>> *how do I break the object up once I am in the setup room?*

You use the grouping tool. Once you've set up your bones, open the grouping tool and click the AutoGroup button. This will create new groups for the mesh, automatically assigning mesh elements to the nearest bones. Unfortunately, it's far from perfect, and you'll likely spend a great deal of time reassigning polys from one group to another.

Remember to use the weld function on each body part after you've finished grouping.