Strength training beginner. Pic of me included.

SomersetCharlie

Hi I am a 25 year old male, standing at 6ft tall and weighing just above 210lbs. I have always fluctuated in weight due to previous experience lifting, but ill disciplined, ignorant to dietary needs and lack of motivation due to being in a relationship and not needing to try anymore to look good. However I now have a new lease of energy and I WILL achieve my dream goal to be both strong and in shape! I am not a fan of typical bodybuilder routines and want to start strength training. Have found a programme called the 5/3/1 routine. Is it any good? Has anyone tried it? Details of your experience welcome!
Also I am looking for advice on where to start with my diet. I understand to gain strength you need to be in a calorie surplus, however i weigh about half a stone more than in my pic below and want to avoid gaining too much fat! Would a small cutting phase be worth it? Or do I just need to dive straight into gaining strength? Obviously a lean bulk.
Any extra tips you can give would be appreciated

Chieflrg

Since you are new to strength training, I suggest Starting Strength program and book. It's written specifically for novice lifters and IMHO, nothing as of now will get you stronger faster as a beginner. The book is filled with information on form that can set a great base for the future as well.

As for 5/3/1, I unfortunately have ran it as a intermediate lifter for longer than I should have and had horrible results compared to other programming I ran after it. It is considered one if not the worse programs to run as written with Texas Method right behind it. That doesn't mean some cannot gan some strength from it, just the majority of people would get better results from just about any other program.

If your waist size considerably lower than 40" which I would hazard it is. I would go for a bulk.

SomersetCharlie

Chieflrg wrote: »

Since you are new to strength training, I suggest Starting Strength program and book. It's written specifically for novice lifters and IMHO, nothing as of now will get you stronger faster as a beginner. The book is filled with information on form that can set a great base for the future as well.

As for 5/3/1, I unfortunately have ran it as a intermediate lifter for longer than I should have and had horrible results compared to other programming I ran after it. It is considered one if not the worse programs to run as written with Texas Method right behind it. That doesn't mean some cannot gan some strength from it, just the majority of people would get better results from just about any other program.

If your waist size considerably lower than 40" which I would hazard it is. I would go for a bulk.

Thanks for the time and effort to reply! That means a lot.
I shall have a look into the beginner programme to gain more understanding. Shame you did not get the results you were after. Are you still strength training?

darreneatschicken

Ditto Starting Strength.