Must have been a New Year's resolution!!
Chapters ago, early to mid-eighties (now I'm dating myself) I was into competitive b-building. Won my class at the '82 Minnesota State Championship and in 1984 won my class in The North Country Bodybuilding Championships (upper midwest-central Canada). At that point I was going to train a couple solid years and compete in the USA, Northern USA. But life got in the way, things change, etc.
I still pump iron on a somewhat consistant basis, 4-5 times a week, but then can miss a whole week here and there, it's just how life is, busy, kids, business, etc. Life just has higher/other priorities for me now. I'm now 43 (how the f' did THAT happen?), can bench 300 or slightly more, if I got real consistant could maybe get it up to 330-340 in 6 months or so.
ANyhow, here's what I recommend for you, not saying I know it all but this is basic and will get you off to a great start, you can adjust things as you go, gain some experience and learn what works more specifically for you, so here goes:
GAIN KNOWLEDGE. There are so many good books out there on bodybuilding, weight training, nutrition,etc. You'll learn about proper form, technique, how many sets to do, how many reps. How many days you train each muscle per week. What works best as staple/core exercises, what focuses more on a specific muscles. Basics on nutrition, etc., etc., etc.
SET GOALS. What I'd recommend is first figure out exactly what YOUR goals are, muscle gain, weight loss, strenth, cardio, etc. Might be all of the above. Sit down and take some real time with this, if your currently 6 ft. 5 and weigh 130 lbs, chances are your not going to be an Arnold Schwartzenegger. You might be the Govornor of CA someday, but probably don't have the genes to load your frame with 70 lbs. lean muscle mass. So be realistic with this, but shoot for the sky too!!
JOIN A CLUB. You'll meet people with similiar goals, make some great friends, your workout will become more rountine and most likely you'll gain a training partner, which is next....
GET A TRAINING PARTNER. There's so many advantages to having a training partner, most important is that you'll HAVE TO stick to your schedule, because your partner will be waiting on your sorry ass at the club. You won't be able to change your mind on the drive home from work/school and decide you're not quite up to lifting that day and stay home and watch a Senfeld re-run. This consistency is very important. Second advantage to having a partner is having someone to spot you/push you. It gets to be a real pain when you want to push your limit and have to call on people that really don't want to spot you, especially time after time. You can really push each other and the intensity of the workout will be so much higher than it would be if you're just training alone.
EAT WELL. Make sure your eating balanced meals geared towarded high protein. This doesn't mean you need 400 grams of protein a day, probably more like 200. Eat your fruits and veggies, you might not think this will help with your b-building goals, but the energy you gain from the fruits, etc and the importance of all your bodies systems running properly/perfectly, can't be over looked either. Focus on the balance. I somewhat disagree with the other guys on supplements. They're good to a point. I'd take a 1-a-day vitamin supplement, there's most likely no way you'll get all the vitamins and minerals in your food EVERYDAY. I'd also get a protein supplement. It's great after a workout to go home, mix some protien powder w. OJ and slam it. Flood your body with some protein right after pounding the crap out of your muscles, can't hurt. Plus the new stuff actually tastes descent, not like the chalk-crap they had back in the day. And don't be a fanatic about it, if you're in the mood for a Snickers, have one. Just don't get into the fad supplements, your not going to pop a pill and lose 10 lbs. in a week or triple your energy level in 2 hours. Go out and get yourself a GNC Gold card, you'll save something like 20% on supplements.
REST AND RECOUPE. Doesn't need much 'splainin'!! Get your sleep. Don't party all the time. Give your muscles the rest they need, that's the only way they'll grow. Break the tissue down, then let it recoupe. BUT ALSO, and this is very important, don't over train. Traing for 3 hours a day is WAY over doing it, I can understand why JJ13 got burnt out. If you can't train the muscle you need to train that day in an hour and a half or less, your doing way too much. You'll overtrain and see little gain. Which raelly sucks when you're putting in all that time
This is just the tip off the iceberg, but it's getting late (after 1 a.m.) It's all very basic. Train hard, be consistant, eat well, sleep well.
I know this really did not answer your initial question about sets, reps, exercises, but we'll get there. It's getting very late and I'm sure my son (1.5 years) will be up at the crack of dawn, having no consideration for Daddy who was on the web all night long.
HTH
edit: Man, did I write all that!!
