I'm going to start strength training from scratch, and hope some of you will join me in it. I'm going to post just a few exercises, quick and easy to complete. Low weights to start, low reps, low # sets.

If we can manage it 2-3 times per week (1-2 days rest between), I think we'll all see results. The following exercises can be done in about 10 minutes or so.

Start with 1 set, 8-10 reps, 5 lbs. After a few sessions, you can increase 1 item in a week. Increase reps to 10-12, then 12-15, or increase to 2 sets. Increase weight when the 12th rep is no longer a challenge. If you do the reps slow, you will feel the weight much more.

Warm up:
jumping jacks - 1 minute, or about 60. This quickly warms up the muscles -and- gets the heart rate up.

Upper:
(start with 1 set of 8 repetitions for each exercise, use 5 lb weights to start)
lateral raise - shoulders
bicep curl - biceps
shoulder press - shoulders
tricep kickbacks - triceps
modified pushups - chest, triceps, shoulders
haven't settled on good ones for back

Core:
plank - abs (hold for 10 seconds)
crunches - abs (start with 25)

Lower:
(start with 1 set of 10 repetitions for each leg for each exercise)
standing abduction - outer thigh, hips, quads
standing adduction - inner thigh, quads
walking lunges - quads, glutes, hamstring, core

More explanation, with links to pics and additional description where available:

Upper:
(start with 1 set of 8 repetitions for first 4 exercises, use 5 lb weights to start, count 4 to raise and 2 to lower)
lateral raise - shoulders, standing, arms at sides, hold weights with palms facing in, elbows slightly bent, I find it's easier to alternate raising one arm at a time, exhale as you raise arm to shoulder height, inhale as you lower, repeat. slow, controlled movement, don't swing body or use momentum.
bicep curl - biceps, sitting or standing, arms at side, hold weights with palms facing out, bend one elbow, exhale as you curl up so that palm almost touches upper arm, don't move shoulders or upper arms, inhale as you lower, repeat. keep back straight and motionless.
shoulder press - shoulders, sitting or standing, hold weights with palms facing forward and elbows bent at 90 degrees (like goalposts), palms at shoulder level, exhale as you push up to straighten both arms, but do not lock elbows, inhale as you lower to starting position, repeat
tricep kickbacks - triceps, I've seen Denise Austin do this on her show, and I love these. She leans forward at the waist (45-90 degrees), back straight, legs about shoulder-width apart, knees soft. Your upper arm should run along your upper body, your foream pointing straight down, holding weight palm facing in. Extend your arm fully; it will be slightly above and behind your back. After your arm is fully extended, squeeze your tricep (that's the killer, gives you definition), then lower. repeat.
modified pushups - chest, triceps, shoulders, also known as girl pushups, geton hands and knees with hands just outside shoulders, exhale as you push up, inhale as you lower yourself, hold abs in tight. many people can only do 1-10 of these to start. do what you can, and try to increase it by one each time. ultimately we can work towards full pushups (straight body, no knees, full weight supported). great exercise that can be taken anywhere with you.

Core:
plank - abs (hold for 10 seconds) - lie on stomach on floor, press up onto your forearms. your fingertips should be touching or hands clasped (making sort of a triangle with your forearms), tuck your butt in, forming a straight line (like a gang plank), hold for as long as you can. work up to 1+ minute.
crunches - abs (start with 25), remember to pull abs in toward floor. one tip I've read is to try it to get the right feel with your arms by your side. as you curl up, your fingertips inch down on the floor 2 inches.

Lower:
(start with 1 set of 10 repetitions for each leg for each exercise)
standing abduction - outer thigh, hips, quads. stand with feet slightly apart, knees soft, lift one leg off the ground out to the side as high as you can (1-2 ft), hold for 2 counts, lower slowly. with control, until foot just taps the ground but does not come to complete rest, repeat all reps on one side, then switch.
standing adduction - inner thigh, quads. stand again with feet slightly apart, knees soft, hands on hips, slowly swing leg up and across center line of body, hold for 2 counts, lower slowly with control, don't let foot rest on ground, repeat all reps on one side, then switch.
walking lunges - quads, glutes, hamstring, core. stand, step forward and lower body to 90 degrees for both knees, don't knees extend over toes (that's too far), push up with rear leg, bringing it forward until you are standing straight again, now using opposite leg, continue "walking". these are a killer. try to do 10 on each side.

if you like, post if you do this. maybe even just "i did it today". i'll add exercises, weight, reps or sets as necessary in the coming weeks, but still want to keep the workout short and sweet.

