Deadlifts





The deadlift is a fundamental strength exercise that not only works the back (especially the lower back) but also your glutes, quads, hamstrings and traps. Proper form is essential as it's pretty easy to hurt yourself on deadlifts. Otherwise it's in my opinion one of the best exercises as it also improves core strength on top of working the back and legs in one exercise.

Pull-ups



I think it's the best lat exercise, even above lat pulldowns as pull-ups also engage the core. However, I'm conscious it's not beginner friendly as most people including myself couldn't achieve a single pull-up when they first started training. I would recommend working on doing one by doing dead hangs, chin-ups or/and assisted pull-ups. After being able to do 10 effortlessly, you can start adding weight with a belt.

Barbell rows




Barbell rows pretty much target the whole back, including the lats and traps. Not only is this exercise super fun but it's practical to grow your whole back.

Legs are the toughest muscle group to train, but you don't want to end up with chicken legs. I know leg days are hard and that the soreness that comes after can be crippling when you're not used to it but teardrop legs look hella sick. I won't mention any calf exercise because I don't think calve size is much important for an aesthethic lower body, if you think otherwise then do calf raises.

Squats


Often cited as the king, the GOAT of exercises, the squat is absolutely one you should include in your workout. It targets well the quads, the glutes and the lower back but also work the hamstrings and traps a bit. For beginners, you can try doing squats with dumbbells on each hand rather than a barbell. Also when you first start doing barbell squats don't put too much weight at first, my traps were blue and itching for 2 weeks because the bar was a bit too heavy.

Straight legged deadlifts


A deadlift variation that targets the hamstrings very well.

Bulgarian split squats


Oh man this one is just brutal. It targets the quads quite well on one leg as you hold dumbbells in each hand and start squatting on your leg. Can be great to fix muscle imbalance on your weaker leg as you can control which leg you want to work on.

Hip thrusts



Round asses look good on men too according to women. Hip thrusts target the glutes and can work the hamstrings a bit. Aim for a 90° angle with your legs for a full ROM.

No 10 minutes daily abs workout bullshit, as you've noticed most of the exercises I've mentioned are performed standing up as they engage the core but I've decided to add 2 more exercises even though I don't perform them personally.

Hanging knee raises


For this exercise, it's recommended to bring your knees as high as you can and to not swing. You can then go progressively to straighten your legs as you raise them.

Cable crunches



Pretty easy to load weight as you want on this one.

I haven’t included or mentioned personal records (PRs) before in this thread because I wanted it to be focused on muscle hypertrophy, but I know some people like doing them quite regularly. Personally, I do a Bench, Deadlift and Squat PR once every month or so. I generally do them before I really start my workout. ALWAYS use a spot for bench or squat PRs, they can save your life.

Take pictures of your physique each month or so, this way you can see your progression and appreciate the efforts you've put on.

Don't worry much about protein intake as it's fairly easy to get your daily intake of protein. Like I've mentioned before you can track your macros with an app like Cronometer and most importantly adopt a diet consisting of eggs, meat, nuts and legumes.

Consume carbs a bit before working out to offer quick fuel to your body, it can be rice, fruit or even candy, that's what athletes do before exercising.

If you're a complete newbie, you should familiarize yourself with the equipment and exercises before starting to really lift, so 1 or 2 weeks where you're practicing the movements of the exercises with very light weight and 2-3 sets to reduce the risks of injuries would be recommended.

If you've noticed you've hit a plateau after months of consistent lifting, it can be good to take a whole week of rest as your body can be overworked, I remember I hit my highest chest PR after coming back from a break.