How much strength training/ How much cardio?

How much strength training is appropriate for someone who has been exercising at Curves for 4 months but has just joined a gym?  Would lower body 2x a week and upper body 2x a week be a good amount? How long should my routine be?  30 mins?

For cardio, 30-60 minutes 5x a week?

I'm 5'6" and 170.

Thanks!

If you goal is to become more fit and are not sport specific training...IF you can, try full body strength training at least 2x's a week. Adding in a 3rd day and taking away one of the days you do strictly cardio would be ideal.

As Fitnessgirl said, full-body strength training really is the best way to go. Use a push exercise, a pull exercise, and a lower body exercise (ex - squat, bench press, and barbel row). Do three sets for each exercise and use a heavy enough weight to have your reps be in the 5-8 range. Full-body routines often rely on compound exercises which is what you want because you use multiple muscle groups at the same time getting you a better overall workout in less time. A great thing to do also, is to add HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) after your weight training sessions. HIIT is a much more effective type of cardio in terms of burning bodyfat and cardiovascular training and it only takes 15-20 minutes to do.

What I like to do, is lift and do HIIT three times a week (M/W/F) and then on Tues/Thurs I do less intense cardio for 30 minutes. I personally like alternating walking and jogging. Of course, I am trying to lean out and shed a few pounds, so I am doing a bit more cardio than I used to.