Working Out
 

So, today I finally did it. I finally signed up for a gym.

They were already 24 hours a day, and they offered a corporate rate because of where I worked. I've been starting to gain stomach-flab little by little. Then, for November, turns out there's no enrollment fee. So I broke down and got a membership.

Planning on working out my upper body strength mostly, starting with low weights and lots of reps. I've worked out before but this is the first time it's going to be unassisted in a very long time.

So; how long should I go? About how many reps? Is there some sort of 'time cap' for working out?

Put all your points into agility so you can run a stealthy character who is proficient with small guns. Also, put some points into endurance so you can actually take a few hits should the need arise.

Wow, look at all the hardcore walking into that one I just did.

Smartass.

Just work out. Don't think about it, just try to have fun while doing it.

It's all better than nothing anyways.

That isn't to say that you couldn't or shouldn't still work hard (enough).

Bring some form of light, unobtrusive source of music that pumps you, specifically, up. Go about an hour between breaks, or in the beginning stop once you really feel like you can't do anymore (Undue stress on a non-acclimated body is the exact opposite of what you want).

As awful as it is, there should always be some kind of 'burn' feeling after 10ish minutes of working out, if at some point there isn't, up the difficulty of what you're doing, or, alternatively, if you at some point you feel comfortable with your body, maintain the current workout you're doing indefinitely until you either A: Want to get more fit(or more buff, which isn't always more fit), or B: It's not worth it as much as it used to be.

Once you get into a comfortable self image, any free time you begrudgingly dedicated into working out trickles back until working out isn't even a noticeable time detriment and isn't bad enough to throw off the rest of your day.

I'm not a guy and I never really worried about upper body strength work outs, but some of the basics are pretty obvious: Cardio-warm ups (Ask your gym instructors) before you go into the heavy stuff, any specific body workouts, again, ask your instructors. They've already got your money so chances are they're not gonna mind helping you out with a little advice.

As for how long you should keep going, until it's no longer worth it to you or until you've firmly snagged your perspective gal/guy and then you sink your teeth in and never let go. Who needs gym when you've got someone contractually obligated to put up with you?

Not necessarily. The "burn" feeling can often be because you're undergoing anaerobic respiration and produce lactic acid which is eating away at you.
Traditional wisdom was that this was neccesary but some recent athletes (Lance Armstrong springs to mind) have been showing that aerobic excercise can be just as or even more effective. Much harder to control and you generally need people to monitor you to optimise it.

But most people can't necessarily do what Armstrong does: See progress day to day for Olympic strides.

Dante, you have it right, start with low weights, high reps. Personally, I'm doing a split:

Legs - Abs
Shoulders - Tri
Back - Biceps

How it works is that when you work your biceps, you also work your back and so on. Makes sense to focus on those one day. I'm just working on getting the burns in each area. And I'm a BIG fan of squats. They work more than one area at a time and does the same job of focusing on more than one area. If you want the upper body, the free standing weights are also your friend. Don't worry about anyone else. Just do what you can lift comfortably. The "swole" will come later.

Just don't forget your cardio. Don't try anything fancy, just a simple basic walk/jogging workout. 30-40 minutes walk, 3 minutes jog (light), then walk some more. That will help your stomach by burning excess.

What kind of working out are you trying to do? Muscle toning? Or muscle building?

Two very very very different workouts.

Cardio is always important in any type of workout. Walking/jogging is fine, as well as the eliptical machine. Usually 20-40 mins is a good amount of time for cardio to get your heart rate up. As for weights, free weights are always good to start off with. Here's a site with some good dumbbell exercises to get you started with some ideas:

http://www.myfit.ca/exercisedatabase...&equipment=yes

Also, don't forget the legs. Squats and leg presses are good for those. Also, be sure to work your chest and back as well with reverse flies and lat pulldowns. No sense in working one group of muscles and not the others. I don't know what it is for males, but typically I would do 8-12 reps in a set and 2-3 sets with a 30 second rest in between sets.

If you have a body part that's weak or injured, don't be afraid to let up on the weight. My knee is crummy from hockey and lacrosse, so I tend to try and be a bit careful with it. Less weight for my first set to start until I feel comfortable and then I up the weight if I feel ok.

Finally, the most important tip I can give, which I'm sure lots of people know: Stretch before and after your workouts. Nothing is worse than a muscle cramping up while you're relaxing.

I have no advice, beyond actually working out.

If you just want to stay in shape, stick to your workout. Follow through on it, and do it frequently. You also might want to take a long, hard look at your diet, and eliminate some of the crap, as working out alone can't fix everything.

EDIT: Mr.Bookworm, Bearer of Common Sense.