now ive alwasy heard that muscle memory is a powerful thing but im in shock. 3 days ago I deadlifted for the first time since my injury, probly bout 2+ months. And I managed to put up 275 3x5 and i felt as if i had been hit by a bus. Yet today I ended up doing them for a full 5x5 ending at 335lb! And having enough energy to do 5 sets of full deep squats. This cannot be normal can it? I ended up with more than i left on. Thats a 60lb increase in 3 days, and my scale weight is up to 167.5, 3.5 lbs more than the first day not to mention my work capacity and overall energy. Is muscle memory really that powerful or did i accidently sit on a syringe walking to the gym past greek row? Anyone have any experiences quite like man after a long lay off?
I think "muscle memory" refers to facial stretching and regaining size after a long layoff. It is not related to strength. Different trainees respond differently to layoffs and the amount of strength lost or not lost. Obviously you don't loose strength after a long layoff! Your body must have needed the rest. I bet you'll still be sore though!
I agree with Lisa~. Stength has a big neural component, too. Maybe that comes back quickly. Reminding your body how to do things goes fast, too. But, you will rapidly catch up to your true strength.
I just recently figured out how to improve my DL form. Went from 235 to 375 in a few weeks. It's slowed down quite a bit, since then... It was my body learning new motor patterns and putting my existing strength to proper use. Damn it.
As the others have said, it's not likely to be muscle memory as much as it is CNS reactivation. Your body hadn't done that movement for a while and so it wasn't in it's usual groove of lifting efficiently.
__________________
Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.
muscle memory is true, to some extent of course, I was large and stopped working out for about 5 years and it took me a very short time to get back to my original size.
What you experienced was your body's neural adaptation to the movement of the deadlift--how it knows how to execute and fire muscles when called upon. Also, you had a big rest period. Muscle fibers need to recover fully and there have been studies shown that 100% complete muscle recovery from intense repetitive training takes up to 2-3 months! Not the occassional rest day we take during the week.
My colleague Dr.Kwame Brown from the IYCA specializes in the nervous system's development in strength training in humans. I will ask him to direct me to such studies.
What you experienced was your body's neural adaptation to the movement of the deadlift--how it knows how to execute and fire muscles when called upon. Also, you had a big rest period. Muscle fibers need to recover fully and there have been studies shown that 100% complete muscle recovery from intense repetitive training takes up to 2-3 months! Not the occassional rest day we take during the week.
My colleague Dr.Kwame Brown from the IYCA specializes in the nervous system's development in strength training in humans. I will ask him to direct me to such studies.
Id like to add, my best PR's come after a month or so of recovery and no max effort lifts while I am resting.
I agree with Lisa~. Stength has a big neural component, too. Maybe that comes back quickly. Reminding your body how to do things goes fast, too. But, you will rapidly catch up to your true strength.
I just recently figured out how to improve my DL form. Went from 235 to 375 in a few weeks. It's slowed down quite a bit, since then... It was my body learning new motor patterns and putting my existing strength to proper use. Damn it.
Hey LD - I'm curious. What specifically did you concentrate on in regards to you DL form that made such a drastic difference?
My post wasn't about yhe muscle memory part, but about how the neural component is such a big player. There was no way, in a matter of weeks, that I actually got that much stronger, based on muscular changes. My muscles already had that much strength in them, I just figured out how to tap it.
My form was bad before. I was bending the knees way too much, thinking you really had to get down there (almost a squat). A couple of videos of good form got me on track (or at least realizing where my big mistake was). After that, I still had little issues, but Eric Cressey's Deadlift Diagnosis helped with those.
My post wasn't about yhe muscle memory part, but about how the neural component is such a big player. There was no way, in a matter of weeks, that I actually got that much stronger, based on muscular changes. My muscles already had that much strength in them, I just figured out how to tap it.
My form was bad before. I was bending the knees way too much, thinking you really had to get down there (almost a squat). A couple of videos of good form got me on track (or at least realizing where my big mistake was). After that, I still had little issues, but Eric Cressey's Deadlift Diagnosis helped with those.
Thanks LD. My DL has always been a bit weak compared to my squat...so your post got me wondering about my form. I'm gonna take a hard look at it.
PS..sorry for the slight highjack on the thread. LD tweaked my interest there.
Muscle Memory. Is this really possible?
:p 
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