How often should you work out?

[european ninja]

So I want to start improving again conditioning should help me with strength and i've never actually conditioned before. I know all the basic exercises i need to do and i separated them into upper body, core and lower body. My friend told me that i should just do all of them in a circuit and do them as often as i feel like doing them, whether that be everyday, once a week or every other day. So any input on this would be helpful. Is doing full body work out everyday a good idea? Every other day? Should it be a full body work out or should i do upper body and core one day and lower body another? or should should it be lower body and core one day and upper body another? Thanks!

[battlefields]

You need to be more specific about what you mean by upper body, core and lower body.

Here is an example of a good workout program for a beginner, of which you are:
stronglifts.com

This "upper body/lower body/core" **** you are referring to concerns me. This is why you need to be more specific. What constitutes upper body exercises? Core? Lower body?

If my instincts are right, and they are, always, then your routine is terrible. But please, we're here to help, so let us know what your routine is so that it can be critiqued in order for you to get the absolute most out of exercise.

[european ninja]

i guess i wanted to isolate muscle groups or something like that.... I have no idea what to start out with or what i'm doing.
here's what i got:
pull ups (max)
chin ups (max)
climb ups and muscle ups once i'm able to do them (parkour stuff)
push ups and variations (hand stand, knuckle, diamond, close, far)
press ups
dips

sit ups
v ups
leg lifts
wind shield wipers (once i have enough core to actually do them)
L sits
bicycles (2 minutes)
plank (2 minutes)
bridge (2 minutes)
russian twists

weighted lunges
weighted squats (both of these with 20lb weights. only ones i have)
one leg squats
running stairs
plyo
calf raises
block jumps
one leg percisions and normal percisions (more parkour stuff)
pistols
wall sits

and that's also how i separated them into upper body, lower body and core

[battlefields]

Okay, and what are your goals? Strength? Weight loss? Bulk?

[european ninja]

strength for the most part. I'm at a healthy weight and i don't want to gain muscle mass (i'm a girl). I do parkour and kung fu. My goal is to become all around stronger and to improve in both and be stronger in both. I, for the most part, am using calisthenics because I have no equipment or money to go to a gym and I figured I'm only going to be using my body weight in all of this anyway.

[european ninja]

And I'm not extremely weak. I'm starting out from something. I can do about 30 normal push ups, 10-15 diamond push ups, and 4ish pull ups.

[erezb]

Well, generally speaking it is advised to let the muscle you have worked on rest for a minimum of 48 hours. If you really worked your legs for example with squats, box jumps and lunges...you are probably going to feel sore for a few days, best thing in this scenario is to wait even 72 hours before working on your legs again. especially if in the meantime you go to a kung fu class etc. I think for you (not a bodybuilder wannabe) it's best to work on all three, a whole body workout routine and change the routines and exercises for each muscle group between workouts. Have three different routines that target all your major muscle groups each workout only don't use the same exercises.
I'll give you a quick example, lets say you target your shoulders. One day your shoulder exercises are hand stands and strait punching with a small dumbell. you do a few sets of those until you are satisfied. A couple of days later your shoulder routine will be
Barbell Shoulder Press


there are tons of exercises out there, and my experience (and others) tells me that the more you diversify the more you challenge and stimulate your muscles (which is a good thing).
http://www.livestrong.com/gymnastics-workout/
Look for exercises that are recommended for parkour people and gymnasts.
All the best
P.S google "home gym".

[Krijgsman]

http://startingstrength.com/

This or a similar program (Stronglifts 5x5, Weider 5/3/1, etc) are, in my research, the best way to build athletic strength. If you are trying to stay a certain weight, just don't eat the huge amount of food required to add muscle quickly. As a woman, if you are bulking up - like, starting to look like a dude - you are doing roids.

Parkor and kung fu should be decent endurance/cardio work on their own (assuming you do them with a degree of effort and intensity). Working the large muscle groups with squats, dead lifts, and heavy presses is way more efficient than "leg day, arm day, chest day".

This has been my opinion... which I am bad at following myself. So...

[whatever123]

If she can't afford a gym stronglifts isn't the way to go

try
http://rosstraining.com/blog/

for low tech cheap options for strength & conditioning programs

[legomepanda]

Sandbags. As a fellow poor person, sandbags are the answer. A couple bucks for 60 or so pounds, put it in an old duffle bag, backpack, whatever, duct tape it shut. Good to go. Bodyweight exercises are great, but there's no real substitute for heavy lifting if you want to get strong.