Every year on the third week of Feburary I build up to a series of 1 rep max to 5 rep max strength tests.
I'm happy to say I'm stronger than last year. Main gains have been in the bench press, having put nearly 20kg on there through working on my shoulders and improving my bench technique. I've also managed to put on about 5kg of quality bodyweight with minimum chub.
A few weeks ago I bought a cheapo 35Kg barbell set from argos to get me started. I probably should have gone straight to a 50Kg set since I know I could easily manage a few deadlifts with the full weight, but doing 10 minutes of completely unstructured lifting with a 20Kg barbell and 4Kg dumbells seems a good start.
When I got started I was doing bicep curls and lateral raises with plastic dumbbells, then running downstairs to drink a pint of milk. I genuinely think it was one of the best decisions in my life to try lifting.
Exrx is good for looking up new exercises. Let us know how you crack on.
