^^^some good advice for you from Stephanie!
Since my teens I have always been a big proponent of weight or resistance training combined with some intense cardio exercise. Now being close to 55, I have kept up with my routine, albeit the muscle strength has waned somewhat over the years. I tend to do more circuit training (doing many exercises consecutively with minimal rest between each exercise) instead of pure strength training. I also prefer to ramp up the cardio by doing a relatively short, about 20 minutes, but intense run on my elliptical trainer, targeting a heart rate of between 145-160.
My routine is typically as follows:
Monday and Tuesday: Cardio 350 calorie run on elliptical trainer HR target 140+ (aprox 20 minutes)
Wednesday: Circuit train chest, arms, and abs (aprox 1 hr)
Thursday: CT back, shoulders, and abs (aprox 1 hr)
Friday: CT legs and lower back (aprox 45 min)
I'm fortunate in that I do have a full gym in our basement so I've got no excuse regarding commute time to the gym!
At my "peak" in my late 20's early 30's I was a pretty decently ripped 190 lbs @ 5'11" with a 31" waist. For the last decade I've maintained my weight at around 175 lbs with a 32.5" waist.
What's very interesting is that "they" are now saying that more and more emphasis should be placed on weight training and especially high intensity circuit training in one's exercise regimen as opposed to pure cardio training for maximum benefit especially with advancing age. And as far as cardio training, a short but intense session is actually more beneficial than a long, mildly or moderately intense one. I believe it!
My wife uses a personal trainer about three times per week for her training and he is also a very big advocate of circuit training. I must say, she's pretty strong and tough! I'm seriously jealous of how strong her legs are!
So, in closing, good on ya to have pursued the exercise regime! Keep at it and, as others have said, I would seriously think about getting some high quality equipment for your gym because the last thing you want to do at this stage is to hurt yourself......'cause the recovery stage gets longer and longer for us old guys!
I VANT TO
PUMP..YOU UP!!!