#3 My current training routine

In 1998 I became a gym member for the first time. Unbelievable for me now, but the gym didn't even have a barbell. Only fancy machines and spinning classes. So I started the standard 3*15 whole body routine and stayed with that for about three months. I never put more weight on, but had some little newbie gains.

Because the progress stopped so fast, i stopped training at all. Several years later I became a gym member again, in a gym with free weights and a squat stand. Without any plan or any idea what to do, I made my first squat ever with 60 kg (~132 lbs) - at a bodyweight of 56 kg (~123 lbs). This must have looked hilarious - three partial reps. I did not squat again for 5 years.

After those years I joined another gym, one with free weights - just to start the 3*12 routine with machines. Doh!! As soon as I progressed to the free weights (they were in a seperate room in the basement(!)) I had to face a new problem: other gym members. Some muscleheads may think it is funny when skinny guys get their workout by unloading the barbells which had been used by the muscleheads before. Others think it's appropriate to do some fake reps of dumbbell chest presses and then drop the dumbbells to the floor to show everyone in the room how heavy the are.

Fast forward to now. Four weeks ago I started a very basic routine at home which I hope is what I was searching for all the time: the beginner program taken from Practical Programming for Strength Training
by Mark Rippetoe. It takes the big compound movements and adds pull-ups. That's it.

I try to update some data (weight, stats etc) soon to see if the routine is working for me. Feel free to follow my progress at http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pWQE3D_zUkrqkiJPC_W2URw