Thread: starting out

You have come to a good place to get help. There is a lot you can do with the setup you have already. Initially, my advice is to use higher repetition training, with lower weights until you get your technique down pat. Focus on practicing the lifts at first rather than just adding weight to the bar with subpar form.

A simple 3x per week fullbody routine would work just fine and is often suggested for beginners. I think it would benefit you greatly and save you a lot of time if you did some extensive reading on some of the more strength oriented message boards out there. A few I visit frequently are fortifiediron.com, power and bulk, and ruggedmag. Tons of useful info. Additionally check out Westside barbell (their site can be found by googling elite fitness systems) and read all the articles there, especially those by Louis Simmons.

If you do eventually end up getting your own equipment, all you would really need is a powerrack, bench, barbell and a bunch of weight plates. A set of adjustable dumbells would be good too. Just keep a lookout for used equipment for sale and snag it when the opportunity presents itself. Can be super cheap. Other special equipment not needed. A cheap way to get to do squats is to simply invest in a couple of uprights and make a simple free squat stand.

For now, you can do all sorts of horizontal pressing work since you have access to a bench. Overhead pressing is easy to do as well. Find a place to do pullups and chinups and use barbell rows, tbar rows, DB rows and the like for latwork. Take your time and learn to do a proper deadlift and backsquat. I could go on and on. Point being you really aren't that limited at all and have lots of options.

Just soak up everything you read like a sponge and try not to get lost in all the little details. Eat hypercalorically, get adequate protein, sleep a lot. Train intelligently and work hard, taking care not to injure yourself right out of the gate. Thinking long term and having patience will pay off in the end. Best of luck and welcome to the iron game.

-Cardinal