I can't really give you a "routine" to follow. Few reasons for this:
1. I don't know enough about you.
2. There is no such thing as a routine, IMO. You need to understand the training philosophy and adapt it so it suits you. Many hate to hear this, but it is the truth. Any program out there that says, "this is how you train" is bogus IMO. Sure, there are a few basic philosophies that we should all follow, which the above article put very well, but aside from that, manipulation is the name of the game when it comes to finding something that works for you.
I am certainly not calling you lazy. But the thing is, most people are lazy that I deal with, who are looking for The Way To Train. They want a program laid out for them, which is fine, but they also expect it to work forever.
It just doesn't work like that. Not so much because of the program design. More-so because of the way that our bodies work. Our bodies adapt to any stimulus that we throw at it. Once adaptation occurs, things must change in order for progress to continue.
Also, strength and muscle gains do not occur on a linear basis. We can't expect to get stronger each and every time we touch a weight, even if we are eating correctly.
This, in essence, is why good strength coaches and personal trainers are worth their weight in gold. They will adapt your program not only as your goals change, but also as your body adapts and changes.
The bottom line is, you need to educate yourself on not the "what to do" concepts, but rather the, "why you do" concepts. Without the knowledge of why you do certain things during a program, you will never be able to optimize your programs as a life long pursuit.
I've been training at the same gym for 9 years now. Mind you, I am only 25. I can't tell you how many people, men and women, I see training now, identically to how they were training when I first started. Some of these people train extremely hard. However, they don't bring things such as periodization and fatigue management into the equation. Obviously, their bodies adapt, things get stale, and results diminish. FYI, they look exactly the same as when I started working out in this gym.
Sure, they are better off than the average American who sits on their ass all day long doing nothing. But, IMO, if you are going to spend the time and energy to train, why not get the most out it.
To get the most out of it, it takes knowledge. More knowledge goes into it than I could ever sit down and type in a single post. By being in a community such as this though, you will slowly pick bits and pieces up. I also suggest outside reading until you have a firm grasp of the concepts.
Wow, sorry for the unload (rant). I just think this had to be said, as I find more and more people around here searching for The Way To Train. If you want that, don't come to me looking for it. Because I, myself, haven't found it.
This said, let me give you some pointers.
Here are a few websites you can go to which detail many exercises in words and video/picture.
I don't care who you are. Anyone outside of individuals with biomechanical issues or diseases should be training with a core of their routine comprised of heavy (relative to individual strength) compound exercises.
Compound, opposed to isolation, exercises simply utilize more than one muscle and joint.
Think squat variations, deadlift variations, bench press variations, row variations, pull-ups and cable pulldowns, overhead pressing variations. These are your meat and potato exercises.
If you are dieting, the more selective you should be in terms of volume, number of exercises, reps, weight used etc. You can't afford the energy it takes to train with a wide array of exercises and variations, since you are short changing your energy supply through dieting.
Ideally, if you are in a caloric deficit, you are training with a handful of exercises each session doing 2-5 sets per exercises using a rep range of 4-6 on average.
How often you exercise per week is obviously going to dictate how many exercises exist on each training day. While dieting, I suggest training 2-3 times per week.
Muscle gains more so than strength gains will be minimal, if at all, while dieting. The purpose of training with weights while in an energy deficit is to ward off catabolism (muscle breakdown). That is it. Simple and easy.
Strength gains are possible, even while dieting, especially with newbs.... as neural adaptation occurs. Basically, your body learns to be stronger without actually getting more muscular.
As strength increases, so should the weight that you lift. However, I don't care if you are dieting or if you are in a hypercaloric state trying to pack on some muscle, you can't get stronger forever. Progress will halt. When it does, it is a good idea to back off. Drop the weights used, possibly change some aspects of your routine, and build your way back up toward your previous personal records. Backing off and building back up goes a long way toward progress.
I sometimes deload (back off intensity, volume, or both) or take a total break even before my strength gains plateau. That is how important fatigue management is!
This is only the tip of the iceberg, if that, when it comes to resistance training. In reality, I wouldn't even call it that. And remember, resistance training is only one aspect of a solid weight loss plan. Nutrition, and aerobic exercise are also variables that are as deep as the ocean. Especially nutrition, which is the most important in terms of priority ranking.
I think I am going to shut up now, as this is turning out to be a book. This should probably be stickied, if not for the info, at the very least, so that people have the exercise video links to utilize.
I am not too sure I even like what I wrote, but if not, I will read it another time and change it.
I hope you the OP does not feel like I was blowing off their question. This post was directed at all those reading it. And if there are more questions, feel free to ask.
