ExRx.net

ok so this site tells you how to make a workout routine but there are so many different things to do im not really sure where to start i want to start strength training but when i walk into a weight room i just get confused. ive done a few classes here and there and would like to start a routine on my own. i want a full body workout!!! i want to feel the burn lol mainly focused on my abdominals can someone help me out with a routine at least get me started =))

o and what is the fastest you should start to see results ??

From one beginner to another, let me say "Welcome!"

When I first started asking questions here, everybody asked me, "What are your goals?" Strength? Appearance? Overall health?

In my case my goal was overall health, which I decided to pursue through a basic strength program, and from there I eventually found, with help from the group here, the stronglifts program.

Here's a list of routines that we normally recommend. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3817

Stronglifts or Starting Strength both will give you quick results and both have excellent onlines resources. Both consist of mainly basic compound movements. They will take an investment in your time to learn the correct form but it's worth it.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

why do you want to focus on abdominals? What do you hope that will accomplish for you?

Abs are usually already there in just about everyone. It's just under a little bit of insulation that can't be spot trained away.

I refer to it as my "camouflage". As in, "I've been gaining weight with Stronglifts, but sometimes I think it's all going to the ab camouflage."

yea my focus is mainley abdominals but really id like to see improvment through out my whole body only thing is i do not want to bulk i more so want to tone. and well when i go to the gym the equitment more so confuses me lol i mean yes there are the ones with the instructions and what not on them but i dont know how much weight i should be using . everyone says i need a routine you know seperate the different sections of the body different days i just feel lost in the weight room is basically what it iis . ive tried classes and things but i want to be able to go on my own if i dont have access to the class

There's no such thing as toning, it's just one of those things like spot reduction.

Machines are easier to use (but still you can do things wrong and you still need a program) and many people subscribe to them, but free weights are generally regarded as a better choice for beginners.

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I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
but I'd still like to witness

o theres no such thing as toning well is it just considered strengthening then what do you call it if you dont want to bulk or does that not matter i dont know if this is a stupid question lol and im sorry if it is

No need to apologize, we've all started somewhere.

You are correct it is strengthening. Getting your body to be firmer is a combination of losing fat and increasing your muscle mass. You don't need to worry about bulking up: it takes a lot of time and effort to put up a lot of muscle mass and women are much more slender than men at the same strength level.

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I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
but I'd still like to witness

As a beginner you don't need to separate the different sections of the body on different days! You need to do a "whole-body" routine, that works the major movements. Have you looked at the link Stu gave you? Check it out.

There is a well-known coach named Dan John. One of his slogans is "the body is one piece". It's true. There are reasons that some people isolate a part of their body for exercise, but for general health it's way better to do as much good as possible for the whole body at once.

Here are a couple of links about "toning" and the concern that is foisted off onto women that resistance exercise will make them big and bulky:

This is primarily about the marketing of fitness to women, but it covers these topics well.

These two are by a female coach who writes excellent training advice for both women and men.
Femininity and Muscle
The Toning Problem

This is a series of six articles by the same woman on getting started in weight training. The article is targeted at women, but it applies equally to men. A second thing that I have some hesitancy with is the article on creating your own program, but if one were to really follow her advice you'd actually come up with a pretty good program. She relies somewhat heavily on the olympic lifts, which require a steeper learning curve, but nothing that most people couldn't master. I think I'm going to post this link whenever a beginner as asking for advice about starting out.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan