As a Greek teacher, my whole approach to education centers around the idea that you can probably get around 90-95 percent of your progress simply by focusing on the absolute fundamentals and ensuring that you've mastered those well. The other 5-10 percent is the finer detail that's actually kind of debatable whether everyone should even bother themselves with. I have found that the same philosophy also works with building muscle. I think for most people who just want to be in good shape and then go about the rest of their lives, it's best to just focus on those aspects of training where you get the best return for your investment. These basically boil down to 1) maintaining a regular schedule of lifting, 2) focusing on progressive overload, 3) ensuring that you're getting sufficient volume and intensity, 4) getting adequate sleep and recovery, and 5) consistency. Having a set, predictable routine will make things far easier to plan for and stick to. Start with something manageable and only increase once you've proven to yourself that you can be consistent with it. These are the foundations on which all else is built.
I know several people who are considering getting into (or back into) weight training. If you're like me, stick to the basics, and by doing them long-term, progress will come.
