What is a challenging beginner weight routine?

If you're a beginner, any weight routine will be effective (challenging), in the sense that using resistance will make you stronger whether you do one set of eight reps, three sets of ten, or whatever.

Doing multi-joint exercises that recruit several muscle groups at once is the quickest way to increase strength and lean muscle mass. (Remember that increasing lean mass is the way to increase your resting metabolism and thus burn more calories at rest.) Leave the isolation exercises like flies to the bodybuilders. Forget split routines where you do one group of exercises one day and train another set of muscles the next -- and end up weight training 4-6 days per week to hit all of your body parts at least twice. Instead, do a full-body circuit of exercises 2-3 times per week, with at least a day off between sessions. Use the other days for cardiovascular training or to practice your sport. Here's my basic routine:

• Squats: The "King" of exercises. Squats work your quads, hamstrings, gluteus and lower back. They are the foundation of any athlete's weight training program. You can do them with body weight, while holding dumbbells or with a bar across your shoulders. In a gym, the leg press machine will work your legs in the same manner. Remember, using all those muscles at the same time will make you stronger, faster.
  
  
• Bench Press: Another classic "power" exercise. You'll use your chest, shoulder and triceps muscles performing this movement. I do this exercise with dumbbells or a barbell, but you can also use the chest press station if you have access to weight machines.
  
  
• Lat Pull-downs: This exercise recruits your largest upper body muscles, your latissimus dorsi (the large upper back muscles), with an assist from your biceps. If you don't have access to a lat pull-down machine, bent-over one-arm rows work the same muscles one arm at a time.
  
  
• Overhead Press: This exercise works your shoulders, primarily, but, since you can't straighten your arm without your triceps getting involved, you're working two muscle groups at once. I do this exercise seated with dumbbells. The shoulder press machine is another option in the gym.

That's it. That's the routine I do with beginners and I use it myself also. You can add biceps curls and triceps extensions for added arm work, but the other exercises are going to give you the quickest results in terms of gaining strength and getting leaner.

Select a resistance that lets you complete 8-12 repetitions of each exercise. Do 1-3 sets of each exercise.

If you're a beginner, get professional instruction at a gym or "Y" to learn proper form. To read about these and other exercises get Weight Training for Dummies by Liz Neporent and Suzanne Schlosberg.

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