting re-entering a gym or pushing through workouts when your body is beat up. Don’t fall into this trap and begin making unfounded excuses. Listen your body and remember that these are lifestyle changes. Two weeks will not undo all of your progress.
It’s always the optimal strategy to plan rest and recovery. Following our own guidelines makes us feel confident and powerful. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, life takes away our control. When those times inevitably appear, don’t worry about your strength. It’s not gone for good. It’s simply hibernating.
Kap
bill says
As I enter my golden years, I’ve found a new motivation to get back on the horse. I’m no longer training to become a world class athlete, for the first time in my life I do it simply because it helps my body and brain work better. I don’t have to make weight by Friday, maximize my explosiveness, or super-extend my endurance. It’s more like brushing my teeth-do it every day for a better me. Should I get the other stuff, that’s just a bonus now.
Gabe Kapler says
Dig, Bill. Thanks.
Bruton Gaster says
Kap,
Thank you for this post; it could not have come at a better time for me. I ruptured my achilles at a baseball tournament in Arizona 2 weeks ago today and had surgery last Friday. I have been pretty down and not at all looking forward to the 6 month time frame my doctor told me it would take for full recovery. I am 49 and have been getting in the best shape I have been in in over 15 years and then I hit this bump in the road. Reading your blog daily has helped me get through some things in the past and I have no doubt it will motivate me now as well.
Also wanted to follow up on your grain free experiment and see how you are doing. I decided back in June to eliminate any processed foods from my diet and have noticed so many benefits. Most noticeably gone are the headaches I used to get just about every other day. I won’t blame my ruptured achilles on my diet but instead will chalk it up to old age.
Thanks again for your daily posts, they provide assistance and motivation to so many people.
Todd
Andrew says
I pulled a hamstring last week for the first time. It’s frustrating the hell out of me because I was on a roll. It’s such a nagging little injury preventing me from running and sprinting. After reading about your Achilles tear I should stop feeling sorry for myself. Thanks for the inspiration.
Msquared says
I haven’t lifted consistently for the last year and a half, yet I have gained strength in some areas.. Muscle memory is real.
Great post Kap.
Read you mañana.
Kelebek Beyaz says
Another timely post love! I just gave a lecture on muscle memory after recovering from injury. It is probably one of the top five questions I get about how I recovered so quickly after my car accident. I tell aspiring dancers that despite not dancing or working out per my usual routine, I still retained strength in my legs. It was not the same as it was before but this is to be expected. I didn’t have to hit the gym 7 days a week or dance 10 hours a day to get the strength back. I had more trouble with my re-built hand than I did with my right leg and hip as far as strength.
Don’t know how we keep ending up on the same wavelength but keep up the good work.
-Kelebek
Jan says
Thanks for the great post, Gabe. You were always one of my favorites on the Red Sox, and I well remember that game when you were injured. I’m no athlete, and I go kicking and screaming to the gym, but I had rotator cuff surgery in late July, and after months of inactivity (except for PT), I feel like a pillow! Then just as I was ready to get back on a treadmill, my neighborhood gym closed! So it’s a struggle to get back at it, but thanks for the inspiration! And congrats on the new job!!
Kyle G says
Solid post Kap.