How to start a strength program?

I am good about going to the gym, well for me anyway.  I am currently doing cardio 4x a week and doing a toning class twice a week.  Honestly, I don't think I am geting much out of the toning class.  I would really like to get into doing more strength training, I know I need to.  The problem is I really don't know how to start.  I would like to find a basic routine that I can do.  My Y offers free help, but I signed up and it basically was just someone showing me around as to which equipment was available, not giving me a "program" so to speak.  Is there anywhere online maybe I could get a good starter strength training routine?  Or even DVD workouts?  I am a single Mom so I have to use the Y when childcare is available, which is not always possible, so it would be nice to have an at-home alternative.  I would love a personal trainer, but financially that is completely out of the realm of possibility for me since my divorce.  Someone help me get started!

It is hard to explain weight training over the internet.  At least it is for me.  ;)  It is great to add muscle because you will burn more calories at rest. 

What I would do is start with a push day and a pull day.  The pull day includes exercises that involve the pulling musles like the biceps and back.  The push day involves the chest, triceps and shoulders.  You can start by doing really  light weight with few sets and repetitoins.  A set is the number of times you do one  particular exercise like dumbell curls.  The reps are how many times you do the set.  A good start may be 2 sets of 10 reps with a light weight to keep the soreness down. 

Almost anyone who works at a gym should know exercises that you can do for all the muscle groups.  Describing them on here would not do any justice and more importantly, it is important to use good form.  That can't be shown here.  There are also good sites that can give you exercises and show proper form but any guy that looks like he knows what he's doing in a gym would love to have his ego stroked be being asked how to do something.  Good luck

This is my Push-Pull.  I do a schedule that's...
cardio...push....cardio.....pull....cardio....push.....cardio....pull and so forth.
You might be wise to do a few weeks specific for rotator cuff before you do any military or incline press.  Also be conservative for at least two weeks.

Push

------

Squats -- ball on the wall or in the cage

Chest (General) -- Butterflies or Bench Press

Quadriceps -- Leg Press or extensions

Chest (Upper) -- Incline Press machine or dumbbells

Hip Adductors
Gluts -- one-legged dead lift or lunges

Deltoid (Front) -- standing military press or seated dumbbells

Calves –raises or extensions

Dips

Lower Back - raises

Triceps -- skull crushers or pullbacks

Obliques – bench twists or other

Abs  - bikes on the bench

 

Pull

------

Stiffies

Pull-ups

Hamstrings – curls

Lats -- pulldowns

Hip Abductors

Back General -- seated rows or one-armed rows

Hip Flexors -- leg raises

Deltoid (Side) -- upright rows or lateral raises

Lower Abs - decline bench lean backs

Biceps -- curls with dumbbells

Upper Abdominals - nautalis machine crunches

Trapezius – Shrugs (optional)

I alternate between lower boday/abs and upper body.  I use the body for life program. 

Oh and Lift Weights to Lose Weight is a great DVD for at home use.