Keep track of the latest in diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Not only will AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit ask fitness-related questions and share the best responses with you, we'll scour the Twittersphere for the latest buzz on everything from good eats to exercise routines gone bad.

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Hauling your cookies to the gym is tough enough without the added stress of irritating workout habits from other gym-goers. From awkward staring to uncleaned exercise equipment, see what gym and workout pet peeves drive the fine folks on Twitter a little bonkers.

You know that you need to add weight-lifting to your workout routine but you may not be sure which routine is best.

Just like any other time you start a fitness program, you'll want to start out slowly.

First, you'll need to start with one or two sets of eight to 12 repetitions. If you're older, injured or unsure of your strength you can do 10 to 15 reps with less weight. When you can lift a weight eight to 12 times and it gets harder to lift during the last rep, you'll want to add a little weight and decrease the reps.

Even if you're a seasoned weight-lifting veteran, alternating the workouts is key. You shouldn't do arm workouts and shoulders exercises on consecutive days. You should avoid working on legs consecutively, too. It's important to vary how you're focusing on strengthening different muscles. For instance, you may want to start by isolating the shoulders. At your gym you can do an overhead press, lateral raise or front raise to work on this body part. Start with two sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Other parts of this workout might include strengthening the chest via the bench press, chest press machine or push-ups. You can work on your back as well in a seated row machine. To build your biceps you can work on bicep curls, hammer curls and concentration curls using hand weights. As for the triceps? You can do tricep extensions.

As you alternate days to work on your lower body, you can try squats, lunges, leg-press machines, deadlifts or calf raises. As for the abdominals, there are always crunches, oblique twists and pelvic tilts.

If you begin your weight training regimen at your health club, the fym should have staff to supervise and answer specific questions.

Now that you've got your weight-lifting routine set, check out That'sFit's cardio workouts.

Regular exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, but is there such a thing as over-exercising? You bet -- and according to Sarah Brown, fitness expert for ThatsFit.ca, it's more common than you think. What's more, it can be harmful to your health.

If you think you might be guilty of over-exercising, ask yourself a few important questions. Do you seem to spend most of your free time at the gym? Have your sleep patterns changed? Do you seem to be more susceptible to illness than others? Do you suffer from more aches and pains than usual? If the answers to most of these are a yes, it could be your body's way of telling you to slow down.

Instead of working out more, work out better with tips from this celeb trainer.

It's hard enough losing the baby weight after giving birth to one child -- so imagine the tremendous battle faced by Nadya Suleman (also known as 'Octomom') to lose the astounding 145 pounds she gained during her pregnancy with her eight youngest children. Sure, 40 of those pounds disappeared after she gave birth to the octuplets, but that still leaves 105 pounds to contend with. Amazingly, she did it -- according to the recent issue of US Weekly, the 34-year-old, 5-foot-7-inch Octomom is back down to 125 pounds.

I know what you're thinking -- just how does a mother of 14 young children find time to diet and exercise? She had to trade a bit of sleep for the sake of fitness by heading to the gym at midnight while a nanny minded the children. Once there, she did strength training but no cardio because "I get enough of that with the kids," she tells US Weekly.

And as for her diet? She relies on five nutritious, protein-rich meals a day, and chooses from household staples like oatmeal, lean protein and even sushi.

She's not the only one -- Sarah Michelle Gellar is already back in shape just one month after giving birth!

Click on the gallery below to see how celeb moms dropped the weight after having babies.

CrossFit is a multi-faceted approach to fitness that promotes overall functional physical fitness through variable strength and conditioning exercises. CrossFit workouts are performed in a group setting, can be done in 15 to 20 minutes and involve full-body exercised based largely on functional movements such as lifting, pushing, pulling, swinging, jumping and running. The goal is to create a well-rounded athlete by conditioning a number of physical abilities, including strength, speed, coordination, agility, balance and stamina.

CrossFit was developed by Greg Glassman in the 1980s and has been adopted as the workout of choice for thousands across North America, including police officers, military personnel and professional athletes. CrossFit's legion of dedicated followers pledge allegiance to the the program because of its varied nature, meaning that, unlike some typical gym routines, the workout is never boring. CrossFit workouts can be done by people of all ages and fitness abilities.

