Ok awesome that answered a lot of questions, man I didn't know I had to be adding weight every workout, now I do hehe. Ok so I'm going to start off with 5 pounds, is a warm-up really necessary? Can I just do a 2x5 with the bar and that'll be sufficient [for mainly squats and bench presses] ? Abs seem pretty important, crunches wont cut it then? At my gym there is this machine where you sit in it and add resistance then crunch downwards, is that enough? What's good for the lower abs in your opinion, especially for a beginner like me =D? Thanks again Eric, oh and lastly where exactly can I find that guys journal you told me to take a look at, you don't have to fetch me a direct link just tell me how to access one's journal - im rather new to these boards =D.