How long have you been lifting? I would switch to a normal deadlift as well. Also, journal everything so you have goals to beat each week.

1. I think body parts are pretty well covered.
2. Deadlifts and squats are plenty. You can do a few accessory exercises if it suits you.

3. The reps are determined by what your goals are. Heavier weights produce more strength. Lighter weights produce endurance.

   Are you stopping at 10 reps when you can do more in the first two sets? I like only targeting reps if you are in a beginning strength program.(i.e. starting strength) I like to do several sets of warmup of a an exercise and then attempt to set a personal record.

   I personally do something incredibly nerdy. Based on a previous exercise, I estimate my 1 rm. From there, I estimate how many I can do of my goal reps and attempt improve my 1rm. (I find it really fun and it took me a good 20 minutes with Google docs.)

   Mark Rippetoe's formula is 1rm ~= (weight)/(1.0278-(0.0278*reps)).(This is plastered all over the internet.

   Here is an easy chart for determining http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html if you want to lift heavier

4. 3X a week is plenty

I think it’s really cool that you actually followed up some of our suggestions, created a program, and gave it a run through. Seeing this really makes me want to spend time and effort in creating effective answers. Good for you. (and I always smile when I see one more female start lifting iron)

1. No, you are not missing any body part. The very nature of the squat and deadlift are compound and incorporate a lot of musculature throughout the body, also they call upon the largest groupings of muscles like the glutes (ass) and posterior chain (back pretty much but glutes and hams, too).
2. Squats, if done with challenging weight (all relative to you; ignore what anyone around you is doing/lifting) are absolutely all the lower body work you will need. Until you, say, get to a serious level where you can add some supplemental work like GluteHamRaises, but KEEP IT SIMPLE. Less is more with this stuff.
3. Rep/sets are tough to call. I would say, and this is just textbook lifter stuff, you can go with a bit more weight and less repetitions. An easy protocol is 3 sets of 5 repetitions for each exercise. This requires you using a challenging load in order for it to spark the growth stimulus to make you stronger, though.
4. 3 times per week is plenty. Less is more. As soon as you get a feel for what amount of weight is challenging and you perform that your body will be sore and need recovery time. Keep it simple. Do not destroy your strength gains by expending calories that would have been used in recovery for more time in the gym doing unnecessary stuff.

I’d say those sprints will prolly help burn off some fat stores. Don’t let it cut into your recovery when these weights start getting heavy, though.

I suppose yoga is OK depending on the type. Bikram is a major calorie expenditure so if that’s the one you go with I’d say just make sure you’re still recovering well for the next bout of weight training.

Again, cheers to you for deciding to strengthen your body. Muscle is metabolic currency (Carl Lanore is fond of saying that) and every bit of added muscle makes you a more efficient metabolizer of food, and user of stored energy, ie bodyfat.

Do you think I am missing any body parts, given that these are (all or mostly) compound exercises?

I recommend dropping one of your back exercises (chin up or bent over row) and adding a compound chest exercise like db bench or incline. Begin with largest muscle group and end with the smallest in your routines.

I am only doing two lower body exercises for legs - is that enough?

Yes but I think lunges are a safer choice than deadlifts as we age

How is my rep/set count? Should I left heavier weights for less reps? If so, what's a good ratio for how to reduce reps with increased weight? **

3x10 is fine to start but I recommend mixing it up so you don't get bored. Anywhere between 6-12 reps. A good way to judge proper weight amount and effort is the last rep of the last set in an exercise should be very difficult, you should fail or nearly fail.

Lifting 3X a week - enough?

Yes

Remember Dara Torres? She was the 41 yr old USA swimmer from the 2008 summer games. Don't sell yourself short because of age. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Keep it fun. Drink lots of water. Don't forget to stretch after training.

O_o!!!

deadlifts, barbells, dumbbells - call me chauvinistic or whatever, but i can't help wondering how many (if any?) men would prefer their girlfriends to do deadlfits(!) or play around with barbells and dumbbells?

You should give the stronglift 5x5 program a try. It's not too time consuming, and really efficient for strength gains. Basically you alternate between workouts A & B (3 training days/week).

• Workout A:

  • Squat 5x5 (5 sets of 5 reps)
  • Bench Press 5x5
  • Barbell Rows 5x5

• Workout B:

  • Squat 5x5
  • Overhead Press 5x5
  • Deadlift 1x5

Quote from the website:

In fact, StrongLifts 5x5 is NOT for narcissistic bodybuilders who want to slave away training three hours a day, 6 days a week. It's ALSO NOT for wimps - you heard me - who want to take drugs, slam iron around and get puffy with bogus musculature. And StrongLifts 5x5 is DEFINITELY NOT a grueling HIIT workout where you must "confuse your muscles" and puke in order to get results.

2. You might also want to do something for calves, since I don't believe any of these include calves.