Sure! As someone who failed for decades at establishing an exercise habit, a few things were key. * I hired a personal trainer. Actually, two of them, scheduled on different days, to reduce the chance that I would saddle myself with a bad one and not know it. After 2 months I let go of the least effective trainer. The trainer(s) were huge at first because having an appointment with someone helped me actually get off my ass and show up, my own willpower alone was always insufficient in the past. They also exposed me to a variety of exercises which is how I learned that I really enjoyed weight…
Typical good advice is to do some simple barbell compound lifts like Rippetoe’s Starting Strength. Deadlift, squat, pull-ups, hard to go wrong with that base. Make sure you ramp load gradually if you have lifted in the past, your muscle memory can return faster than your connective tissue strength leading to injury risk if you stack the weight aggressively.
I don't think the two are _necessarily_ contradictory. The article says, essentially, that a basic strength and conditioning program is the way to go. The GP says that picking a sport that makes you fit is the way. To add another opinion, that ties the two together, to the mix: think of the fittest people you know. To a person, they're probably obsessed with their chosen sport (which may be soccer, or bodybuilding, or weightlifting, or running, or ...). These people live and breathe their sport, and when they're not doing it or training for it, they're thinking of how to get better at…
(Disclaimer, I'm not an expert, but I can squat well over 1.5x my weight for several reps) For squats, you should make sure to go parallel and "sit back" at the bottom of the movement, while pushing your knees out to the sides as you go down. This takes the stress of the weight off of your knees and onto your posterior chain. Otherwise you'll get hurt knees just as you described. Not sure what could cause that deadlift problem, other than maybe trying to lift with your back before the bar clears your knees (which until that point your legs should be doing most of the lifting). FWIW, it…
Wow, two recommendations for Starting Strength on HN in one week. I have already taken started incorporating the advice at the gym and it seems barbells might be my friend after all. The Easy Way to Stop Smoking worked for me 7 years ago and I can't recommend it enough. I'll never forget scanning the table of contents and flipping to chapter 21, it sold me on the book. I've started Drawing on the right Side of the Brain, which is basically self paced training. Really insightful so far. Looks like a promising book list.
> You don't want to start someone off doing power lifts. While I agree with most of your comment, this caught my eye, because that's exactly what "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (an HN recommendation, I might add) does. Granted, Rippetoe points out, multiple times, to start with the empty bar. It's also probably not a bad idea to have your form checked, although I lifted for a year before doing so, and the only time I've injured myself was a bodyweight exercise (situps, which aren't part of "Starting Strength").
Starting Strength is the precursor to StrongLifts and Mark Rippetoe has a book by the same name filled with a lot more details about the mechanics of the major exercises. Their YouTube channel is great too. I tried Strong Lifts years ago but gave up due to hurting myself when things got heavier. Starting Strength seems better so far.
I think "life changing" and "universal" are contradictory. A person who is ready to pick up the bar, for instance, would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.) Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker, otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure…
To get started on the practical while researching the theory: https://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5/ For much more on the beginner stuff, "starting strength" by Mark Rippetoe. The author is, in my opinion, a bit biased towards athletes so he offers a few opinions as facts. But these are harmless early in training. After you've finished stronglifts 5x5 which will take a few months, buy "5/3/1" by Jim Wendler. IMHO the perfect training program, for a lifetime. The website t-nation.com has surprisingly high quality considering it exists to sell useless dietary supplements. It's a "tips…
This thread has so much misinformation that it's painful to read. I'd advise anyone offering advice to read "Starting Strength" (Mark Rippetoe), and if you are >40 (or >30 but in very bad physical shape), "The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40". That second book is actually a good read even if you are not over 40, because a) you will be, b) it contains excellent information on our physiology and biochemistry and a great rationale for doing strength training rather than just cardio. Don't base your decisions on what has been written in this thread. Most information…