Ready for a challenge? Try this Crossfit exercise.

Keep track of the latest in diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Not only will AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit ask fitness-related questions and share the best responses with you, we'll scour the Twittersphere for the latest buzz on everything from good eats to exercise routines gone bad.

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Does the brisk weather keep you sticking to your fitness DVDs and gym equipment, or do you head outside to work out? We liked what advice these Twitterers had to offer on the subject:

Keep track of the latest in diet and fitness Twitter trends and opinions with this weekly post. Not only will AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit ask fitness-related questions and share the best reponses with you, we'll scour the Twittersphere for the latest buzz on everything from good eats to exercise routines gone bad.

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Does going to the gym give you energy to face the rest of your day, or is it an obligation you dread all day? Here's what motivates (or aggravates) these Tweeps:

Photo: Joe Appel, Tribune-Review, AP

George Sodini walked into a LA Fitness center in Bridgeville, Pa. on Tuesday night and, without saying a word, opened fire on a "Latin impact" class, according to the Associated Press.

The spray of more than 50 bullets left three women dead and approximately 10 more injured before Sodini turned the gun on himself, according to police.

Joann Gazzam, a member of the dance aerobics class, saw the clean-shaven gunman enter in workout clothes and walk to the back of the room, fumble around and then pull out what looked like two guns before shutting off the lights and opening fire.

"All of us girls were just ducking behind each other and it was just, you know, I was behind a girl, one of the girls in front to get hit, and when he was in the opposite corner shooting, I booked it," she told WPXI-TV.

The 48-year-old man had been working towards the shooting for months, and chronicled his plans on a website registered in his name. Although those who knew him described him as a loner, he seemed to enjoy his gym membership. Sodini started planning the shooting last November, after years of feeling alone and rejected, which he is frank about on his website. He also writes of lifting weights and hitting the treadmill, which apparently helped with his frustrations.

The website ends by worrying that he might "chicken out" again, but tragically he did not. It is not clear if he was targeting anyone in particular in the class. There was a note in the gym bag, but the contents of the letter have not been released.

Lucille Roberts is a New York City-based women's gym, but 63-year-old Amnon Kent is one of about 10 men with a membership to the facility. Most of the men had memberships to the gym before it stopped letting men join more than 10 years ago, but not Kent. In fact, he joined just four years ago, after accusing the gym's manager of gender discrimination.

Kent's membership at Lucille Roberts poses some interesting questions. For one, having a male at a women's-only gym creates the requirement for a totally separate men's locker room (even though Kent says he prefers to shower at home). Does that raise the rates for the other members? And then, the more obvious issue -- if a woman joins a gym specifically because she's not comfortable working out around men, does the facility have an obligation to keep men out?

Of course, there's one other big question -- why on earth would a man want to work out at a women's gym? Kent insists it's convenient and he's just there to work out and not to gawk, although he admitted, "Once in a while, if there's a pretty girl, I'll look at her."

If you're a woman, do you feel more comfortable working out with only females? Or do you think it's discriminatory to restrict membership to one gender?

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For a woman who once refused to go to the gym because she couldn't bear to wear flat shoes, Victoria Beckham has certainly had a change of heart.

The former Spice Girl is now making the gym a priority, getting herself there six days a week for two hours and clocking eight miles a day on the treadmill. Additionally, she's taken advantage of the Pilates and spinning classes. Now, I don't care who you are -- that's a major commitment!

She's even getting props from fellow gym rats (if they can even be considered gym "rats" when they belong to the exclusive, $2200 per year Sports Club/LA). "Posh is always low-key when she comes here. She wears normal gym gear and is always happy to hang out and have a juice and a chat afterwards," a fellow gym member told the Daily Mail. They also mention that she looks better without all of the makeup, or "war paint," on her mug.

Sources say that Beckham, who has been a famously light eater (there are plenty of reports of her eating little more than water and a couple of pieces of lettuce when at a restaurant), is eating more now because her metabolism is so fired up, and she told the Daily Mail, "I feel energized and healthy."

