When your reading through this thread I want you to really give this a chance and try to either start working out or If you already do, maybe push yourself further. So basically I started this year with a new year's resolution, as most people do, but this year I was planning on sticking to it. My resolution was to really get into training, I already train for both football (soccer) and Gaelic football, although I particularly wanted to "get bigger".

My story began this year by saving up to money to buy dumbbells, I trained at home with them for around 2 months and was beginning to notice a difference. Then I decided that I needed more equipment and purchased a E-Z curl barbell, this takes me from January-March. Finally I bought a mass gainer + protein supplement which takes me to where I am now, I can honestly say that over the past four months I have noticed a huge change in both my body and my mind set.

Have you ever heard the expression "use it or lose it"? It's true! If you don't use your body, you will surely lose it. Your muscles will become flabby and weak. Your heart and lungs won't function efficiently. And your joints will be stiff and easily injured. Inactivity is as much of a health risk as smoking!

Helps Prevent Diseases
Our bodies were meant to move -- they actually crave exercise. Regular exercise is necessary for physical fitness and good health. It reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases. It can improve your appearance and delay the ageing process.

Improves Stamina
When you exercise, your body uses energy to keep going. Aerobic exercise involves continuous and rhythmic physical motion, such as walking and bicycling. It improves your stamina by training your body to become more efficient and use less energy for the same amount of work. As your conditioning level improves, your heart rate and breathing rate return to resting levels much sooner from strenuous activity.

Strengthens and Tones
Exercising with weights and other forms of resistance training develops your muscles, bones and ligaments for increased strength and endurance. Your posture can be improved, and your muscles become more firm and toned. You not only feel better, but you look better, too!

Enhances Flexibility
Stretching exercises are also important for good posture. They keep your body limber so that you can bend, reach and twist. Improving your flexibility through exercise reduces the chance of injury and improves balance and coordination. If you have stiff, tense areas, such as the upper back or neck, performing specific stretches can help "loosen" those muscles, helping you feel more relaxed.

Controls Weight
Exercise is also a key to weight control because it burns calories. If you burn off more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It's as simple as that.

Improves Quality of Life
Once you begin to exercise regularly, you will discover many more reasons why exercise is so important to improving the quality of your life. Exercise reduces stress, lifts moods, and helps you sleep better. It can keep you looking and feeling younger throughout your entire life.

Cardio
If you are a beginner, start off slower than you think you should. Three days per week is realistic, safe and effective. If you are experienced, do cardiovascular (aerobic) exercises such as walking, jogging and bicycling for no more than 200 minutes per week with no more than 60 minutes per session.

Lifting Weights
Weight training should be done no more than three times per week targeting the same muscle groups. Exercise the same muscle groups on non-consecutive days because muscles need adequate time to recover and cannot be effectively trained if they are tired or sore.

Stretching
Many people forget to stretch or make the excuse that they don't have the time. Flexibility is important, so make the time! Stretching can be done every day, but stick to a minimum of three times per week in order to reap the benefits. When the body is warmed up, such as after a workout session, perform five to 10 stretches that target the major muscle groups. Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds.

There are a huge number of exercises and workout methods and workout regimes, but here I am going to give you some of my favourite workout regimes that you can try yourself.

Beginner
#1

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#3

Home (no equipment)
#1

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#3

Abs
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#2

#3

Chest
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Arms
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Back
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#2

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Legs
#1

#2

#3

I would also highly recommend visiting this website:
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For great workouts! I'm currently using this site for my workouts.

Supplements make it much easier to get the necessary nutrients to build muscle and can even give you an advantage and enhance your training when taken right and combined with a good diet.

Top 3 supplements

#1
Creatine
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#2
BETA-ALANINE
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#3
Whey Protein
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It is extremely important to eat a healthy and well-balanced diet; this is particularly important for elite sports people, as diet can play a huge part in determining the level of an athletes performance. Intensive exercise burns off a large number of calories and the body must be constantly refuelled to enable it to continue working effectively and efficiently. Eating a range of foods from different food groups will ensure an athlete gets all the essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins they need to maintain a good level of general health as well contributing to producing an effective performance. Ideally, meals should contain a mixture of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fruits and vegetables, with fruit and vegetables and carbohydrates constituting the bulk of the meal.

Carbohydrates

Most athletes eat a carbohydrate-rich diet as this helps to keep them fuelled; complex carbohydrates release energy slowly which enables the body to keep working for long periods of time. Examples of foods with a high content of complex carbohydrates include pasta, rice, bread and cereals.

Proteins

Proteins are essential for muscle growth and repair and are therefore an important part of an athletes diet. Examples of protein-rich foods include meat, fish and eggs.

Fats

Fats are an essential element of a balanced diet and are needed to transport and absorb vitamins and minerals. The intake of fats should be moderated, especially saturated fats, which can build up in the arteries and contribute to serious health issues including heart disease. Foods that are high in good fats include avocadoes, nuts and oily fish.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain a huge range of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, which are essential for the successful completion of several daily activities as well as increasing the efficacy of the immune system which increases resistance to illness and infection. It is important to try and eat a range of fruits and vegetables as this will ensure all the necessary vitamins and minerals are consumed.