New Workouts: Beginner Lower Body and Beginner Upper Body

If you're just getting started with strength training, it can be tough figuring out which exercises to do and how often to workout. Experts often recommend starting out with a total body program targeting the major muscles of the body, but another option is to split your workouts into upper and lower body. By splitting your workouts, you can save time and create a more flexible schedule to include cardio and flexibility training.

To give you some ideas, I've created two new workouts, a Beginner Lower Body and a Beginner Upper Body. Both workouts include common exercises to help build strength and endurance in the entire body - the hips, glutes, thighs, chest, back, shoulders and arms. Though these workouts are great for beginners, they are also a good choice for intermediate exercisers (you can always add more sets and use heavier weights for more intensity) or for anyone who's short on time and wants to maintain strength and muscle mass with short, efficient workouts.

When scheduling your workouts, always make sure you have at least a day of rest before working the same muscles again. You also want to make sure you train each muscle group at least twice a week. One option would be to alternate these workouts (e.g., lower body one day, upper body the next) or you can even do them in the same day if you like (e.g., upper body in the morning and lower body in the evening).

Either way, listen to your body and work with your schedule to find what works for you. You can also add this Beginner Ab Workout and a flexibility workout for a well-rounded routine.

For more details about how to lift weights, check out Strength Training 101 and visit my Workout Center for more workout ideas.