What is Muscle Memory? Let's learn about this amazing ability! (What is Muscle Memory?)

Do you remember riding a bike when you were a kid? Maybe you haven't ridden a bike in years. But if you suddenly ride a bike today, even if it's a little awkward at first, your body knows how to do it, right? Or, when you pick up a cricket bat years later, your body automatically remembers how to hit the ball. How does that happen? That's what we call "Muscle Memory." But is this really memory in the muscles? Let's talk about this simply.

What exactly is Muscle Memory?

Simply put, Muscle Memory is the ability to perform a movement or action without thinking about it. It's as if your body has memorized it. We gain this ability through repeated practice and habituation.

Imagine the first few days you learn to drive a car. You have to think about everything. How to press the clutch, how to shift gears, how to use the brakes... you do everything by thinking and thinking. But once you get used to it? You don't even have to think about those things. Those things happen automatically. That's what Muscle Memory is.

Some other examples are:

• Typing on a computer keyboard.
• Tying the shoelaces.
• Playing a musical instrument like a guitar.

This is actually part of our brain's long-term memory. To be precise, it belongs to a type of memory called procedural memory. That is, the part that remembers the "how" to do something.

How does this work? Is it a combination of brain and muscle?

Yes, it's like a teamwork between your brain and your skeletal muscles . They work together until a movement or action becomes automatic.

You train your muscles to do a task. Although muscles can't remember things like our brains can, they do something different. The number of nuclei inside the muscle cells that are trained, called myonuclei, increases. Think of it this way... In a boat race, the more crew members there are on the boat, the faster and better the boat goes, right? Similarly, when you have more myonuclei, your muscles also increase in mass and become stronger. Then you can do that task much more easily.

What are the stages of muscle memory formation?

This muscle memory doesn't develop overnight. It develops through several stages. You have to physically do a task several times until it becomes automatic. Consider these stages. For example, let's say we're learning a dance.

How long does it take to develop muscle memory?

There's no exact time frame for this. It varies from person to person. The amount of time it takes to learn something to the point where it becomes automatic depends on several factors.

• Complexity of the task: How difficult it is for you to learn something. Something simple can be learned quickly.
• Frequency: How often you practice something. Something that you practice daily is easier to remember.
• Previous Experience: Do you have any previous experience with such things?

How long does muscle memory last? How long does it take to recall it?

This is also a very interesting question. Research is still being done to say exactly how long this memory lasts. Sometimes, it can last your entire life. Like that bike riding example we talked about earlier.

Now let's see how long it takes to remember. Since you've learned something before, the time it takes to relearn it is significantly reduced. That's because the knowledge of how to do it is still in your brain. All you need to do is retrain the muscles that are a little out of shape and get them back to their old state.

For example, imagine that you were a good basketball player in school. Then you didn't play for years. But today you can pick up a ball and put it in the hoop. How is that possible? Because your brain still remembers how to play. Also, those myonuclei we talked about are still there in the muscle cells that you trained. You can dribble the ball. But, because you haven't trained, your speed and accuracy at hitting the target aren't the same as they used to be.

The time it takes to regain your old fitness level depends on several factors:

• How long have you been away from that activity?
• Your general health.
• Your current physical activity level.

Where is this memory actually stored? In the muscles?

No. This is where a lot of people make a mistake. Even though it says "Muscle" in the name, this memory is not stored in your muscles, it's in your brain.

Long-term memories are formed in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Muscle memory, or procedural memory, is stored in several other parts of the brain. It is mainly stored in the motor cortex, the cerebellum, and the striatum in the forebrain .

Athletes understand the value of muscle memory, especially when they have to stay away from the game for a while due to an injury. But this is not just for athletes. Imagine that you have moved a cupboard in the kitchen. But you usually go to make coffee in the morning and open the same old cupboard, right? That is also muscle memory. Because your brain automatically responds to that habit.

Your brain and muscles need to work together to perform your daily tasks properly. If you have difficulty returning to your old activities or fitness level after a period of rest, it is important to talk to your doctor about it.

Muscle Memory, Brain, Exercise, Relearning, Sports, Fitness