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Whether you're worried about the swine flu or you think it's being blown out of proportion, taking a few extra steps to keep yourself as germ-free as possible is always wise. The gym is no exception -- when you're working out, it's wise to keep hygiene in mind. Here are a few tips:

• Wash your hands. Before heading out to the gym floor, wash your hands well. Cleaning your hands before using gym equipment is a courtesy to other members. You may want to consider using hand sanitizer during your workout as well.
• Don't touch your face. Just think of all the times you brush a strand of hair away from your face or wipe off a bead of sweat. It might be hard, but resist the urge to touch your face. Your hands are great germ carriers; you don't want those germs coming in contact with your face.
• Wipe down equipment. Wipe down equipment with a clean towel before and after use. (It's not a bad idea to bring your own clean towel, either.) Some gyms also provide antiseptic spray bottles and paper towels.
  
• Bring your own bottle. Avoid the gym's drinking fountain; bring your own water bottle that you filled up at home instead.
• Bring your own mat. Instead of using the gym's yoga mat, bring your own. At a bare minimum, be sure to wipe down the gym's mat well before using it.
  
• Shower. Before leaving the gym, take a shower and scrub down well. (Be sure to wear flip flops in the shower.) If using a public shower isn't your thing, change into clean clothes and wash your hands well before leaving.

Not only will these simple steps help prevent contracting some other gym goer's nasty bug, it's just good gym etiquette.

When it comes to hygiene/etiquette, what is your biggest pet peeve about other gym members?

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Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our That's Fit fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz. My office has a really nice fitness facility, but I feel a bit awkward using it. It's free and very convenient, I'm just a bit nervous about getting in there. I'm not very fit and it embarrasses me. Donna

A. I feel for you Donna. Office dynamics can be kind of weird, but your lack of gym savvy should not prevent you from enjoying what we both agree is one awesome benefit of your job. You said it yourself: You have full access to a nice gym that's both free and convenient. Who could ask for more? I'm confident my suggestions will put you at ease and get you moving quickly.

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That's Fit: Do you think exercising outdoors is more beneficial than working out at the gym?

Vindum: Absolutely! First, it's a blast in every way -- physically, mentally and emotionally. People find that exercising outdoors feels good to them, they get results and it's easy to stay with it. When you do it repetitively, your brain rewires for it -- and you will literally own that feeling and want to exercise.

This type of training [like the workouts found in my book] pulls in more muscle fiber and burns more calories -- up to 12 percent more calories and 32 percent more fat. It also causes your brain to focus more and pair up with your body in a way the gym can't -- so you stay super present, focused, coordinated.

Compared to machines and a flat gym floor, the outdoors challenges your muscles in every way -- climbing up, down, laterally, and diagonally; moving you forward, backward, squatting, lunging, rotating on every imaginable surface -- grass, dirt, sand, gravel, pavement, snow, etc., and working in all planes of motion.

Reese Witherspoon recently admitted that she hates going to the gym -- and, in all honesty, I don't think she's alone. Few of us get genuinely excited to make the journey to our fitness facilities, and yet they are usually always packed. But the gym doesn't have to be the object of your disaffection -- your workout is what you make it, and here are some ways you can learn to look forward to your regular workout sessions:

• Do something different. I'm willing to bet that most of you use the same machines over and over again. Um, yawn. Does your gym have a pool, tennis court or a rowing machine you've never tried? Who knows -- maybe you'll fall for one of these workouts.
• Know how to do it. Splurge on a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to learn how to do your exercises properly and effectively -- you might be surprised to find out you've been doing it wrong!

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Now that spring has officially sprung, maybe it's time you spring yourself free from air-conditioned gyms. The best gym on Earth -- also known as the great outdoors -- awaits with lots of fresh air and fresh terrain -- the stuff working out on the treadmill can't give you.

But if you're thinking about taking your runs outdoors, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Running outside is more difficult than running on the treadmill -- it's not just in your head! So take it slow and work up your pace gradually.
• Please your knees. Running on pavement is not great for your joints, so consider heading to an outdoor track or on a grassy area. If possible, head out of the city and take on some trails.
  
• Don't wear yourself out -- you'll be more prone to injury.
  
• Be wary of the elements -- always wear sunscreen and bring something breathable but waterproof -- you never know what kind of weather could pop up!
• Stretch. Before and after. And as always, drink lots of water!
  

Want more great tips? Head over to "Fitsugar".