Catalyst Fitness

Catalyst Fitness Catalyst is your home for group fitness and the best Personal Training in Sault Ste. Marie!

08/29/2026

In this episode, I explain why strength and skill can return so quickly after time off and why it’s not just in your head—it’s biology. Even after months of minimal activity, the motor patterns you built can remain intact because muscle fibers are multinucleated, keeping key “wiring” in place even when the muscle shrinks. I break down how better neural efficiency, retained myonuclei, and epigenetically primed genes give you a major head start when rebuilding. I also point to how this mismatch between remembered movement and deconditioned muscles can contribute to rhabdo injuries seen in Sioux area hospitals at the start of winter when people shovel snow after an inactive summer. The bottom line: it won’t take as long as you think, and you’re not starting from zero.

00:00 Muscle Memory Returns
00:11 Biology Behind It
00:23 Myonuclei and Wiring
00:43 Not Starting From Zero
00:58 Rhabdo Snow Shoveling Warning
01:12 Big Advantage Recap

Today's Workout:40min race format:400m Ski Erg + 15 Kettlebell Swings (53/35),400m Ski Erg + 10 Burpees,400m Ski Erg + 2...
08/29/2026

Today's Workout:
40min race format:
400m Ski Erg + 15 Kettlebell Swings (53/35),
400m Ski Erg + 10 Burpees,
400m Ski Erg + 20 Box Jumps (24/20),
400m Ski Erg + 10 Sandbag Cleans (heavy).
Repeat as many rounds as possible.

Cooldown: 10min: Light cardio, stretching, foam rolling.
https://catalystgym.com/daily-catalyst/daily-catalyst-082926/

Today's Workout:https://catalystgym.com/daily-catalyst/daily-catalyst-082826/Big LiftStrict Press 3-3-3-3-3, increasing ...
08/28/2026

Today's Workout:
https://catalystgym.com/daily-catalyst/daily-catalyst-082826/
Big Lift
Strict Press 3-3-3-3-3, increasing weight each set. Focus on core engagement.

HIIT Couplet
5 rounds for time: 15 Wall Balls (20/14), 20 Double-Unders (or 40 single-unders)

Accessory Circuit
3 rounds NFT: 10 Goblet Squats, 12 Renegade Rows, 30 second Plank

One of the most common things I hear from people who've been away from training: "I've lost everything. I'm going to hav...
08/27/2026

One of the most common things I hear from people who've been away from training: "I've lost everything. I'm going to have to start completely over."

The science says otherwise — and the research on this is genuinely fascinating.

Muscle memory operates at two distinct biological levels.

Neural memory is the well-established version. Motor patterns — the neural instructions for movements like squats, deadlifts, or rowing — stay largely intact during detraining. That's why strength bounces back surprisingly fast in the first weeks after returning. You're re-activating pathways your nervous system already knows.

Myonuclear memory is the newer and more exciting discovery. A 2024 Journal of Physiology study followed people through 10 weeks of training, 16 weeks of complete detraining, then 10 weeks of retraining. Myonuclei — the command centres inside muscle fibres — increased 13 to 33 percent during initial training and were maintained throughout the detraining period, even as muscle size decreased. When retraining began, those retained myonuclei provided a head start on protein synthesis that untrained fibres didn't have.

There's a third layer too: epigenetic research shows that genes associated with muscle growth develop a "switched-on-ready" state from prior training that persists through detraining. Your DNA is primed.

Two important caveats: start lighter than you think you need to (your tendons and connective tissue don't remember as well as your muscles do), and don't wait too long — the effect diminishes over very extended periods of inactivity.

You are not starting from zero. You are picking up with a biological head start.

New episode of The Catalyst at https://catalystgym.com/catalyst-blog/podcast/the-truth-about-muscle-memory-can-you-really-get-it-back-faster/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-catalyst/id1628540310 | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1HC2zlyT3GEOZVThLHGNiz | Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/q1010o2i | Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/B0B3JL2TXT

Today's Workout: Big LiftFront Squat 3-3-3-3-3, building to heavy set of 3HIIT CoupletAMRAP 10min: 10 Toes-to-Bar, 15 Ke...
08/27/2026

Today's Workout:
Big Lift
Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3, building to heavy set of 3

HIIT Couplet
AMRAP 10min: 10 Toes-to-Bar, 15 Kettlebell Goblet Squats (53/35)

Accessory Circuit
3 rounds NFT: 12 Reverse Lunges/leg, 15 Banded Pull-Aparts, 20 Russian Twists

🔥 POWERLIFTING AT CATALYST 🔥Ready to get stronger, lift heavier, and train with a crew that gets it?Our next Powerliftin...
08/27/2026

🔥 POWERLIFTING AT CATALYST 🔥

Ready to get stronger, lift heavier, and train with a crew that gets it?

