A question for all the people who go working out on my list (you know who you are):

Right now, my weightlifting routine consists of a circuit of about 15 machines at Rex Wellness. They started me up initially doing only half that many machines, but after a month or so I got bored and they helped me get set up on the remainder. They are: leg press, leg curl, leg extension, hip abductor, hip adductor, rotary torso, ab crunch, back extension, lat pulldown, tricep pushdown, arm curl, arm extension, chest press, overhead press, and deltoid row.

Here’s the thing: I am doing only one set for each machine, consisting of 10-15 repetitions. When I hit 15 repititions in a set and I don’t feel challenged, I bump up the weight the next time I’m in the gym. I raise the weight fairly slowly, and lower the weight even slower. So, I end up doing lighter weight than most of the people in the gym, but I try to keep my form good (i.e. not throw my back or body into the work process).

The question is: should I be doing two or three sets per machine and splitting up my workout into upper/lower body days? If so, how should the sets be done in terms of repetitions / weights? I know that there are lots of opinions on what works the best — every book I have read seems to have a different take. However, many people seem to think I’m not doing enough. I assume that Rex sets people up using this method for people who are new to resistance training.

So, whatcha think?