Hi, Need some advise as a beginner.

I am a single dad so dont have a huge amount of time on my hands, but would like to start weight training.
Inbetween working/looking after my seven year old son and my other interests I figure I could fit in some training but I am not exactly going to be able to dedicate my life to it.

My goal:

I dont really want to become big, I have a fair amount of natural muscle but I also have a fair amount of fat, I go mountain biking regualy but with my son, so im not really getting my heart rate into the fat burning zone.

I would like to tone and build slightly on the muscle I have, and lose about a stone of body fat.

With the way my time is devided, i.e. working during school hours, and then often after my sons in bed, it really only leaves me with short periods of time but would be able to do something every day. I understand I am supposed to leave a day inbetween but what if I do legs one day and upper body the next day, 6 days a week?

Also I have read about compound exersices, due to the lack of time on my hands Would I be better off sticking to these type of exercises untill my body started taking shape then looking to single out muscles at a later stage.

What exercises would be best to do? and how many reps/sets to achieve what I want?

I have free weights and would rather use dumb-bells over a bar, but I can get a bar if necessary.

I am 31, Fit(ish), and have an active job.

Any advice would be greatfully received, Thanks, Gavin.

Definitely focus on compound exercises. They're much more efficient. Dumbbells are fine and you can use them until you start to lift really heavy at which point a bar would be a necessity.

There are 6 main exercises that you should be doing: Squat, Benchpress, Shoulder Press, Deadlift, Row, Pullup. Personally, I prefer to split them up into a push/pull split routine - Squat, Benchpress, and Shoulder Press on Monday and Thursday; Deadlift, Row, and Pullup on Tuesday and Friday. I rest on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Rest time is seriously important as that is when your body repairs itself (builds muscle).

The basic rule of thumb for sets/reps is 3 sets of 8-12 reps to gain size, and about 5 sets of 5 reps to gain strength.

Take the time to learn about nutrition as that will make or break you. As you want to burn body fat, your going to want to eat fewer calories that your are burning. The nutrition 101 sticky in the nutrition forum should be a good starting point.

Hello,
I am a beginner in bodybuilding industry.I want to be a good body builder in future. I have an ambition to be a great body builder and a Mr. Universe in future.At first I want to be Mr. India. Give me some advise how I am being a good body builder.