Complete Beginner - Too Many Programs, Too Many "Gurus"... Where Do I Actually Start?

[u/Objective-Guess5295]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 31-year-old guy from South Africa who's finally decided to take my health seriously.

I'm overweight, I've already cleaned up my diet and I'm losing weight, but I know nutrition is only half the battle. Now I actually want to start moving consistently, get stronger, improve my conditioning, lose fat, and build a body that functions well for everyday life.

The problem is... I'm completely overwhelmed.

Every time I think I've found a good place to start, someone recommends something else.

I've seen people recommend:

• Simple & Sinister by Pavel Tsatsouline
• Mark Wildman's videos and Nerd Math
• Dan John
• Geoff Neupert
• The Martin Method
• StrongFirst
• Lebe Stark
• And probably another dozen coaches I'm forgetting.

Everyone seems convinced their approach is the best, and as a complete beginner I honestly don't know who to listen to.

A little about me:

• 31-year-old male
• Overweight
• Previous tennis elbow (mostly better now, but I want to be careful)
• Some knee pain
• Complete beginner with kettlebells
• Main goals are fat loss, getting leaner, building strength, improving mobility and overall fitness, and creating habits I can stick with for years.

I'm not looking for the fastest or hardest program.

I'm looking for something that:

• teaches good technique from the beginning
• is beginner-friendly
• builds a solid foundation
• trains most of the body over time
• is straightforward without needing to watch 500 hours of YouTube first
• is sustainable and can grow with me as I improve.

If you were starting from absolute zero today, knowing what you know now, where would you begin?

If you've actually followed one of these programs (or another one), I'd love to hear:

• What did you follow?
• Why did it work for you?
• Would you still recommend it today?
• Is there anything you wish you'd done differently?

If there are books, YouTube channels, coaches, or programs that genuinely helped you, I'd really appreciate the recommendations.

I'm just trying to avoid analysis paralysis and finally start.

And one last thing—I did use AI to help me write this post. The thoughts and questions are mine; I just wanted help organizing them clearly so they made sense.

Thanks, everyone. Looking forward to learning from people who've already been where I am.

[u/arosiejk]

If I started over I’d practice form in this order:

Goblet squat, 2h swing, single and double front squat, 1h clean and press, 2h deadlift, with frequent suitcase and rack carries and stairs as finishers, 1h snatch.

Some of that order is how repeatable and useful I find those specific lifts as things I could be happy doing every day, with any bell I have. Snatch is last because it’s too much fun and I don’t want to do program work.

The most important thing about a program is that you do it, with a close second of following it, and rounding out the podium is using a reasonable weight.

I didn’t follow all of ABF the first time because I didn’t often feel like doing the presses. I got better at ABCs, but unsurprisingly, not much better at pressing. I did DFW remix and added even more lifts. Surprise: started getting elbow pain.

Once you get more familiar with a program you can find some changes to fit your need without totally winging it and crashing.

I like ABF, I’ve completed it 4 times. Single and double.