Player To Be Named Later said:
Well, not a total novice.... Just been awhile since I was active in a gym. I used to live for lifting. Offensive tackle in the day, power lifting, rugby, and lacrosse in HS. Spent a ton of time in the gym.
I just suck at going to the gym without a "plan" because I just find myself spending more time wandering around than actually working out.
As long as I can walk in with a workout either on my phone or on paper, I get a LOT more out of my time.
If you've been out of the gym consistently for more than 6 months generally, you're a "novice" for at least a short period of time. B/c you'll still need to adjust to a consistent program. You don't want to train balls to the wall like you might have in your football days or risk issues like being so sore you can't train for a week to possibly getting injured. Not saying you'd do that, but the novice tag can apply people who have never trained to advanced powerlifters who have been off for a long, extended period of time. And it applies to someone switching modalities, like a very trained powerlifter becoming a bodybuilder or vice versa initially. It's not really just a "newbie" but one who has been either out of action for enough time to one who is possibly switching training methods and goals. And it's a GREAT time period as one gets results quickly. If I went back to strength, I'd have 4 main lifts to focus on and just doing 5s. I'd start super light to focus on form, so I might even just start with squats at 135. Not kidding. Many would be like, "are you even getting stimulus?"Yes. B/c I have not done a set of low bar squats in almost a year. They are just too fatigue inducing for me for bodybuilding. The stimulus to fatigue ratio just isn't good for long term mesocycle work for me particularly (something that I have had to come to grips with-not b/c of age but just how I am made with longer femurs and a lanky build). By week 3, I'd have overreached likely. So I'd start out super light and work on form. I don't even really do any barbell squatting right now. Sure, they grow my legs but at a huge price given the amount of volume I need!
Also, I'm 49. **** age. You're young. Yes, you CAN do power safely and injury free IF YOU WANT TO. But, you do not have to. Staying lean and muscular with hypertrophy based training is great too. Do what you know will get you in the gym consistently even when you aren't motivated. B/c there are days we just absolutely are not motivated yet we go. We grind and we work. It's called "the suck" and we just embrace those days b/c almost all of them turn into some of the best training days and eventually that motivation kicks in. Sure, might be the last set of the last exercise that day, so maybe it's literally the walk out of the gym that is most motivating part of that day, but you got that damn day in! That alone feels fantastic.
Good luck to ya!