Muscle memory is a powerful thing.

There has been debate on whether or not muscle memory is actually a real phenomenon. Some disbelievers believe that the muscle in your body is incapable of actually “remembering” the stress it’s been put through by exercising. It certainly does sound a bit odd to give a body part that isn’t directly associated with the brain a cognitive attribute, but the truth can’t be denied the muscle memory is real in some form.

Does that mean there’s an excuse for taking time off of your diet or training or health simply because you can rest assured that your muscles will recall its past glory? Not at all. In fact it’s best to take all your hard won gains and maintain them for as long as possible rather resting on your laurels. The more gains you get and maintain the more you can actually pack on more muscle. But the reality is there are going to be times when you can’t make it into the gym. Whether it be from injury or just other outside factors, staying out of the gym and losing muscle can be an unfortunate occurrence that can creep up on you out of nowhere. Muscle memory is perhaps the one thing that can keep an injured bodybuilder from completely losing their mind while they’re losing their gains.

When it comes to competitive bodybuilders it’s pretty rare that competitors at the top of their game lose all their gains only to fight back and return to top form. It’s certainly not impossible, but it’s a tall task especially when competing at the highest levels. But the notion of muscle memory has to apply to a pro as well as the average Joe. One such case of a IFBB pro returning to top form is the Russian bodybuilder Alexander Fedorov.

Fedorov is probably best known for giving Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler a run for their money in the 2003 Russian Grand Prix. He had the size and conditioning to give both former Mr. Olympia champs some pause.

Yet not too long after Fedorov decided to retire from competition due to a number of personal reasons including a injury he suffered that drastically impaired his physique. The time off eventually saw him reverting back to a more natural size with massively decreased musculature.

But if anyone had doubts that about muscle memory, you’ll find no better example than Fedorov who recently returned to competition. He has returned to the massive size that made him a person of interest on the bodybuilding scene.

It’s looking like Fedorov is making a comeback and rumors are abound that he’ll be competing at some point in this year’s IFBB pro competitions. What’s your thoughts on Alexander Fedorov’s return to top form? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.