Like many things, knowing the name or term of what you’re looking for is the gateway - without that you’re stuck floundering.
Simply do 5 sets of 5 reps of the following exercises in groups. Do 2-3x per week as your schedule allows. You can super set the push/pull exercise, but not the leg. Take no less than 1 minute rest between the PP supersets, or the leg sets.
1. Bench press , Row, Squat
2. Overhead press, Pull up (weighted if need be), Deadlift
3. Bicep curl, Tricep press, calves
4. Abs, core, or lower back (1x per week)
Other details
- if the workout takes longer than you have time for, you can break up the 1-4 across more days (eg lift 4 or 6 days a week with pattern of 1&3, 2&4, 1&3, 2&4 (1&3, 2&4)
- add some weight every workout, even if it's the minimum 2.5 plates, or buy 1.25 micro plates to bring to the gym - once you are unable to add weight every workout, start to try and add weight every week - Every 12 weeks take a 1 week deload where you do 3x 10 reps of the above with about 50% of what you can actually lift
If you're a "hard gainer" continue with the above and for a 12 week block try the following tactics.
1. Eat a costco rotisserie chicken each day (or equivalent calories + grams of protein in any other food)
2. Add a Liter, Half Gallon, or Gallon of milk (progressively experiment starting small), Or equivalent calories and grams of protein
If you follow the above consistently for a year or two you will be ahead of something like 95% of gym goers. You might be behind optimal, but you'll be way ahead of most people.
Or you know, you could go into a couple of fitness forums and see which programs pop up again and again.
Absolutely, read SS the book and apply its wisdom to corresponding lifts in the bodybuilding program you'll pick up instead. Then, once you are comfortable in the gym, slowly progress to add heavier lifts/sessions into your program. From there decide if you want to prioritize either.
RPE wouldn’t work either because beginners don’t know how to judge. Everyone who squats heavy knows that a huge part of getting good at it is learning how to keep pushing safely, even as the lift becomes more and more psychologically challenging.
check out fitness progress posts and you'll see some great looking bodies. the comments will be like "which routine pls" and the answer will be "huh? I just go to the gym consistently"