“If you don’t use it then you lose it” Does this really apply to muscle cells and training?
Does use it or lose it still apply??
A recent study published in Frontiers of Physiology has found evidence to dispute the use it or lose it approach.
Researchers found that muscle cells/myonuclei that are gained during training PERSIST even when muscles shrink (atrophy) or begin to break down.
Myonuclei are not lost from these disused muscles and have been found to remain even after the muscle damage.
When it does become time for the muscle to be retrained these cells can be retrained and have a faster growth time compared to if they were never used in the past.
If we “bank” these cells during adolescence then we can call on them to stave off frailty in the aging process.
… so basically, it is harder to teach an old dog new tricks, but you never forget how to ride a bike ??
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Schwartz -2019; Skeletal muscles do not undergo apoptosis during either atrophy or programmed cell death
