Our next step is deciding what exercise we should have you do. It is very important that we choose the right exercises to reach your goals. We know that you should be doing more anaerobic exercises than aerobic exercises. First, we need to focus on your legs. There are three stages to a workout: warm-up, Workout, and cool down.
To start off you will start by stretching your legs, for example adductor stretch, Quadriceps stretch, and calf muscle stretch to just name a few. Once you feel that your legs are stretched out you can start the exercises. First, you should start with calf raise which is an isolated exercise which targets your gastrocnemius and soleus (calf) muscles. Calf raises are in the sagittal plane and is a closed chain exercise because the foot is grounded at all times.
The next exercise is going to be barbell lunges which is an isolated exercise that will target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Barbell lunges are in the sagittal plane and is a closed chain exercise because your hands are on the bar the whole time. Next, you will be standing leg curls which will work your hamstrings and calf muscles. Standing leg curls are done in the sagittal plane and is an open chain exercise because your arms and legs can move freely. The last exercise is Barbell squats which is an isolated exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps. Barbell squats are in the sagittal plane and is a closed chain exercise because your feet are planted. One variable that’s very important when trying to gain muscle is having a good rep/ set scheme. Without a good rep/set scheme, you wouldn’t be gaining the most possible amount of muscle.
An important term to know is the Henneman’s principle. The Heineman’s principle states that under load, motor units are recruited from smallest to largest. This is important because the motor units will recruit type one fibers if the workout is not explosive. When you start doing explosive exercises, you are working your type II muscle fibers which is the goal. The more you use type II muscle fibers the faster you will gain muscle. I have created one workout schedule from the exercises in the previous paragraph.
Between each workout you should take a three-minute break. If you overwork yourself it can negatively affect your health and muscles. I have created a 12-week schedule. You will start by doing barbell squats. You will do 4 sets, and 4-6 reps per set. The next exercise is going to be calf raises.
You will do 12 reps for each of the 4 sets you do. Next, you will be doing barbell lunges. You should do 20 reps (each leg) for each of the 4 sets you do. After that you will be doing standing leg curls. You will do 15 reps for each of the 3 sets you do.