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From the age of 16-19, I went to the gym 6 days a week, ate and slept well and was in excellent physical fitness.
Now I am 24, haven't worked out in 5 years, and have a terrible sleeping pattern (4-7 hours a night), and eat even worse! My body is gone well and truly to seed, but despite all this, I am a lot stronger physically than all of my friends, even those who exercise regularly.
Why is this?
Studies do suggest the existence of "muscle memory", possibly related to the nuclei of muscle cells (myonuclei). See here for instance. Still, the precise dynamics and hysteresis of strength and their causes do not seem to be fully explored yet.
