TOTAL RECALL (almost)

Taking an exercise break? Don't panic, your muscle memory lasts longer than you think

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Holidays are the best. Time to relax, unwind, and enjoy a rest guilt-free. Except for some of us, the guilt kicks in, and we panic that taking an exercise break will quickly diminish or erase our fitness.

The good news is that recent research shows that the results of your resistance training will not be forgotten quite so rapidly. In fact, the effects of resistance training can remain in your muscles for up to two months. So, how does this guilt-free muscle memory actually work? And how else does the rest of your body react to taking time out?

It’s proven

The University of Jyväskylä in Finland has found that muscle memory lasts for two months after resistance training ceases, and once resistance training is resumed, the gains are prompt.

This groundbreaking study by the university's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences helps us understand the memory of muscles and potentially reshape how we think about giving our body a rest.

The research involved 42 young and middle-aged Finnish adults who were physically active but had no previous experience of resistance training. Individuals were randomly assigned to two groups: The periodic resistance training (PRT) and the continuous resistance training (CRT) group.

The PRT group completed a 10-week initial resistance training period, followed by a 10-week period of no training, and then a second 10-week period of training. The CRT group completed a period of 10 weeks of no resistance training followed by continuous resistance training for 20 weeks.

Muscle biopsies were taken from each individual prior to starting and then at 10, 20, and 30 weeks to analyse their muscle proteome (the proteins expressed by a cell, tissue, or organism).