Fitness Training... a rant...

Are you channeling Banks now???

I don't know who Banks is... but if that's a good thing... then, YES

Do you use free weights? (if so...) How did you develop a good program for using them?

I do use free weights. I actually started by doing a home fitness program called Power 90. It gave me a good intro to working out w/weights and w/cardio and got me into the routine. From there I tried other home video products, including P90X, which REALLY taught me about lifting. These videos got me totally interested in learning more, so I certified in various group fitness formats and have attended many seminars and workshops on many different areas of fitness. I'm studying to be a personal trainer now.
BUT, those videos were an EXCELLENT starting point for me, when it came to weights. They were designed REALLY well!
I'm now doing a program called ChaLEAN Extreme which is a whole new way of lifting (slow and heavy) for me, and I'm really diggin' it!
Granted, I know enough now that I could create my own routine... but I'm so busy creating stuff for my group fitness classes that when it comes to my own workouts it's nice to have a layout ready and waiting for me. Of course, my research will continue, as will my practice, but I know I'll be doing this for the rest of my life!

When using free weights it's very important to learn proper form and function. The good thing about weight machines is that they help with the stabilization... the bad thing is that they usually only focus on a single body part, making it hard to get a full workout in w/o doing at least an hour. The thing I love about free weights is that you can work more than one muscle group at a time... so you can pack a punch in less amount of time... however, using free weights requires much more stability and core strength... so having a good understanding of your abilities in those areas is definitely a help Practice makes perfect! If using free weights, definitely use a mirror when you are lifting, especially if just starting out (once you've been doing it a while and know what proper form feels like you may not need a mirror 24/7)... it'll help you see your form and then make adjustments where needed.

If looking for routines... there are lots of websites with routines, a lot of health and fitness magazines have routines printed in them on a monthly basis (and most of them aren't too shabby)... and fitness videos are another way to go! If you want more specific recommendations let me know and I can help the best I can (and I'm sure other people can throw in too).

Alrighty, it's my bedtime now!