{"id":30015,"date":"2025-09-30T17:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=30015"},"modified":"2025-09-30T17:29:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T17:29:01","slug":"retraining-after-exercise-break-boosts-muscle-growth-new-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/retraining-after-exercise-break-boosts-muscle-growth-new-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Retraining After Exercise Break Boosts Muscle Growth, New Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">New findings show that taking a break from exercise could actually enhance muscle growth when you return, with significant muscle gains seen in mice after a second bout of running.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For those who\u2019ve found themselves faltering from their regular gym routines, a new study offers promising news: taking a break might not be as detrimental to muscle growth as previously thought. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discovered that mice which resumed exercise after a hiatus experienced even greater muscle gains than during their initial training period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research, led by health and kinesiology professor Diego Hernandez-Saavedra and doctoral candidate Clay Weidenhamer, unveiled that the second stint of running led to a more significant increase in muscle fiber size, despite a decrease in exercise intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;My lab is very interested in understanding whether our body remembers that we\u2019ve exercised before,&#8221; Hernandez-Saavedra said in a news release. &#8220;Do we have this sort of memory in our body that keeps us healthier or makes us stronger over time?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier studies have suggested that muscle memory is influenced by muscle satellite cells, which merge with muscle fibers to enhance growth. However, the retention of new nuclei post-exercise has been debated among scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To delve deeper, the team observed the molecular mechanisms of muscle memory by tracking gene expression at different stages. They included a one-week &#8220;washout period&#8221; where the mice ceased exercising to gauge enduring effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the initial adaptations seemingly dissipating, the second bout of exercise still yielded a striking up to 30% increase in muscle mass compared to mice that only exercised once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research found that gene analysis showed a significant enhancement of genes linked to mitochondrial function following the second exercise phase, underscoring the importance of mitochondria \u2014 the cell&#8217;s energy producers \u2014 in muscle memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We didn\u2019t see increases in markers associated with mitochondrial function with the first bout of exercise, even after they stopped exercising, but only after the second bout of exercise,\u201d Hernandez-Saavedra added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interestingly, whether the mice were fed a control diet or a high-fat diet, the increases in muscle growth were consistent, suggesting that the exercise memory might counterbalance poor dietary habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This revelation holds potential implications for combating frailty and metabolic diseases, emphasizing that aerobic exercises like running can effectively contribute to muscle growth and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These insights may help identify strategies to preserve muscle health during aging or counteract the effects of a poor diet, opening the door for new interventions against frailty or metabolic disease,&#8221; added Hernandez-Saavedra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.physiology.org\/doi\/10.1152\/ajpcell.00451.2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Published<\/a> in the American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology, this study highlights a pivotal turning point in understanding muscle memory and the benefits of exercise, even after a lapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers note that future studies will observe these dynamics over more extended periods to further comprehend the benefits of muscle memory in enhancing health outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/news.illinois.edu\/retraining-after-a-lapse-in-endurance-exercise-adds-to-muscle-gains-study-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For those who\u2019ve found themselves faltering from their regular gym routines, a new study offers promising news: taking a break might not be as detrimental to muscle growth as previously thought. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discovered that mice which resumed exercise after a hiatus experienced even greater muscle gains than during their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[174],"class_list":["post-30015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"For those who\u2019ve found themselves faltering from their regular gym routines, a new study offers promising news: taking a break might not be as detrimental to muscle growth as previously thought. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discovered that mice which resumed exercise after a hiatus experienced even greater muscle gains than during their&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30015"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30018,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30015\/revisions\/30018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}