First, you'll be powerlifting. Yes, you read it right. Stop reading magazines that tell you to do 3 sets of 10 reps of (exercise type here). They are not for hardgainers. They are meant for people who are already big, but not yet muscular, and people who were blessed with natural born power. Some people can bench 300+ the very first day they touch weights, while hardgainers like you and me can barely bench over 100 for 1 rep. Lets say you can't barbell curl more than 50 lbs. for 10 reps, while the guy in the magazine is doing 100 lbs. for 10 reps, who has better benefits for doing 10 reps? Do you get my point why you shouldn't follow the workouts in the muscle magazines?
Ok, we are going to go back to the topic of powerlifting. Before you start building mass and muscles, you must build up your strength as your priority. Don't get confused as most beginners do, but building a lot of strength doesn't mean you would get huge. There are powerlifters out there who are benching 500+ weighing no more than 180 lbs. They usually don't do more than 5 reps for any types of exercises. You might be asking yourself how are you going to get big from powerlifting then? You will start from powerlifting and end with bodybuilding. Don't even think about bodybuilding to look great till you can bench over 300, squat over 400, and deadlift over 400. If you are benching 100 lbs. right now for 8-10 reps, and you think by next year you'll be able to bench 200 lbs. for 8-10 reps, keep dreaming. Ten years later you'll probably be able to bench 110 lbs. for 8-10 reps if you keep doing what you are doing.
How to start powerlifting? You will stick to moves like bench press, squats, deadlifts, military press, close-grip bench press, barbell bicep curls, bent-over barbell rows, and dips. I might have skipped some, but they are all great for strength training. If you are benching 100 lbs 8-10 times comfortably, you can easily bench 105 lbs. 5 reps for 5 sets. Now, avoid rushing to try and bench 110 lbs. You need a lot of patience to build up strength, and to become a bodybuilder too.
For first week, bench 105 lbs. 5 reps for 5 sets (just using 105 lbs. for example, if you can comfortably bench more for the same reps and sets, go for it). Please allow 2-3 minutes rest for strength training for recovery. If you can bench 105 lbs. 5 reps for 5 sets, and you know you could have done more reps on your last set, do it till failure. In this case, you are ready to bench 110 lbs. 5 reps for 5 sets next week. If you are struggling to do 5 reps of 105 lbs., but you are able to finish 4 reps, you are fine. In this case, you are not going to bench 110 lbs. next week, but stay at the same weight to do 5 reps of 5 sets. By next week, it should become easy to do. If you are still struggling to get 5 reps in, you might be getting lack of sleep, not eating sufficiently, or overtraining. You get stronger when you are resting/sleeping, and not working out everyday in hopes to get bigger.
Here are a few important tips to build strength:
1.) Do very low reps and heavy weights - no more than 5 reps per set.
2.) Rest 2-3 minutes per set - this is strength training; be patient!
3.) Get atleast 7 hours of sleep (recommend 8+).
4.) Load up more on carbs and proteins. Before and after you exercise (within 2 hours), stay away from saturated fat like cheeseburgers and fries. They make you feel exhausted and extremely slow to recover from working out. Your best bets are whole-grains, fruits, and protein shakes before working out. Don't workout on a full stomach either.
5.) Do one body part per week. If you benched Monday, wait till next Monday to work on chest again.
My example for benching 5 sets of 5 reps goes for everything else like squats, deadlifts, etc. Again, if you are not ready to increase 5 lbs., don't do it. Being a fool will most likely lead to injury. You might be powerlifting for more than a year because there is no miracle in building a very nice body. This is the honest truth to drug-free bodybuilding without the use of steroids.