I can tell you that after just two weeks of weight training, I feel great and I can visibly see the difference in my muscles. The muscles I spend so much time building up over the past two years hadn't quite gone away, but they were not as pronounced as they once were. After just a few sessions, however, I started inching my way back up to higher weights and more reps.
So How Does Muscle Memory Work?
It's all tied into the central nervous system. Your body is trained to break down muscle and repair it. Your brain sends the right signals to let your body know how to repeat the movement, even if you haven't done it in a while. As long as you keep good form, you can bounce back, maybe even stronger than before.
Bouncing Back After a Break
How fast you bounce back depends on how much muscle you developed before you took a break. The more you trained your body in the past, the more automatic the action becomes now. The pattern of movement is easier now than if you had started from scratch.
The Process of Rebuilding Muscle
The cells are just waiting to be reactivated, but you need to proceed with caution. Take it slow at first and slowly add the weight and reps back into your routine. Listen to what your body is telling you. Stop if you feel a pinched muscle or feel like you are overdoing it. Also take some extra time to stretch and do mini workouts in between your heavy lifting sessions. This helps ease muscle soreness and lessons the time it takes to rebuild the muscle tissue.
