Recap

Last issue I talked about how I started lifting, and how unstructured training didn’t produce good results for me. I also covered why strength training matters, how it complements cardiovascular training, and how the two together build a functional, general-purpose body.

This one is about how to actually start, what to watch out for, and the mistakes I wish someone had warned me about.

How to start

Start simple. Full body training. 2 sessions per week, 30–40 minutes per session. That’s the floor. Do that consistently for 2 months and you’re already ahead of almost everyone.

5 exercises per session. 2 upper body, 2 lower body. One pull and one push per region. Plus 1 stabilization exercise. Rep range 7–9 for the main lifts, 8–12 for the accessories.

For the first 2 months this is enough. What matters is starting and sticking with it. Getting the habit of training and recovery. Adjusting your routine around it, not the other way around.

The most important things when starting

You don’t need new shoes. You don’t need a plan that fits on a whiteboard. You don’t need to know what RPE means or what a mesocycle is. You need 30–40 minutes, twice a week, and a willingness to feel awkward and weak for about a month. That’s the whole entry fee. Everything below is the same short list I’d give a friend on their first day, in the order it matters.

• Actually start. Don’t wait until after the next holiday, or next week, or when you get new shoes. Start now. Pick 2 days a week. These are your training days. No matter what.
• Track your sessions. Doesn’t matter if you start in a gym or train at home. Document your training. Without documentation you can’t track your progress. Wolfgang Unsöld defines training as a structured program for performance gains. Without progression, you’re just moving.
• Feeling awkward is totally fine. It’s normal for the first couple of times to feel out of your comfort zone. You’ll adapt. At some point the awkwardness itself becomes part of the routine.
• Show up consistently. Consistency beats perfection. Even when you don’t feel like training, train. Half a session beats none. The motivation often shows up once you start.

Does it have to be the gym?

Gym, kettlebells, or bodyweight. Which is best?

The programs I share focus on the gym. The reason is practical, not snobbish: machines and dumbbells make progressive loading easy, the learning curve is low, and leaving the house to train builds the habit faster for most people than trying to lift at home.

Kettlebells are a valid alternative. Last newsletter I said three kettlebells and a pull-up bar will do, and I still mean it. If a gym isn’t an option, that setup will take you far. The program just won’t always map one-for-one, and you’ll have to adapt a few exercises.

Bodyweight works too, but the progression ceiling is lower for strength work. Fine as a bridge; not where I’d start someone who has a choice.

Which exercises?

To get the most out of a full-body plan, pick compound lifts that hit big muscle groups and get good at them.

What are compound lifts? Lifts that use more than one joint. Squats. Lunges. Bench press. Lat pulldowns. They train whole areas of your body, not just a single muscle the way a biceps curl or leg extension does.

The absolute beginner plan

DB/Kettlebell Goblet Squat 3 Sets | 7–9 reps | 90s pause

DB 45° Back Extension 2 Sets | 8–12 reps | 120s pause

Lat Pull-down 3 Sets | 7–9 reps | 120s pause

20° DB Incline Bench Press 3 Sets | 7–9 reps | 120s pause

DB External Rotation on One Knee 2 Sets | 8–12 reps | 120s pause

How to pick the right weight

Give yourself the first 2 weeks to find your weight. Focus on technique and pick something you can clearly handle — deliberately submaximal. Once the movement feels grooved, then start chasing progression.

The target weight is one where you hit 9 reps cleanly in your first set and start to fail around 7 reps in your last set. That’s by design, not weakness. The goal is to add one rep each session until you top the range, then add weight and reset.

Written out it looks like this:

Session 1: DB Goblet Squat

1. 20kg, 9 Reps
2. 20kg, 8 Reps
3. 20kg, 7 Reps

Session 2: DB Goblet Squat

1. 20kg, 9 Reps
2. 20kg, 9 Reps
3. 20kg, 8 Reps

Session 3: DB Goblet Squat

1. 20kg, 9 Reps
2. 20kg, 9 Reps
3. 20kg, 9 Reps

Session 4: DB Goblet Squat

1. 20kg, 9 Reps
2. 20kg, 9 Reps
3. 20kg, 10 Reps

Session 5: DB Goblet Squat (weight bumped, range resets)

1. 22kg, 9 Reps
2. 22kg, 8 Reps
3. 22kg, 7 Reps

That’s how you get stronger. Same logic for Lat Pull-down and Incline Bench Press. If you rep out all sets without struggle, the weight’s too light.

How to progress from there

• Stick with this plan for the first 4–8 weeks.
• Train 2 times a week (3 times max with this plan).
• Don’t train 2 days in a row.

Early on, the point is consistency and learning technique. That said, if you can hit every set with good technique, add one rep to the last set or move up to the next weight step.

What about all the other exercises?

You may be asking: where’s the ab exercise? The biceps curls? The booty master? The lunges?

You can’t shove everything into one plan. Focus is a skill. Imagine learning new languages: if you spread your attention across two or three at once, you’ll never master the basics of any. Same with resistance training. Strength has a strong specificity component. You mostly get better at the exercises you actually train. The focus stays on the main movement patterns: squats, presses, pulls.

3 common mistakes

• Skipping recovery. Recovery is where adaptation happens, and sleep is the biggest single lever. Don’t stack a second hard workout on your rest days in the name of “making up for it.” Zone 2 walks, easy cycling, or mobility on rest days is fine (and matches what I said about cardio and strength playing well together). A second high-intensity session isn’t.
• Not increasing weights. Don’t stall on the same weights for weeks. Try to push your weights up. If you stagnate or plateau, it’s time for a new plan.
• Same plan, all year long. When your system adapts after a few weeks, it’s time to adjust the plan. That means changing rep ranges, weights, sets, and rotating some exercises. This keeps progress coming and makes sure you hit all the muscle groups and potential weak spots.

Closing

Last newsletter I said the next one would be a concrete beginner program: exercises, structure, progression, no gym required. That’s what you just read.

Start at the floor. The floor is enough.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years: the people who don’t start usually aren’t missing information. They’re missing permission. Permission to be bad at it for a while, to do less than what looks optimal, to not look the part. That’s what the next newsletter is about.

Hit reply and tell me your start date. I’ll check in with you in a week.

Until next time,
Alessandro