"Need to start weight training routine...."

You have the membership so you did the hard part. Usually gyms have someone that will come and help you get started. I think that is usually a good place to start as they can take you to the various machines and make sure that you are using them properly.  Should you not have this capability at your club its probably best to get started on the circuit type machines. They are usually set up in an area and you can progress thru them in a sequential manner(though that is not necessary). These machines usually have pretty good instructions on how to set them up and use them so they are the easiest to get started. If you have a question on a machine you can usually ask one of the other folks using the equipment and they will be happy to show you. This of course assumes there isn't a person that works for the gym that could help you.
Finally after you become comfortable and know your way around you could supplement what you are doing by using the free weights. Again gym staff would be the way to go getting started but if that's not available you need to chat up one of the folks you see in there all the time and ask for help. They are ususally very friendly.
Lastly of course you could hire a trainer. Usually if there aren't trainers on staff at the gym they have various folks that they let come in and train their clients. These folks are usually very knowledgeable(check credentials and references) and should be able to set up routines for you that are most effective at what you need. They are also available to show you the proper way to use the equipment and do the exercises.
Hope this helps.

I really would love to give you some details surrounding training and some sample routines, but I don't feel that its appropriate in this case. Also, I rarely endorse personal trainers, but in this case I think it might be a good starting option for you. Here are a few reasons why...

 

1) Technique - If you have never really lifted weights before, it is important that you are training properly from a technique perspective. Especially if you have a disorder that has/will decrease bone strength. A Personal Trainer (PT) will help to ensure your form is correct and the exercises are done properly.

 

2) Motivation - All in all, it does help when you have someone there with you. I think this holds true with most things in life.

 

3) Overall Health Education - Allthough most PT's are not nutritionists, most of them should be able to give you solid advise from a food/eating perspective. You might also be surprised on other helpful tips/tricks that you get from them just by hanging around them and picking their brain.

 

4) Change - What I mean by this is that eventually you will not want to continue to do the same exercises over and over again. In time, you will need to vary your workouts, sets, reps, overall time, intensity and weight used. A PT can help guide you in the right direction and show you other options/variations of an exercise.

 

Once you get the hang of working out and start to build more of an educational base as well as the confidence (of knowing what you are doing) with being in the gym, you can lose the PT or just engage them on an 'as needed' basis.

 

Like I said, I don't normally go this route, but I feel this might be an approach you would want to consider. My advice would be to sit down and talk (secretly interview) a few of them before choosing one. Get someone you feel instantly comfortable with and who can relate (or closely relate) to you. The short term costs of the PT will be worth the long term return on investment from a health perspective.

 

Good Luck!

I had a very serious blood disorder myself, so I can relate.

 

You don’t necessarily need more cardio if you do this program properly.

If adding bone mass is an issue, than training in progressive resistance is your first step, but there are nutritional guidelines you have to put in place, too

 

You’re trying to add bone mass, not necessarily muscle, so you don’t need to do a lot of isolation moves or work to failure, but the weights must be challenging. Your bones grow in a similar fashion to your muscles, but rather than hypertrophy, you’ll be trying to induce osteogenesis.

 

The best approach for you would be a circuit training programme done 3-4 times per week. Concentrate on doing sets of ten to twelve reps of weights that are challenging, but not VERY difficult.Doing a circuit programme may also remove the need for cardio training, if you do the exercises in the proper order.

 

Try something like this, but modify it for whatever equipment you have access to.

 

Warm up with a couple of light sets of various exercises. Once you’re sweating a bit and you feel loose, go on to the core of your workout.

 

One set each of the following body part in rapid succession. The rapid pace and the bouncing from lower body to upper body will induce enough stress on your circulatory system to make this both anaerobic and cardio vascular at the same time. Your heart will have to pump blood all over your body to oxygenate your muscles.

 

Chest presses, leg presses (or squat), rows (or pulldowns-pullups),shoulder presses,hamstring curls, sit ups (crunches) and repeat three times.

 

Now you can add a little isolation, because you may start to poop out a bit. Working smaller muscle groups toward the end of your training will work best.

 

Biceps curls, triceps extensions or press downs, calf raises, side lateral raises, bent side lateral raises and repeat three times.

 

Since I don’t know what you have access to, you can look up any of these exercises in the HUGE database.

 http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

 

 http://health.netscape.com/story/2007/08/10/bodybuildingcom-exercises-guide-over-300-exercises

 

There are images and videos there that can help tremendously.

