TL;DR in spoiler[spoiler]From what I understand (this may be inaccurate) but doing repeats of 5 with a heavier weight (e.g what you max out at 6-10 reps on) is helpful for increasing muscle mass, and doing repeats of 20 with an intermediate weight (25-30 RM) is helpful for toning. Similar to you, I use the Gym 2-3 times a week, but contrary to what most people do, I have all of my sets in one day, so I do the same thing twice or thrice a week. I'd recommend performing your exercises unweighted with the assistance of a spotter to help get your technique right, so you can prevent injury. Also, doing at least 4 weeks of body-weighted exercise (e.g push-ups, unweighted wall-sits, etc) will further help prevent injury. I would also do some light stretching before and after, as well as a short walk to warm up and cool down. My program at the gym looks like this (yes, I don't do huge weights so no need to remark on how you can bench 150 kg, because it doesn't make you special): -20 x bench press 25 kg -1:45 Side plank holding 5 kg weight in raised hand, each side -20 x Stomach Crunches with 10 kg weight -20 x Unweighted Chin-ups Repeat once before continuing with next set -1:45 Wall-Sit w/ 10 kg weight -20 x Squats w/ 30 kg weight -20 x Single-calf raises with 10 kg weight -5 x Single-leg squats w/15 kg weight Repeat once before continuing Etc. That's not my exact program, but you get the idea. I try to avoid doing weights towards my max as my family has a history with Joint issues, and because I'm not interested in max strength. If you can, have something to eat less within 15 minutes of exercising (Roast Beef rolls are my favourite) and try to fit 20 minutes of light swimming in, to aid recovery. I can't stress enough how important it is to have good muscle recovery. Also try to make it fun so you don't burn your motivation out quickly. Be patient, as improvement will take time. [/spoiler] We're all different, so before you criticise my style of doing it, note that it's simply how I do gym, I'm not forcing on you the idea of incorporating Legs, Core and Upper-body in the same set. It's just what works for me. Same with the lower weight high reps thing.