I had a friend tell me that you are not supposed to work the same area of your body more than one day in a row, that the area (my lower body for example) needed a day to rest. Is that true? I really dont know which weight machines are good to use for my upper body, so i am not sure what to do on the "other" day in between workouts. any advice?

For weight training this is absolutely true! It takes muscles a good 48 hours to recover after strength training. Don't train a muscle group more than 3 times a week. Rest is just as important as the workout.

You can do cardio on days that you don't weight train, or take a total rest day and don't workout at all. As for upper body, machines are not necessarily the best choice for strength training. Free weights such as dumbbells and barbells and body weight exercises incorporate more muscles groups in motions more typically of how we move in a daily basis. Hope that helps.

Sarah

Thanks for the information SarahPT. Do you know any sites that might give me some information on how to use dumbbells correctly? I always feel like I have no idea what I am doing so when I attempt them it never lasts for very long.

SarahPT is right on the money. And judging by her bio and photos on her website, this girl knows what she's talking about!

Keep in mind that using dumbells and barbells a little harder than using a machine. You incorporate a lot more muscles in even just stabilizing the weights as they move. Very beneficial though - I'm a big believer in free weights vs. machines.

Form is also very important. Start off slow and become comfortable with the movement before increasing weights. Always be in control of the weight and don't go too fast.

You should be able to find lots of examples of free weight exercises on the internet. Do a search and good luck.