Once Inspired

Muscle memory is simply described as a type of movement with which the muscles become familiar with over time. Through repetition of a certain movement you are gradually building neural pathways. Without thinking, you are able to perform certain movements which you had to think about doing before.

When practicing a new movement there is a high level of brain function. After a while of practicing and through trial and error the movement becomes second nature. When doing something for the first time your brain needs to coordinate all the various perceptual, cognitive and physical signals needed to perform the movement. This is a little beyond what the brain is used to and that’s why it feels awkward at first.

When you repeatedly perform the activity, neurotransmitter chemicals stimulate the related brain cells to grow dendrites, which connect with the other related brain cells involved. With enough repetition, these brain cells connect to form a circuit know as a “neural pathway.”

The growth and establishment of the neural pathway takes time and a lot of repetition. Once that’s done though, the brain no longer has to work hard to make it happen.

The best thing about it though is that the neural pathway is a physical part of your brain, so it will never go away. This means that you can’t forget the skill. You don’t have to relearn it and that’s why it’s called muscle memory.