I read in a magazine that this women only works out on the weekends doing HIIT cardio and then doing five different exercises for each body part. Is this a good idea or is doing five exercises too much?
If you're looking for a different approach for lifting, why don't you look at HST (hypertrophy specific training)? The website is http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com.
It sounds like you don't want to be living in the gym, and this is a good approach for that type of mentality.