OP is defining strength as the ability to lift really heavy weight. The simple answer to that is a linear progression system, the best is Starting Strength for a novice. For other definitions of strength (and that’s spawned multiple pages of discussion in the past), other things can work better. But if OP genuinely is weak now and wants to lift heavier stuff, then linear progression is by far the most effective method to do that, and Starting Strength is probably the most accessible and novice friendly introduction to linear progression.
And not even a minor quibble from me, with DSeid or your posts.
But I did want to highlight this -
This +100. I have been in semi-serious training for (thinks for a second) 48 years. I don’t have the discipline to force myself to do that if I didn’t enjoy it.
DSeid knows - he helped with my routine so that I could achieve a life goal of benching 225x10 before I die. Was that a worthwhile goal? Depends - it doesn’t improve my health all that much to be able to do it, and there is very little call for bench pressing in normal adult life. But the desire to do things like that keeps me lifting, and as a result I am still stronger than 90% of people my age and weight - and still stronger than 60% of the rest. Same with judo - I was never much more than average, especially compared with people I met and trained with. But I had a hell of a lot of fun, and formed the habit of exercise. Maybe another activity would have improved my health more than judo, or lifting - I have all kinds of injuries that I have picked up over the years, and the older I get the more I am reminded of them. But I could not have stuck with another activity. I hate jogging, and I like lifting and walking the dog. So I don’t jog - I lift, and I walk the dog.
It’s only good if you stick to it. It’s much easier to stick to it if you like it.
Of course, then you run the risk of becoming an aging gym rat, and the hotties all think you are elderly and quaint. But it still occassionally happens that some young pup wants to trade sets with the old guy - and drops out thirty pounds before the pump set.
Regards,
Shodan
I used to do weightlifting, but I didn’t really enjoy it. I found it kind of boring and I was doing it only for the benefits. I added in a few group classes like BodyPump and kickboxing for variety, and I found I liked them so much more I stopped doing weightlifting all together. I noticed a couple of things:
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Doing classes is actually “fun” in some sense. I didn’t really find weightlifting fun. But I actually look forward to doing classes because the activity itself is actually enjoyable. I find it easier to workout because I get motivation from the instructor and other members. Also, I don’t have to think about the workout. I just follow what the instructor says to do.
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I lost muscle, but I actually feel stronger than when I was weightlifting. I find it easier to do things like carry boxes, work on the house, and other day-to-day stuff. I think it’s because I have more core strength and the muscles all work together better now. Certainly you can get the same results with weightlifting, but you have to be a lot more on top of your workout to make sure you’re working the right muscles in the proper way. With group classes, it all just happens naturally.
There are a lot of different classes which focus on total body strength–CrossFit, BodyPump, P90X, kickboxing, athletic training, and boot camp are some of the ones commonly seen. They’re a great place to get a fit, athletic body like you might see in sports like tennis, soccer, swimming, triathlon, etc. However, if you’re a newbie, be sure to take it slowly at first. If you get caught up in the class and go full out, you can easily hurt something. Go slow until you’re used to the class and then you’ll be fine.
You either undercredit yourself or overestimate the rest of the population. Or both! 
At 225x10 your 1RM is now probably not too far off from 300. I know from the thread you reference (which was in fact my trying to parse out what “practical strength” means to different fitness recreationalists) that you weighed about 200 then … figure you’ve put on 5 or so more pounds as you hit your goal, even 210 now … that still places you way over the 95%ile (as high as that table goes) for your age group and weight and over 80% of the 20 to 29 year old punks. A majority of men over 30 have a bench 1RM of less than body weight and by 60 (and you are coming up on that my friend!) only 5% can bench even 94% of their body weight once.
But yes it all does come back to those two items: what are you wanting to accomplish; and doing things that you will actually keep doing.
I personally struggled for awhile to define my own goals until settling in on this - I am now 56 and my kids range from 29 to 14. Assuming my youngest gets married someday my goal includes not only being able to dance all night at her wedding but being someone looked to to hold up one leg of the chair (and if you’ve been to Jewish weddings or B’nai Mitzvot you know what I am talking about) for her obese father-in-law. If I can do the same for some future grandchild’s B’nai Mitzvah even better. So that means I need to put enough strength and cardio capacity in the bank to last me another 20 plus years (30 plus? I don’t see grandkids occurring anytime soon.) and stave off its decline as best I can.
I stick with a backbone that is 2 to 3 (or sometimes 4) days each week of full body compound resistance exercises and at least 4 days of cardio (some days both). But within that backbone I am all over the place because that is what keeps it fun for me.
How all over the place? The cardio varies between cycling, running (including hill and stair intervals), the elliptical, the erg, jumping rope, and burpee HIITs, with a range on most of mostly moderate with only a little red zone, to mostly red zone intervals as in those burpee HIITs. The whole body compound resistance includes all of: the big four lifts (squat/bench/deadlift/overhead press); Olys; Goblet squat-to-overhead press; dumbbell T-push-ups; lunges to curl or press; Turkish get-ups; thrusters; dip-to-knee tucks holding a dumbbell between my feet sometimes with a weighted backpack; pull-ups and towel pull-ups sometimes with weighted backpack; push-ups of various sorts including plyo and with weighted backpack; the “Bring Sally Up push-up challenge”*; wall supported handstand push-ups; planches; box jumps, running up and down the stairs carrying dumbbells of various weights; dumbbell work on the balance disc including squats and thrusters (sometimes trying to keep my eyes closed); some made up ones; and I even have a rings set-up in garage although admittedly I’ve recently had too much crap in there to easily put them in the rotation.
Pretty unfocused I know but that’s what keeps me at it. For some set of years in years past it was hitting new endurance goals (crossed marathon, and up to half-ironman off my bucket lists) but I moved along.
I am not sure if my relatively extreme variety is “better” or “worse” and I am not great at anything but other than a little recent tendonitis in my left elbow near the ulnar groove (that I really should rest and let heal more) I have had no injuries and look forward each day to doing something.
And that OP is what seems to be the bottom-line from this crowd: a basic linear progression lifting program focusing on the main big lifts (be it SS or SL5x5 or Shodan’s program or another) is a fast track for a newbie to gaining strength (as defined by performance on those big lifts) and is the reasonable default answer but the bigger item is that what works is what you will actually do and that you keep doing. Do not get too distracted by anyone who says that only their plan will work best; just pick an approach that fits who you are and enjoy becoming fitter!
*Try it out! I’m going to brag - on the third try I made it through the whole song … and then had to struggle to get up! I am pretty proud of myself.
Sorry Shodan, my mistake, you are stronger than about 90% of the 20 to 29 year old pups.
You sir are a rock and an inspiration to we who follow behind you!
How goes your goal of 22 pull ups?