I know it is a real downer---literally, but the only way to do a thorough job of weeding is on your knees with your hands. To protect my hands I have a pair of Atlas Therma Fit gloves. You can get them from Amazon. American made, and the very BEST work gloves I have ever used. The rubber coating is real rubber that does not age. My first pair lasted five years before I had to replace them.
To protect my knees I use a memory foam pad that I got from a nursery center. I have used the kind you strap to your knees. They are a pain because you need to keep readjusting them. I have used a few different kneeling pads. Most are too hard with not enough give. The memory foam ones are definitely the best. Get two so you can kneel on one a put the other ahead.
I work my way down one side of the bed, round the end, then work down the opposite side. I make my beds five feet wide because my easy reach is about 2.5 feet. You do not want to strain at it---or it will never get done. If you are over six feet tall, your reach is probably 3'--so you could make the beds wider.
I used to use pine bark mulch. I do not any more because too many weed seeds came in with it. I also used grass clippings. They were the worst because they contained every weed seed from my lawn. Now I use pine bark mini nuggets. They cost a bit more, but do a better job. They are much cleaner, last longer and look nicer. If you do not care what it looks like, shredded paper is great. It blocks the weeds effectively and reflects the sunlight up to the plants to make them grow stronger while keeping the soil cooler.
I weed twice/ year: early Spring, and late summer. If you get every weed before they get to the size where they bloom and produce seeds---each year there will be less and less until it is just the few that come in from the wind, birds, and mulch. In other words, weeding gets easier over time so long as you do it right.