 

NOW! Part of the issue with osteogenesis that many people fail to consider is vitamin D. Most experts agree that the USRDA for vitamin D is entirely too low and doesn't take into account the elderly and people that don't get much exposure to the sun.

 

That said, you'll need calcium, vitamin D and even boron. Boron is a trace element that we need in order to utilize the calcium that we take in. Also, inulin is a dietary fiber that's shown great promise in improving calcium uptake. I get my inulin from Stonyfield Farms Yogurt. Four grams per serving and two servings meets the inulin requirements in line with the studies.

Since I’ve always been healthy, I had neglected to have a general physical for a number of years.  When I did go, though, the various tests and scans showed I had some bone loss and was definitely at risk for osteoporosis.  I needed to build muscle and stronger bones!

Since I subscribe to the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, I noticed that they included an insert on various books each month.  I got one out and saw an advertisement for an interesting-looking book by Miriam E. Nelson, PhD.  Since I am a bit frugal (!), I decided to check it out of the library before committing to buying a copy.  Once I read it, I decided it was definitely worth buying as an ongoing reference book.  Long story short, I read it and followed the recommended strength-training program.  It starts with the basics and provides routines that you can do at home with free weights and/or bands.  It moves into gym equipment at the end.  Each exercise is described fully, with pictures and includes Starting position; The Move; Reps & Sets info; reality check (where you should feel the effort); and a checklist to help ensure you are doing the exercise correctly and safely. 

I know there are likely a gazillion books out there on this subject, but since I’m a fan of the Tufts Health/Nutrition newsletter, I felt this might be a good one for me.  I was right!

After about 2 years of doing the routines on my own, I found that there was a local senior center (available for anyone aged 50 and up) that had a strength/flexibility program with a very qualified instructor, so I started going to that and have been going for a year, twice a week.  I was very gratified to see that she runs through many of the same routines that are in the book.  Of course the advantage of having a qualified "trainer" is that this person can point out to you immediately if you are doing something incorrectly--sometimes it’s hard to catch a problem yourself, even if you are working out in front of a mirror.  Also, you can’t quit in the middle of a proctored session just because you’re tired (whereas it’s easier to cheat if you’re at home by yourself)!

Just as FYI, the first 8 exercises that she recommends for a beginner are:  Chair Stand; standing leg curl; knee extension; side hip raise; biceps curl; overhead press; upward row; and toe stand.  I thing the only one I would have added would have been a triceps exercise.  For these, by the way, all you really need to start are a couple of dumb bells and possibly ankle weights, and the book does provide suggestions on what to get. 

So---has all this been working for me?  Well, I’m definitely stronger; I’ve maintained my weight (I’ve lost fat and gained muscle)... however, I won’t have the bone density tests, scans etc. for another 6 months--my doctor says it’s not worth it to do it too often (for me) since the bone changes take place very slowly.  But I feel great and for the first time in my life, have real muscle definition (the normal kind, not the body-building kind!)

Hope this helps; I can’t provide specific information on gym equipment (other than dumbbells or treadmills) because as yet, I haven’t used any.  Maybe someone else will have a couple of pointers on that. 

Here’s the website--it has lots of routines and good general information that I hope you’ll find useful.  I’ll add an amazon icon with the book info!

http://www.strongwomen.com/

This is an excellent book; I reread it every few months!

You want to start light. First a couple of words of explanation: reps are the number of times you do a particular movement; sets are the number of times you repeat that particular exercise a certain number of reps. You want to do the highest number of reps you can without feeling feeling discomfort anywhere except in the muscle you are working -- generally 8-12. If you can do 12, use a heavier weight. There is disagreement about the number of sets -- CW says anywhere from 1 to 3. Start with 3 times a week.

A good way to start that will work all of the muscles in your body is:

Leg presses - thighs
Leg curls - quads
Seated pulley rows - back
Upright rows - lats
Bench presses - chest
Military presses - shoulders
Standing barbell curls biceps
Lying triceps curl -triceps
Barbell wrist curls - wrists
Standing calf raises - calves
Sit ups - abdomen

Walk around the gym and look at the labels on the equipment. Usually, they will be labeled with the part of the body they work. Either you will see machines labeled with the above names or with the body parts named above. Try to hit all body parts every workout (if you’re working out 3x a week). Also, go during the day or on the weekend when it’s not real busy and just try out the machines. There are usually directions printed right on it about how to do it. Don’t be shy about asking the gym staff about how to use the various pieces of equipment. Become familiar with all of the equipment. Watch other people work out -- you can learn a lot.

Gold's Gym books have a lot of good information and are applicable to many other gyms.