I know - it seems like a different language at first. That's why I included the link - you can look up the names and get little movies that show the movements.

You are progressing through this the right way. Moving from whole body to alternating muscle groups is a VERY good idea once you have conditioned yourself a bit, which is exactly what you have done.

Moving away from the machines is the next step. While good for beginners, they don't hit the stabilizing muscles at all - that's why they can be good for physio - they work the muscle totally in isolation.

You WANT to work the stabilizers, too.

You will notice that it's harder to lift free weights than on machines - for example, if you can push 40 lbs on the shoulder press, don't be surprised if you have to go to two 15-lb dumbbells when you start doing military dumbbell press.

I would also start working on increasing the weight and going to somewhat shorter sets.

A good rule of thumb is to do 3 sets of 8 on most exercises. When you can do this and NOT feel the muscle the next day or two, (or not feel it very much), next time you do it, increase the weight increment and do 3 sets of 6. You will know it's time to increase this again when you can comfortably get through 3 sets of 8 again. Plus it's like a reward - you not only get to feel "cool" for being able to lift the next increment, but you don't have to do as much of it now that it's so heavy.

In terms of making the transition to free weights, do it slowly. Find something you feel comfortable with, something that doesn't seem too weird, like bicep curls or shoulder (military) press, and leave the others the way they are.

BBs won't offer help, because that is seen as rude. But they generally will help if asked - look for someone with a good body, and start by asking him or her how to do ONE of the machine exercises you are trying to replace. If you are lucky enough to have a freakishly large woman at your gym, ask her. Female BBs are notorious form-freaks, and this is exactly what you want. Women are also generally very happy to see another woman trying to get into lifting, and will often be very supportive.

Because you have the machine experience, you will have an idea of how much you can lift as you make the transition. Listen to your body. If you guess too light, you can always increase it the next time you are there. If you guess too heavy, well, we've ALL done that at some time or another...

I am SO glad you are lifting. Keep it up!

- Built