Poor form is sometimes caused by fatigue, but that's about knowing your limitations.
Parent's point stands. Anything - in a reasonable sense - is better than nothing. If you do handstand push-ups day one, you deserve what you get.
* https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Train...
After a few months you'll exhaust that (perhaps just take it out of the library?), and need more intermediate-level information:
* https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Strength-Traini...
Otherwise, some others have suggested a few Reddit threads; see also /r/fitness.
Don't over complicate things. Do 5 sets of 5 reps of: * Bench Press (barbell) * Front Squat (barbell) * Dead Lift (barbell) * Pull Ups (weight hangs off a chain linked through a squat belt)
Have 1.5 to 2 minutes of recovery between each set. Do this 2 to 3 times a week with as much weight as you can lift.
How to progress: Write down exactly what you lift in a notebook and attempt to do exactly what you lifted for the previous workout with the only change being an increase of 1 to 5 lbs on one of the sets.
Cost: A monthly gym membership or about 50 cents a pound for second hand weights. About $25 for a second hand barbell. $25 for a second hand bench w/rack. So starting out pickup 300lbs of weight which is about $150 plus the cost of the barbell, bench w/rack, and squat belt should set you back about ~$200 (or the cost of a gym membership for 4 months.).
Quiting social networks and watching/listening to news has helped to find time to learn and think about training.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/02/06/muscle.mainten...
This is a much bigger hurdle than it might seem; at any rate the biggest one for me personally. I have absolutely no idea how to create an exercise plan for myself, which exercises should I do and in which combination. And additionally, even if I had such a plan, I have no idea how to measure my progress, or whether and how to modify the plan depending on the progress.