Tons and tons of people disagree with me, but I still think a McRobert or Christy routine is perfect for beginners. They have good exercise selection, progression schemes, and frequency that everybody can handle from the start.
Starting Strength is a solid routine if you want to go that way. But if you haven't had a chance to check out this thread, do yourself a favor and read it through...
http://muscleandbrawn.com/forums/ful...on-thread.html