[patio11]

I do about 40 minutes of biking a day (commute to train station) and try to get to the gym twice a week for about 30 to 45 minutes. Since biking is enough cardiovascular exercise for anybody I mostly do weights at the gym, and typically (when I have an extra 15 minutes free) some yoga for stretching.

I recommend the chalice lift for a good all-purpose hacker exercise. Go over to that big set o' one-hand weights the folks are always using for bicep curls. Find the largest one you can comfortably lift with both hands. Hold it with both hands supporting the top, braced against your chest. Pick a point on the wall at forehead level -- your eyes never move from that point for the duration of the exercise. (This is a hack to avoid back damage.) From a standing position, pretend you are sitting down on a bench directly behind you. Then, from the sitting position, stand to return to your original position. You can actually use a bench the first few times to get a hang out of it. Sitting to standing is one rep. Do five sets of five reps or 3 sets of 10 reps. I like to vary the weight I use -- first work with one I know I can do easily, then with one I know is a stretch, then back to easy.

Works your legs, torso, and a bit of your upper body like you would not believe, scales trivially until you reach the limits of your upper body strength (but even for out of shape hackers you can get a lot of benefit at the final point for your arms -- I'm at about 30 lbs right now, which is really not that much, and it feels like a real workout and has been empirically effective since a few months ago 15 lbs was similarly tiring), requires minimal time, equipment, and skill. Biggest downside: you'll look like an absolute doofus doing it.

Bonus points: keep a journal. Things that get measured get improved, etc.

[mrtron]

That lift looks far too complicated and awkward for a noob to weightlifting.

If you want to start weight lifting go really simple to avoid any problems early on.

Squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press. Do everything with barbells to start if possible, if not go with dumbbells.

I do agree 5x5 or so is the way to go - especially starting out as this will allow you to go with heavier weights.

Don't go to failure, keep well below that and stay consistent a few times a week. It is by far the best way to gain overall strength. Lookup 'riptoes workout' as a good guide to that basic plan if you want the generally accepted best way to gain strength from scratch.

[latortuga]

Lunges are also a really good choice starting out - you can modulate the intensity with super easily - change how low you go, add weights, put your arms in the air, do intense rep sets, add kicks, etc. Lunges are a great exercise.