weight lifting 101 - HELP!

[amomono]

I am going to start lifting weights next week. While I did it in high school, that was about 6 years ago, and I'm not quite sure where to start. I am just going to be going to the weight room on campus and there aren't any trainers to set up a program with... so I have a few questions...

If I lift twice a week, once upper body, once lower body... what would be some good exercises to do, and what kind of reps should I start with?

Is it okay to just go twice a week, or do I need to go more often for it to be effective?

How do I figure out which weight to start at? Just try and guess?

Thanks!

 

[allcdnboy1]

Well, i'm guessing you are a women ?? so, i'll give you what knowledge i know, but i encourage others to step in ...

lifting twice a week is a level considered to be "maintenance" ... you will get to a plateau very fast .. however, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you are in it for strict toning, then that'll be just fine. If you are going for increased fat burning and maybe a bit more definition, i would recommend 3 times.

As for weight, it's really hard to say. Pick up the weight, do 2-3 reps ... if it feels too light, then stick with it ... yes, i said stick with it. You don't want to kill yourself the first week, otherwise you will have problems coming back. Also, something that feels like, may not be so light after 3 sets. Better to start small and gauge for the following week than to kill yourself the first ... this isn't a short term goal, it's a long term, so you have to work into it.

So, on a 2/week basis:
- Upper body
- bicep curls and tricep extensions
- back extensions and crunches
- shoulder raises and flyes

- Lower Body
- lunges and squats
- thigh thingy (where your sitting and push/pull horizontally - not something i've ever used, so i don't know the termonology - just see women using it all the time )

.. hope this helps.