Weight Training....

Check the second link in my signature. It sounds like a program for guys, but it works great for women as well. Starting out it only took me 20 minutes, but I'm now up to 45 minutes due to longer rest periods between sets. it is a 3 day a week program and really simple.

I just started doing strength training as well. This is a great 10 minute body circuit training, I think its a great start for those who aren't too intense with weight training. I love it so far. I also like to do crunches on top of the planks he does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--ZQ4iBOFxQ

In the past I've done conventional body part splits in the gym (chest/back, shoulders/arms, legs) all on separate days 3-4 days a week for 45mins - 1 hour per session. Lately I've been doing exclusively bodyweight and kettlebell routines due to the fact that I have limited time and a new baby in the house. Choose a commitment level that's realistic for your situation. If you have a gym membership and can allot 1 hour a day to go to the gym then by all means do that but if you don't, just do some basic bodyweight excercises (squat, push-up, pull-up, planks, dips) at home. You'd be surprised at how much you can do with very little equipment. As I've gotten older it's become more important to choose excercises that I can commit to and be consistent with than it has to have the "perfect routine". Even the most perfect strength training routines are useless if you can't commit to doing them.

That being said, if you are new to strength training focus on compound movements using your whole body. You will see much better results than if you buy some dinky dumbbell and do a bunch of bicep curls and the increase in metabolism and functional strength will work wonders for your energy and weight loss.

In the past I've done conventional body part splits in the gym (chest/back, shoulders/arms, legs) all on separate days 3-4 days a week for 45mins - 1 hour per session. Lately I've been doing exclusively bodyweight and kettlebell routines due to the fact that I have limited time and a new baby in the house. Choose a commitment level that's realistic for your situation. If you have a gym membership and can allot 1 hour a day to go to the gym then by all means do that but if you don't, just do some basic bodyweight excercises (squat, push-up, pull-up, planks, dips) at home. You'd be surprised at how much you can do with very little equipment. As I've gotten older it's become more important to choose excercises that I can commit to and be consistent with than it has to have the "perfect routine". Even the most perfect strength training routines are useless if you can't commit to doing them.

That being said, if you are new to strength training focus on compound movements using your whole body. You will see much better results than if you buy some dinky dumbbell and do a bunch of bicep curls and the increase in metabolism and functional strength will work wonders for your energy and weight loss.

I'm interest in what you're doing with the kettlebell....I have one and haven't gotten stuck into it yet.

Check the second link in my signature. It sounds like a program for guys, but it works great for women as well. Starting out it only took me 20 minutes, but I'm now up to 45 minutes due to longer rest periods between sets. it is a 3 day a week program and really simple.

Crossfit for the weight-lifting beginner, especially a 5x5? Probably not where she needs to be, boss. (Edit: I didn't click the link before. Trying to sell your advice on a message board? Nice)

To OP:

You do need a comprehensive plan to make sure you're working all of your muscles at every available angle. You can state with doing 3 sets of 15 reps on all of the weight machines at your local gym if you're brand new and have no lifting experience, which is where it sounds like you're at.

Get a personal trainer session (or several would be better for both of you) and have him/her take you through a very basic set of workouts that you can do on your own. You want to ask about working with dumbbells and barbells and fundamental motions where possible. The idea is to get your comfortable with basic program building and all of the equipment at the gym. Unfortunately, there is no one right answer here as you will constantly have to rejigger your workout plan every couple of months or so to keep your body guessing.

Yes I just do upper body strength training. My legs get such a workout from the elliptical, exercise bike and treadmill plus my upper body is weak and need to tone more on my arms.

I would caution against just doing upper body stuff. Your legs are the biggest muscles in your body and by stimulating them with resistance training you are giving your metabolism a huge boost. The workouts you get from cardio type excercises are not doing the same thing as squats or lunges even though you are sore afterwards. But if you are doing a lot of lower body cardio on top of lower body training then it's best to spread them out so they don't fall on consecutive days to avoid feeling fatigued.

I see a personal trainer and take what exercises he has me do and make my own routines. We do a total body routine during our sessions.. nothing too complicated. I fear that if it was, I wouldn't be able to do it on my own!

I see a personal trainer and take what exercises he has me do and make my own routines. We do a total body routine during our sessions.. nothing too complicated. I fear that if it was, I wouldn't be able to do it on my own!

Agree - you really should meet with a personal trainer before you begin a strenght training routine especially if you've not lifted before. A trainer can get you started with a program to suit your needs and will show the proper techiniques for the machines and free weights. If you don't know how to lift, you can make matters worse by hurting yourself and straining your back / muscles.

Most gyms will offer at least a few free or reduced cost sessions so you can learn the machines and decide if you want to work weekly or every other week with a trainer.

I lift three times a week for 45 min to an hour depending on how I feel.

I see a personal trainer and take what exercises he has me do and make my own routines. We do a total body routine during our sessions.. nothing too complicated. I fear that if it was, I wouldn't be able to do it on my own!

Agree - you really should meet with a personal trainer before you begin a strenght training routine especially if you've not lifted before. A trainer can get you started with a program to suit your needs and will show the proper techiniques for the machines and free weights. If you don't know how to lift, you can make matters worse by hurting yourself and straining your back / muscles.

Most gyms will offer at least a few free or reduced cost sessions so you can learn the machines and decide if you want to work weekly or every other week with a trainer.

I lift three times a week for 45 min to an hour depending on how I feel.

From a personal trainer here: THANK YOU. It kills me to see people waste so much money on fads, memberships, videos, programs, magazines etc. when they really don't know what's right for them. And yet they won't invest in a trainer. There is no one perfect program. A good, reputable trainer will discuss all your time constraints, goals, support system, fitness options and more. A good trainer also knows his or her limits. Do not hire a trainer that puts you on a food program or supplements unless they are a registered dietician. They are breaking their sworn code of ethics and praciticing beyond their scope, if they do.

sorry, hate to harp, but machines serve their purpose too. I have several clients that want simple, so I teach them ways to use machines that truly are beneficial, and teach them how to add variety, without confusing the heck out of them.

It really depends on YOUR resources, YOUR orthopedic and medical concerns, YOUR attention span, YOUR learning curve. A book or video can be a place to educate yourself, but you can also get confused real fast by this author saying machines are bad, and this author saying you should just use body weight, and this author saying to use free weights. It can all be a bit overwhelming. And remember authors are trying to sell their books as something clearly unique. They are biased. A trainer can help you get past the bias and use good things from the sources you have studied, and steer you clear of things that aren't right for you.

Like others have said, the key is what will you be easily able to follow, progress with , and add variety with?

No book or video can substitute for proper feedback. So you are right to see what others are doing. Keep a list of what sounds interesting. Look at (don't do) some books and videos, THEN meet with a trainer, tell that person what you have been exposed to, what you have done in the past, what motivates you, what concerns you, and let the trainer guide you. Pay them for their expertise. They will consult with you for free, but don't expect them to give you a complete program for free. They might show you proper techniques for free, but a good trainer is not as expensive as you think, and worth a lot, when it comes to having things fine tuned.