So I finally started lifting, I'll post all of my questions here.

Great job incorporating legs, slight suggestion (people differ on this) but for squats try to do more reps. Especially good if you are new to lifting in the 15-20 range weight should be something comfortable don't worry if peeps aren't miring the plates more than likely they be skipping leg days.

 

Deadlift - best exercise for grip strength



I would say begin with the basic Olympic lifts (squat, military press, bench press, deadlift). Then once you have a nice foundation of strength, go for the more targeted exercises.

As for adding weight, ideally you want to try and maintain a linear progression:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:The_Program

 

I personally suggest not doing squats period, especially if you are a beginner teaching yourself all this stuff. Whatever benefit you will get from them is far outweighed by the damage you can do to your back and spine. It just ain't worth it.

Maybe do dumbbell squats, or lunges, or something else to replace the motion if you must.

 

#1, don't do full body exercises 3x/week. Instead, do each of these workouts once per week: chest/triceps, back/biceps, core/legs.

Compound exercises that use several muscles are better than isolation. For the first 3-4 months, I suggest you skip isolation lifts and just do compound ones. It will save you unnecessary time in the gym. After a while, go ahead and add isolation reps at the end of your routines.

Overall for adding muscle, deadlifts and squats are the best but not everyone can do them. You may be in that group. To start with, go very light on the weight and have someone show you proper form. They are the ultimate compound exercises but be careful.

 

I very strongly suggest you avoid squats and deadlifts for now (and maybe forever). Don't take any chances.

 

Well the adage is that for legs explosive reps/lifting style does not produce the best returns. For upper body low reps high weight while for the lower body opposite is true.

Exception would probably be for movement lifts like cleans.

Then again there are always someone offering a different opinion, so what every you feel works best and are comfortable with is probably your best bet (but don't be afraid for adjusting and seeing what works best).

Also remember form is the most important thing, not knowing how you are proportioned I would start doing dummy squats (no weights just motion, but a lot of them) just so you get comfortable with the movement and you can easily look in the mirror.

Push through with the pelvis not the back. Hope this helps.

 

Well, now you've heard 2 people say it.

 

the deadlift seems easy technically, but it is not fun to do, at higher weights it can feel like it's tearing the skin off your hands (straps can help)

it really depends on the exercise and what your starting point is

here is an excel file that will suggest a progression based on whatever starting weights you input

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3382978/Starting-Strength-Logbook-Calculator

Unless you have a physical impairment, you can squat a bar. For heavens sake, you squat every time you take a dump. Adding weight incrementally is all the exercise is.

 

Honestly nobody can properly prescribe an exercise program for you over the internet without seeing what you look like or getting even a basic idea of how your body moves.

Squats and a hip hinge pattern, ex: deadlift, are both perfectly suitable beginner exercises but it depends on the beginner.

Don't squat until you fix your knee alignment and since you can't squat don't think about leg pressing yet either. You'll end up feeding the dysfunction of your poor alignment and making that fix even harder.

I can guarantee that your posterior chain and abductors aren't doing anything significant for you right now. Look up clamshells, glute bridges, and band walks and make that the basis of your leg work. Also do some soft tissue work on your quads and adductors(inside part of your thighs). A foam roller would be your best friend.

As you learn to fire your glutes a hip hinge pattern will work wonders for you in the long run. You don't need to be doing a barbell deadlift but pull-throughs and DB RDL's probably aren't too far down the road.

 

You're worrying about the wrong thing. Get your butt strong first.

I gave you a starting point, get on youtube or google and look up clamshells(the exercise), glute bridges, and band walks.

Look up Foam Roller or any kind of soft tissue modality and also "how to do soft tissue work on my adductors."

It took you 19 years to start working out, don't be in a rush all of a sudden. Take care of the basics and earn the big lifts and you'll be much much much better for it in the long run. Strength training is not a sprint.

 

Yeah you have a valgus collapse that is driving your thighs in that position. Don't worry about your quads and the anterior chain so much. Work your glutes man.

You can never look into it too deeply. The worst mistake you can make is to ignore what are already warning signs and just continue to pile on load to your frame.

 

Your thighs feel like they go in after you work your legs and they already go in because of your alignment, do you think it's a good idea to strengthen that pattern?

You need to work on a different pattern... Abduction and extension.

Your glutes are your powerhouse man, they drive hip extension. Look at pretty much any great athletes butt. It's freaking strong.

Look at the exercises I told you about.