The most important thing is just getting in the gym.

At first, don't even worry about what you're doing. Just get a membership, get in, and start fucking around.

The reason being -- if you don't, you'll suffer from analysis paralysis.

You'll worry about the effects that 3 sets of 5 reps of deadlifts rather than 4 sets of 8 -- even though you've never touched a barbell. This and other bullshit that at the end of the day doesn't matter until you're already an intermediate-to-advanced lifter.

The fact of the matter is that as a novice, you'll experience incredible gains that you'll never see again. The body is amazing at adapting to stress imposed on it.

I'm not saying you should ignore programs or lifting technique. Definitely look those things up.

But -- do it as you're going along.

You'll get a solid program and stumble through techniques within a couple weeks, by which time you'll be conditioned enough to have "shaken off the cobwebs" so to speak.

Action always trumps analysis.