Start out with light weights. If you don't have a frame of reference as far as your strength levels consider your first "workout" merely a means to determine your starting poundages for your next real workout. You may have to adjust the weights afew times to get something that feels about right. Still work to failure though with once you feel you have reached an appropriate weight.

Have a nice quiet place and time do lift where no one will bother you. People will just cause a new lifter to either try to lift too much too fast risking potential injury or they will distract and make it hard to focus and exert yourself to move the weight. To some the weight they can lift or not lift is as personal information wise as the size of their genitals. If you don't want others to know the weight you lift they don't have to. And who wants others to know as you learn how strong or weak you are for the first time?

Start out with one or two exercizes at a time. You can add more exercizes later. Its better to do 2 exercizes for a long period of time than 20 your first time and give up after a few weeks because your workout takes too much time as you see it.

Start out with only a few dumbells, but if you decide you wish to lift for a while buy more and lots of them so you don' thave to spend so much time adjusting weights if you have adjustable dumbells. More than one barbell so you don't have to change weight as much is also a good thing to consider later on.

Start keeping a log of the weights you use and the reps you use from the very beginning so you can measure progress objectively and not have to worry about forgetting a weight you used on a given exercize later on.

Splits Sample Workout Simple

*I personally am not fond of nor do I recommend split based workout routines

Day one Back and Biceps

Day two Rest

Day 3 Chest, Shoulders, Tris

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Legs; quads, hamstrings

Day 6 Rest

Day 7 Neck, Abs, and Calves

Split Sample Workout with Emphasis on Isolating Muscles

Day one Chest and Biceps

Day two rest

Day 3 Upper Back, lower back, and Triceps

Day 4 Rest

Day 5 Legs; quads, hams, and glutes

Day 6 Shoulders

Day 7 Rest

Split with Multiple Workouts per Bodypart per week

Day 1 Back and Biceps

Day 2 Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Day 3 Rest

Day 4 Legs and abs

Day 5 Back and Biceps

Day 6 Chest Shoulders, and Triceps

Day 7 rest

Full Body Sample Workouts with Dumbells

My Original Workout Routine done when I had very limited equipment and exercize order was not very wise

Two arm Pushups alternating with one arm pushups

Dumbell Military Press

One arm overhead triceps extensions

One Arm dumbell lateral raise

One arm Dumbell row

One arm dumbell curl

Full Squats ass to the floor with bodyweight alone and then dumbells held in each hand

*I added straightleg deadlifts to this routine once I got a barbell, and waited some time before adding in other barbell exercizes

Full Body Sample Workouts with Barbells

Barbell Military Press alternating with Barbell bench press

Barbell Back Squat done from Power Rack/Saw Horses

Barbell Bent Over Rows

Barbell Upright Rows

Barbell Deadlift - I Did straightleg deadlifts

Barbell Curl

My Current Full Body workout as of Sept 2003

*Calf and forearm work is optional if you wish to use this sort of routine

Week 1 Workout 1

Barbell Bench Press

Barbell Full Back Squat from Power rack/sawhores

Barbell Military Press

Straight Leg Deadlift

Barbell Row

Upright Barbell Row

Barbell Shrug

Barbell Curl

Overhead triceps dumbell extensions one arm at a time

Standing one leg calf raise with dumbell

Dumbell wrist curls

Reverse Dumbell wrist curls

Hammer wrist Leverage lift

Reverse Standing Hammer wrist Curl Leverage lifting bar behind back

*Hex Dumbell lift from top and not handles have dropped exercize basically because fingers are so preexhausted from deadlift

Week 1 Workout 2

Barbell Bench Press

Front Squat Zercher Style with bar held where elbow meets foream in a biceps flexed type position

Barbell Military Press

Straight Leg Deadlift

One Arm Dumbell Row

One Arm Dumbell Lateral Raise

Barbell Shrug

Dumbell Curls one arm at a time

Overhead triceps dumbell extensions one arm at a time

One Leg Calf raises with bodyweight only for high reps

Wrist plate curls

Reverse Wrist Plate Curls

Standing overhead Reverse Hammer Wrist Curls

Hammer wrist curl leverage lift

*Hex Dumbell lift from top and not handles have dropped exercize basically because fingers are so preexhausted from deadlift

Week 2 workout one same as above except One arm pushups are done instead of bench presses and military presses

Followed by two arm pushups after some rest

Week 2 Workout two same as workout 2 Week 1 above