Not trying to argue with you, but that sounds more like a rehab programme than a programme designed for someone who is fully able and just wants to start resistance training. The bar is generally a fine starting point for most people but smaller dumbbells could also be used if the bar was too heavy. Also, you should be squatting in a cage with safeties, which mitigates a lot of the risk when squatting. It absolutely should not take a healthy abled person a year to start squatting 20kg.

if your trainers aren't letting you touch weights for a year you need better trainers. form is important but perfect is the enemy of good enough. if you try and be absolutely perfect before progressing at all you'll never move an inch.

Unless you are elderly or disabled in some kind of way, if you can't survive putting a bar on your back and squatting, you are a weak (physically) human. I'm not joking.

I'm a man and know more about mens standards, but if you can't back squat at least 1x your bodyweight you are probably pretty weak. Similar for deadlift. And these are just bare minimums. Most humans are FAR more capable than this. Maybe just multiply these by 0.5 for a women just based on genetic strength differences.

You can start with the bar if you want, you will eventually learn through experience based on your body your form for squatting. And the internet as well as being able to record yourself are readily available for practically everyone. Given that you can definitely learn the basics of form without necessary needing a trainer.

These threads are always insane. You can pick up a bar the first day you step into a gym. The body is an adaptation machine. Apply stress. Adapt. Repeat.

A trainer spending a year "strengthening your core" is called theft.

> Not with weight on their back.

Yeah, people do worse in real life. They pick up stuff of varying weights all the time at odd angles.

>People following it will be lifting considerable percentage of their body weight very quickly.

That's what we call a benefit. The reason those people are suddenly lifting their body weight? They've gotten stronger! Deadlift from day 1, people. Your back will thank you. If you're worried about it, ask someone to check your form at the gym (most people are friendly!), or just post it online (I did this when I first started lifting).

Being able to bend over and pick something heavy up off the ground is a pretty fundamentally important human movement.