Our next Powerlifting Group is almost full — ONLY 2 SPOTS REMAINING! 💪

Whether you’re chasing new PRs, improving your technique, or just want to get serious about your strength training, this is your chance to jump in.

⏳ 2 spots left — don’t wait!

👉 Sign up here: https://catalystfitness.sites.zenplanner.com/membershipTemplate-view.cfm?membershipTemplateId=75A1B424-4B1C-4955-9E62-8585C0920F3E

That frustrating plateau — when you're tracking everything, eating less, and the scale refuses to move.Before you give u...
08/26/2026

That frustrating plateau — when you're tracking everything, eating less, and the scale refuses to move.

Before you give up on the process, here's what the research actually says is happening.

Most calorie deficits are smaller than they appear. Studies show people consistently underestimate their intake by 12-40% — not because they're lying to themselves, but because estimating portions is genuinely hard. Cooking oils, sauces, drinks, and eating back inflated fitness tracker estimates do the rest.

Even when the deficit is real, water retention can hide the fat loss for weeks. New exercise causes muscle inflammation and fluid retention. Stress raises cortisol, which holds water. High sodium does the same. For women, the week before a period can retain 3-7 lbs — masking a full week of genuine fat loss every single month.

And sleep: people on the same calorie deficit getting 5.5 hours of sleep vs 8.5 hours lost 55% less fat. Same food. Same training. Dramatically different results.

You're not broken. You need better measurements.

👉 Full breakdown: https://catalystgym.com/catalyst-blog/podcast/why-am-i-not-losing-weight-even-though-im-in-a-calorie-deficit/

👉 Ready to stop guessing? Book your free No-Sweat Intro: https://catalystgym.com/free-intro/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-catalyst/id1628540310 | Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1HC2zlyT3GEOZVThLHGNiz | Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/q1010o2i | Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/B0B3JL2TXT

Today's Workout:40min race format:400m Run + 500m Row,400m Run + 20 Wall Balls,400m Run + 50m Sled Push,400m Run + 20 Si...
08/26/2026

Today's Workout:
40min race format:
400m Run + 500m Row,
400m Run + 20 Wall Balls,
400m Run + 50m Sled Push,
400m Run + 20 Single-Unders,
400m Run + 15 Calorie Ski Erg.
Repeat as many rounds as possible.

Cooldown: 10min: light jog, stretching, foam roll

Today's Workout:https://catalystgym.com/daily-catalyst/daily-catalyst-082526/Big LiftPush Press 5-4-3-2-1, building to a...
08/25/2026

Today's Workout:
https://catalystgym.com/daily-catalyst/daily-catalyst-082526/
Big Lift
Push Press 5-4-3-2-1, building to a heavy single

HIIT Couplet
AMRAP 12min: 15 Wall Balls (20/14), 20 Double-Unders

Accessory Circuit
3 rounds NFT: 10 Dumbbell Rows/arm, 15 Glute Bridges, 45-second Plank Hold

08/24/2026

Why the Scale Lies: Hidden Fat Loss, Water Retention, and the Sleep Factor

In this episode, I explain why fat loss can be happening even when the scale won’t move: research shows people consistently underestimate calorie intake by 12–40%, and water retention can hide real fat loss for days or weeks. I break down predictable causes of fluctuations, including women commonly retaining three to seven pounds of water pre-menstruation from estrogen and progesterone shifts, and how a drop in cortisol and better sleep can make two to three pounds disappear quickly even though fat loss was occurring all along. I also cover metabolic adaptation, where an early deficit can become maintenance by week 12, and the impact of sleep—people sleeping 5.5 hours vs 8.5 hours on the same deficit lost 55% less fat and 60% more muscle. Finally, I share my training approach combining strength, high-intensity intervals, and easy walking, plus a HYROX-style hybrid group workout I love doing midweek and on Saturday mornings.

00:00 Why the Scale Misleads

00:09 Water Weight Masks Fat Loss

00:41 Metabolic Adaptation Over Time

00:51 Sleep Changes Fat Loss

01:15 Three Reasons Progress Stalls

01:26 Hybrid Training Formula

01:48 HYROX Style Workout

02:02 Weekend Group Challenge

02:05 Wrap Up and Recovery Plan
Watch here:
https://youtu.be/qzDUk8MTbYw?si=ecdcUaMaR8zopq7E

Address

88 White Oak Drive E
Sault Sainte Marie, ON
P6B4J8

Telephone

+17052561344

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