Stronglifts built my understanding of lifting and the importance of the big three lifts (deadlifts, squats and bench), four if you include OHP which I tend to. I recommend anyone new to lifting to follow SL as a guide routine, as it teaches you two of my most important values to lifting:
1) Routine, and by this I mean, doing the same exercises consistently. Without consistence, you have no benchmark, no where to measure your progress, and no where to strive for.
2) Progressive weight loading. Biggest thing I see in people inexperienced to training is "I benched 60kg last week for 3x8, and it was tough - I best do it again until it's easy". Nah mate, you've completed 60kg now. Game over. 62.5kg is calling for you to make it your bitch. If you only manage 8,7,5 then you try again next week. If you improve on that, you try again. If you plateau, THEN you go back to 60kg, and try and break through again. But second time round, you damn well make sure you're eating enough.
Once you get a feel for your body (Oo-er missus) and what it reacts to, you can change routine or stick to SL if you're still progressing. I make my own routines now, but my core exercise is always consistent and always progressing in weight.
Other than that, diet. I have gyno which really affects how I perceive my own body, and I struggle to bulk because of this. I've gone balls to the wind for now and embracing it, for the first time in heads, and hoping to make some size gains. To add muscle, you're gonna have to add some fat. But be safe in the knowledge that when you cut that fat back, you'll have more muscle to show off.
*flexes guns* POW.
The first thing I learned doing ICF was progressive overload and it's definitely working.
