I have come to terms with the fact that I HATE cardio and have decided to break up my routine into 2 days lifting 1 day cardio. This will make going to the gym easier for me as I get to spend time chatting to my fiance who lifts, so it should make the whole thing more enjoyable.

My dad was an amateur body builder as a hobby and encouraged me to lift when I was a teen, so I know -how- to, I just always figured it didnt work, but I'm willing to try again...Here's my plan:

- upright rows
- romanian deadlift
- sumo squats
- medicine ball throw sit ups (paired with my fiance for this)
- lateral pulldowns (alternating sets with wide and tight hand positions)
- leg lifts
- bicep curls with resistance bands
- triceps curls with resistance bands
- lunges with hand weights
- "the plank" (y'know, where you support all your weight on your toes and elbows while keeping your body straight)
- russian twists with small handweights
- maybe some leg lifts on a captain's chair, although I might be too heavy to support my weight right now
- that machine which supports you at the hips and then you do forwards or sideways bends to work your abs....that one

start with a 5 minute row on a rowing machine and finish with a swim

Sound good? Oh man am I gonna be sore....

That's a LOT for one workout. What sort of overall lifting/strength plan are you planning to follow?

I do a pretty intense workout that looks similar to this. But I do everything with very little rest, and it is a lot of work. Sometimes I overdo it a little and feel like I'm gonna hurl. I do it 3 times. Mine looks like this:
Plie squats (with weight)
bent over row
alternating dumbbell curl
weighted lunges
flat bench or decline bench dumbbell presses
upright rows
skullcrushers
deadlifts
lat pulldowns
concentration curls
seated calf raise
Of course, this is my latest, and I have changed it up from my alternating parts routine to keep it different, with abs/cardio/miscellaneous in between hard days.

I love, love, love lifting. I actually feel a little bit beasty and sexy when I work out! And I love nothing more than to ask a big burly guy to step aside to get a set in while he rests. It is awesome to increase on reps or weight, and even more awesome not to be chained to a piece of cardio equipment.
I hope you find the joy of pumping the iron!

I won't do it all at once! I'm thinking of having an upper body and a lower body day. I have no specific plan, just doing stuff my dad told me to do back in the day...