Like what you see here? Become a subscriber today and get a ton of free stuff!. Thanks for coming back!

Question

So I was into weight training last year, during high school. Then I graduated and lost my access to a gym, and most of my muscle with it. I was wondering if muscle builds up faster the second time around, if it's been developed before and then atrophied (as opposed to building it up for the first time).

Question Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

In a word, yes, your body builds muscle faster after it's atrophied. It's called "muscle memory." There was an infamous case of muscle memory back when Arthur Jones, creator of the Nautilus system, used a young and just rehabbed Casey Viator in his studies on high intensity training. Viator, a Mr America, had been in an industrial accident and had lost considerable muscle size. In fact, he lost over 30 pounds as a result of the accident and subsequent allergic reaction to one of his medications.

Jones, the marketer, sought to use Casey as a case study of the effectiveness of his Nautilus equipment and high intensity training techniques. In 28 days, Viator gained 45 pounds.

It was very easy for Viator to regain the weight that he had lost. Most of the weight gain was from muscle memory, not due to the efficacy of the training equipment or method.

An "average" man who had never attained that sort of size would have gained relatively little weight in such a short period of time.

Note, though, that gaining considerable muscle mass in a short period of time is possible, though very difficult. It's much easier to regain size than it is to build it in the first place.

This is why guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger can leave competition for YEARS (he retired in 1975 and returned to win the Mr Olympia again in 1980) and train for literally a few months and regain their previous stature.

So, long story short, it's far easier to regain size than it is to build it in the first place. You should be back in top form within 2-3 months of hitting the gym hard.

Source(s):

• Yahoo Answers - How to Gain Weight and Build Muscle Here's some advice on how to build muscle and gain weight if you're on the skinny side - Yahoo Answers After a few comments that it would be better if I just posted the answer here on the blog, I've decided to do just that! So, here it is. You......
• Triple Threat Muscle? Here's an interview with Jason Ferruggia, creator of the famous Muscle Gaining Secrets muscle-building course. He has a new course out called Triple Threat Muscle that is on sale now for $47 through Thursday. Friday, the price goes up to $77. At either price, it's a fantastic bargain. Jason provides......
• Build Lean Muscle Mass For many people, gaining weight is quite easy. Just look at most Americans. It's losing weight that is difficult. However, even though millions of people are chronically overweight, they're "under-muscled." The objective of this post is to change that. To build lean muscle mass, you have to take on a......
• How To Gain Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time How can I gain muscle and lose fat at the same time? That’s right up there with “How do I get six pack abs” as one of the most frequently asked fitness questions of all time. The problem is, when you ask it, you get all kinds of conflicting answers......
• Build Muscle and Cut Up At the Same Time? "No freakin' way" is what I've heard virtually all of my life, pre-teen years included. This is why the "Bulk up and cut down" training systems are what you hear about all the time. It's an easy sale, too. Your body is much more adept at building muscle OR cutting......

• 3.3 Pounds Lost Last Week -- Good week Bad Month I am quite pleased with my 3.3 pounds lost for the last week. However, over vacation and the following week I managed to put on 0.6 pounds to go with the 2.4 pounds from the previous week and all and all I had a month of August with 0.3 pounds......
• 4.5 Lbs Lost and Monthly Weight Loss Pictures Well, today was that time...weekly weigh-in time. I had missed last weeks weigh-in and was eager to find out my weight this week. I had been thinking about this for a whole two weeks and am glad it's over, if at least for a week. Unfortunately, I did not break......
• Building Muscle Without Weights Many men and women are trying to get in shape and tone up their bodies. Naturally a major part of this is eating right and adopting a fitness regimen that is suitable for you and what you wish to accomplish. What many individuals do not realize is that you......
• Strength Training for Weight Loss One of the questions that people find themselves asking is how strength training is capable of helping people lose weight. The truth is, when you are trying to lose weight, strength training is very, very important, even if you have no intention of becoming buff or ripped. Strength training does......
• Five Common Myths About Strength Training for Women Women should embrace strength training /caption] When it comes to strength training, many women are under the impression that the term refers to bodybuilding. The mental image is that you will be bulking up instead of getting fit. There are many different myths about strength training for women that are......