Still think you need to kill yourself with cardio? Think again....pic heavy

As a beginner I would work in the 8-12 rep range. You choose a weight heavy enough that you can only do that many reps. If you can go to 15 or 20, choose a heavier weight. I would do 3-4 sets of each exercise.

I have been working out for 3 months and am not seeing the definition I want.  I have been working to the 5k goal and I'm thinking I was of the wrong mindset.  How much weight, how many reps, and how many sets?
Thanks for your willingness to share.

I just posted above the reps and sets for beginners, but what *I* do as part of my program is alternate heavier weeks and lighter weeks. On the heavier weeks, I work in the 3-6 rep range (very heavy) with 4-5 sets. Lighter weeks I work anywhere in the 8-15 rep range with 2-3 sets. It all depends on what lift it is, what week it is, how I'm feeling, etc.

 Ummmmm.... Yowza.. Nice work!

Great post! I can't see any pictures (none on your profile, either). What am I missing? :)

You look MAAAVALOUS DAAWLING! 

Wow terrific pics! Im so weak I am not looking forward to the inital workouts but the payoff it appears looks fabulous! I have a trainer and hope to start after Next Dr. appt. next week.

absolutely fantastic! You are quite the inspiration, thank you

My mouth has dropped open... OMG...!! you look amazing.  Congrats!!!

Now I must say.. I'm doing the math. You had surgery on 3/10 so you started lifting in 10/10??? so you have only been lifting for 7 months?  Is that correct? 

If so... double OMG...  So happy for you.  I think I may need to use my gym membership for more than walking the track.

How do you learn so much about what to do?  Did you hire a trainer or find a partner?

Yep only 7 months, and only 5 of those months have I followed a decent routine. The first couple months was more about me learning the lifts and winging it myself.

I started off going with my husband and he showed me how to use some of the machines. I looked at the diagrams on them to see which muscles they worked. I spent a lot of time watching the men lift in the free weights section, and started copying them. I want big muscles like them (only in a girly sense) so I figured I should lift like them.

Then I found a program called Growth Stimulus Training. It's a hypertrophy program and I liked how it was laid out. The program originator helped design my current routine for me, but I've made minor tweaks and will make more changes to my program this month. It's good to switch up the exercises every few months.

There is a good book called The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess. You can get it on Amazon. It's a really good start for females looking to get into weight lifting.