Large collection of info for beginners

Step 1 – Determine your goals

For the most pat no matter what your goals are best results can be gotten from a mix of proper strength training, nutrition, and basic cardio or lack of. It depends on your goals, but some combination of these 3 things will fit almost anyone. Often people do not set specific goals. They will go with the vague "get in shape." But what does that mean? The most common specifics would be to increase muscular strength\size\endurance, maintain general cardiovascular health, increase cardiovascular endurance, and possibly increase flexibility. Beyond that there are can be other less commonly sought ones like increase my vertical jump, increase quickness\agility, increase explosive power etc. I am sure there are more that I am missing, but these should cover it for most people. The first step in deciding what kind of exercise regime to follow should be determining your specific goals. Then you should get started with the simplest programming with the least effort and time spent that still gets you there as quickly and efficiently as possible within the bounds of safety.

How much muscle can I gain natty yo? http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html

Training frequency explained http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=137364463

How NOT to workout http://www.leangains.com/2011/09/*uckarounditis.html You have to replace the * with F

Strength routine that adds some mass and best done on caloric surplus http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

Mass routine with some strength and good to do while on caloric deficit http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

Buy the Starting Strength book and read it either way. Many have said it is THE best instructional for basic barbell lifting.

Build calves - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/training-the-calves.html

Importance of deloading http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121391461

Learn how to eat http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Dispel bull**** http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

Eating “clean” - http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

Track food http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Buy a food scale ~30 bucks for a digital

More on nutrient timing - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=123915821

Post workout nutrition - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131821473&p=678321011&viewfull=1#post678321011

More advanced nutrition
Insulin - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-levels-and-fat-loss-qa.html
Insulin again - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-sensitivity-and-fat-loss.html
Leptin - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-hormones-of-bodyweight-regulation-leptin-part-1.html Notice the Related Articles link on lower right

Cardio blurb:
Cardio is not a magic fat burner. It does not allow you to lose\keep off fat while gaining muscle. It burns calories like any other activity. If you are trying to lose fat you can do cardio or eat less food, either one. If you are trying to gain muscle, cardio will require that you eat more to gain it (along with hindering muscle recovery if overdone). As for general cardiovascular health, some would argue that it can be maintained just from hard and heavy barbell lifting. If you want to guarantee it, you can simply walk at ~3mph for 10-20 minutes twice per week.

More on cardio - http://www.simplyshredded.com/nutrition-expert-alan-aragon-talks-with-simplyshredded-com.html

Should I bulk or cut?
If you are asking this question, you are probably a new trainee with some fat but not a lot and likely not a lot of muscle either. As a brand new trainee you can gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously for 3-4 months. After that you will have to pick one or the other and cycle. A good rule of thumb I have seen stated is cut to 10%bf, bulk to 15%bf and repeat until you have the look you want. As for the first 3-4 months, eat at maintenance until your progress stalls (most notably you can no longer increase weight on your lifts). At that time re-evaluate yourself and decide whether you would be happier with less fat or more muscle first. (The body fat percentages listed here are for males. For women they would be higher and possibly vary from one to another.)

Supplements
Supplements should only be used if you cannot meet your needs with real food. A multivitamin (still just insurance if you eat properly), fish oil if you don’t eat a lot of fish, protein powder if for some reason you can’t eat enough food, and creatine. Some people say even creatine is a waste, but it does work and is cheap. Just stick with straight creatine monohydrate. Don’t buy anything where it is mixed with extra sugar etc. If you want to go farther, veggie greens powder is another good source of insurance for micronutrient intake. Also GABA has shown some promise, but whatever. Realize that the majority of results comes from lifting, eating, and sleeping.

More on creatine - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=112484941

No credit for this information goes to me. I am just a parrot. I have found it all through time spent lurking forums.