There are additional exercises and also stretches at this website:

http://sparkpeople.com/myspark/ex/all_exercises.asp

excellent info - thanks

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Thanks Patty - this is almost exactly what I do on Tues, Thurs & Sat Although, I use 4 pound weights and do 2 sets of 12-15

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m2m
The future is no place To put your better days

This looks like a decent program to start with.
Its a good idea to do this session a few times, as its a fairly light introduction to strength training, and you shouldn't experience a lot of muscle soreness.

Consistency is key, and starting with a very heavy session, can cause plenty of soreness in a beginner and require a rest period, so you're back to square one before you started.

You mentioned that you were still deciding on a useful back exercise.
If you have access to a gym, then the simplest would be a dorsal raise, on apparatus that allows you to secure your feet, and has hip support.

A useful floor exercise is the "Superman stretch" (Don't know another name for it). You rest on your hands and knees, and slowly stretch out your arm and the opposite leg at the same time.
Its far more effective and harder, if while you're doing this, you ensure that your hips don't tilt and you remain stable.
Start the exercise by pushing one hand and opposite knee into the floor, and effectively removing the load from the other two. This was you can ensure you're starting the exercise in a stable position.

If you get good at this, you might try doing it while kneeling on a swiss ball.
Good for glutes and lower back, as well as abs.

Although its a good start I would look to progress to multiple sets, in time. You can even start doing that with just some of the bigger exercises rather than the whole routine.

Best of Luck!

James

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Free Workout Routines Blog - Ab workouts, gym routines, exercise ball tips, stretching and more.

Thanks everyone for your comments. In the past I've done multiple sets. In part I wanted to encourage others to try this by making it as easy to start as possible. As Jahrens said, if you overdo it as a beginner, you become sore and require additional rest, perhaps turning you off to it.

I also wanted to propose something everyone could do from home, standing or sitting, using their body weight and a set of 5 lb weights (abt $5 at Academy). Make it cheap and easy.

If someone doesn't have weights, jumping jacks, pushup, crunches, the plank, standing abduction, standind adduction, and walking lunges can all be done without equipment.

I do have an exercise ball, but didn't include it for the same reason - though that makes it eaiser to do back and chest exercises.

I actually used 8 lb weights. Recently I read about doing just one set, doing each rep as slow as possible (8 count up, 4 count down), and using the maximum weight you can handle. The trainer at the gym my husband just joined said the same thing to him yesterday. We hadn't heard this before. I'm going to read up on it.

Well I'm a little sore today, but it's a good feeling. I'll do it again tomorrow. I'm leaving town, but I can easily bring my weights with me and if I couldn't I'd still be able to do most of the exercises.

Yesterday I read about doing something for your pecs. A picture showed a man doing it. From the description it sounds like what the preteens used to do "We must, we must, we must increase our bust." We'd put our hands together chest high. Fingers interlaced. Push palms together.

Some tips:

- I keep the weights on the floor under my TV.
- Keep a short list of the exercise names on an index card (or whatever), by your weights. Helps you remember what needs to be done.
- Don't feel like giving 10-20 minutes (time increases if you increase the reps or sets)? Just do 1 or 2 or 3 for now. Sometimes just starting makes you want to continue.
- I like to squeeze in the jumping jacks (1 min) and walking lunges (1 min)wherever I can during the day. Elevates the heart rate and temperature (and therefore metabolism), gets the major muscle groups going/warmed up. Can do it in the kitchen, walking around the house, in front of the TV.

- Additional muscle burns more calories 24/7 (up to 50 calories per day per pound of muscle gained)
- Resistance training increases basal metabolic rate up to 15%.
- Resistance exercise increases bone density, reducing osteoporosis.
- Muscles, even under a layer of fat, improve our appearance.
- Muscle weighs twice as much as fat. How is this good? As you build muscle and lose fat, your body will be smaller at the same weight since muscle is more dense.
- The two articles below show that 20 minutes, twice per week, is all that is needed to see results. The Mayo Clinic article also confirms what I've heard recently that doing just one set of 12 reps with the proper weight is effective.

These are good articles about the benefits of weight training:

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk...g/benefits.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wei...aining/HQ01627