What is the cost of muscle flexibility?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the advantages of muscle flexibility loss when certain movements are not practiced. It highlights that decreased muscle mass from cessation of weight training leads to a reduced caloric requirement for the remaining muscle. The concept of "phenotypic plasticity" is introduced as a genetic adaptation to environmental changes, suggesting that the human genome has evolved to optimize energy budgets, reflecting historical fitness levels. Additionally, it notes that modern humans have smaller brain volumes compared to their ancestors, indicating evolutionary changes over time.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of "phenotypic plasticity" and its implications in human evolution.
  • Basic knowledge of muscle physiology and the effects of weight training cessation.
  • Familiarity with human evolutionary biology and historical fitness levels.
  • Awareness of the relationship between muscle mass and caloric expenditure.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "phenotypic plasticity" in depth to understand its role in muscle flexibility.
  • Explore the effects of weight training cessation on muscle mass and metabolism.
  • Investigate the evolutionary changes in human brain volume and their implications.
  • Study the historical fitness levels of Homo species and their energy budgets.
USEFUL FOR

Fitness enthusiasts, evolutionary biologists, and anyone interested in the physiological impacts of muscle flexibility and historical human adaptations.

Darkmisc
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TL;DR
How is it advantageous for muscles to lose flexibility from disuse?
Hi everyone

How is it advantageous for muscles to lose flexibility when certain movements are not practised?

For example, if you lose muscle mass after stopping weight training, you will need less calories to feed the remaining muscle. What benefit (if any) does the body get from losing flexibility?Thanks
 
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A good start is to look up "phenotypic plasticity" - genetic mediated adaptations to environmental changes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypic_plasticity
Bear in mind that almost all of the human genome evolved long ago :smile:
So, human energy budgets were important when the average genus Homo members were likely far more fit than a large percentage of modern Homo members.

FWIW ~40kya humans also had brain volumes larger thean us moderns. Males 17% greater, females 15% greater. Our current brain volumes are the lowest average of our species since 100000ya.

https://australian.museum/learn/sci...-we-changed-since-our-species-first-appeared/
 
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