Newbie questions

Hey everyone. I have only recently joined a gym and started exercising.
Unfortunately, I do not yet know any of the theoretical side of exercise and
nutrition, so I thought I might ask my questions here as a start. If you
couldn't be bothered explaining the answer to me, but could point me towards
some information that would, I would be equally grateful.
O.K., I have two main questions.

1. a) I prefer to do as much exercise as I can handle, rather than the bare
minimum. However, I have heard that muscles grow in the time that they are
resting, so you should never exercise the same muscle group two days in a
row, and that doing so can actually decrease your muscle mass. I want to
know if I can do upper weights + cardio (bike, walker, stepper) on Day 1 and
then do lower weights on Day 2. Would the cardio from the previous day make
it a bad idea to do lower weights on the next day?

b) I think that fairly soon I would be capable of doing upper weights +
cardio on Day 1, then lower weights + cardio on Day 2 (and then repeating).
The program I was given actually goes Upper - Cardio - Lower - Cardio (then
repeat, always one type of exercise a day ). As I said I would prefer to do
more if my body is able, but if I found out doing more was not beneficial I
would change my mind. What do you guys think?


2. I know nothing about nutrition. I don't even understand carbohydrates or
protein etc. Would it be better to learn from a library book rather than
websites? If so, could someone please recommend a good book(s) that would
explain to me the functions of the different types of food categories, how
much someone should have daily, and then give me a good idea as to how I
should eat to maximise energy for working out while not taking in
unnecessary fat?

For anyone who bothers to reply, thanks a lot in advance.

-WJ

Johnny,
I wouldn't be surprised that you are getting fit quick since it
sounds like you are more motivated than most. I would recommend that
you add some free weights to your routine, I feel that they build
muscle better. Just be more careful with free weights and start light.
I wouldn't really say that giving your muscle groups 1 to 2 days rest
should severely cut back on the exercise you can do. You just have to
split your body up more if you want to go to the gym more. A three day
split that I use is chest (the pushing exercises), back (the pulling
exercises), and legs and abs. I feel that splitting the upper body
along pushing and pulling lines makes more sense than the schedule the
personal trainer gave you since triceps are used most in chest
exercises and biceps are used most in back exercises. Do the biggest
muscle group exercises first and work your way down (e.g. on chest days
start with bench or incline and finish with triceps). Just work really
hard on the focused days and you will do well. My personal opinion is
that a hard hour workout is about right for me. With your desire to do
weights and cardio (60min) on the same day this adds up to two hours a
day. I would recommend not being in the gym longer than this each day
for physical and personal reasons. Please contact me if you have
any questions.

James