Alright I know this is a rather long post but I tried to shorten as much as possible and have it still make sense. If you don't understand something then just please ask and I will try and explain it better. Your first week you will probably be spending a good portion of your time figuring out what weight you can use for a given exercise to perform the correct repetitions. You should get a small notebook/log to record the exercises/weights used which will make things easier and also allows you to see improvement. One other thing that no one has mentioned is not only do higher reps help with muscular endurance, getting "ripped", and help prevent bulking up but higher reps also strengthen the ligaments and tendons which is always a good thing.
I always reccommend taking a good whey protein supplement following your workouts. Designer Protein is a good choice because it's pretty cheap, tastes good, and is a proven formula that works. You can find a 5 lb bucket of it for around $25 or $30 online. You don't need to take a ton as you aren't trying to bulk up. Supplementing with 20 grams after a workout is plenty. Also eat a piece of fruit with the protein (bananas) to provide you a quick carb for recovery.
All of these workouts will be short and intense. You should be able to finish a workout between 30-40 minutes max which then gives you time to do core work and cardio which I have not included.
Prior to beginning a workout you should warm up for 10 minutes. I normally do this by doing a light jog on a treadmill or eliptical but any cardio type exercise will work. I like to get my heart rate up to about 70% during this warm up but not higher.
Also before beginning the exercises for a specific body part perform one warm up set which is not included in the exercises below. To do this just perform on additional set of the first exercise. To perform this warmup set select a weight you could easily do 20 times. On the 20th rep you should feel a decent burn but you should feel like you could do 10 more reps. For the pullups you will want to warm up with lat pulldowns unless you can do 20 pullups easily.
Workout 1
Monday/Thursday: Back, biceps, legs
Pullups 3sets/15-20reps, 60 seconds max rest between sets
(If you can't do 15 20 reps of pullups don't worry a lot of folks can't but pullups are probably one of the best upperbody exercises you can do. In order to accomplish these you can either use a spotter by bending your knees and crossing your ankles and having them support you by your ankles or do as many pull ups as possible then immediately move to a lat pull down machine and perform the remaining reps. An example would be 6 pullups immediately followed by 10 reps of lat pull downs. This would be one set. If you can do 15-20 pullups then just increase your reps. I would stay away from weighted pullups even though they are a great exercise they will signifcantly increase your backs muscle mass.)
Select one of the following for the second exercise:
One Arm Dumb Bell Rows 3sets/15-20 reps
(Do 15-20 reps one one arm then immediately switch arms without rest. The muscles on the side not performing the exercise recover while you do the other side.)
Seated Row 3sets/15-20 reps, 30-60 secs rest
Barbell rows 3sets/15-20 reps, 30-60 secs rest
(This is the one exercise where I tell people to wear a belt. Also make sure you know how to perform these correctly because incorrect form with result in injury.)
The next two exercises are performed as supersets. You will do a set of squats immediately followed by a set of dumb-bell curls. Then rest 30 seconds and repeat.
Squats 3sets/ 20-25 reps Dumb-bell curls 3sets/ 15-20 reps
(If you don't know how to correctly perform a squat PLEASE, PLEASE find someone qualified to teach you the correct technique. Squats are probably the best single exercise you can perform but you must perform them correctly. A couple key points: Don't go below parallel, keep your heels flat on the ground, look straight ahead or slightly up, because you are using lighter weight you don't need a belt.)
If you don't know how to perform squats and find it difficult to perform correctly then the leg press is the next best exercise. Just substitute leg presses for the squats.
Lunges 2sets/Minimum 25 reps per leg
(I like to perform these down a hallway without weights. I simply "lunge all the way down the hallway and back until I feel like my legs are going to explode. I rest 60 seconds between sets.
Calf Raises 3sets/20-30reps, 30 secs rest
Core Workout
Tuesday/Friday: Chest, shoulders, triceps
Incline Bench Press 2sets/12-15 reps, 30-60 seconds rest
Flat Bench Press 3sets/15 reps, , 30-60 seconds rest
(I reccommend alternating which exercise you start the workout with so one workout start out with Flat bench then next workout start with incline bench. Another great technique is to do supersets with the incline and flat bench. Select a weight for the both bench exercises, incline or flat, that you can perform 10-12 times. Whichever exercise you do second remember to drop the weight about 20% because you will be fatigued from the beginning set. Immediately following the set move to the second bench exercise without rest and perform it. This would be one superset and if you chose to do these perform 3 supersets.
Superset
Overhead Military Press 2sets/15-20 reps
Shrugs 2sets/15-20 reps, 30-60 secs rest
(Always perform the military press to the front! Never lower the bar behind your head as it creates excessive stress in your shoulder joint.)
Lateral raises 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Triceps (Pick two exercises) rest 30-60 secs
Pressdowns Straight bar 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Pressdowns V-bar 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Pressdowns Rope 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Overhead extensions 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Kickbacks 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Dips 2sets/ 15-20 reps
Core Workout
I hope this helps you and gets you started on a good program. I couple things you can do is as you try the workout you can substitute different exercises. You can also try a couple different techniques to keep the workouts interesting. One great technique is doing drop sets. To do these you need a partner because the muscle failure will suprise you. To perform a drop set select a weight you can only do 5 or 6 times. After you perform the 5 or 6 reps you immediately strip about 25%-30% of the weight and continue until muscle failure. This should only take another 5-8 reps. Then strip another 25%-30% and continue to muscle failure. The other reason you need a partner for these is you should remain on the equipment and your partner strips the weight so you can continue as quickly as possible.
Finally if you want to try a couple different variations just use the exercises above but here is a list of days and bodyparts which you can try.
Monday/Thursday: Chest, Shoulders, Biceps
(Perform your bicep curls as supersets following your chest exercises)
Tuesday/Friday: Back, Triceps, Legs
(On these days try superseting your back and triceps or if you feel froggy try supersetting your back and leg exercises. Supersetting your back and legs is a great workout but it will smoke you.)
