Strength / Weight Training

Buy a cage, bar and some plates. Providing you have room for it you will save money over a reasonably short period of time. Amazon had cages for around £135 delivered. Bar is around £60. Plates are around £1.50 per kilo - depending on the plates. Sets of plates work out cheaper. You can always buy more plates. Saves time and effort going to a gym.
I would suggest buying a plate rack too as it keeps things tidy and saves time looking around for them (if your garage is like mine)

Richard

Garage? Space? Cage?
I have a back yard....
I was thinking bar and some plates and then front squats.

Cheaper plan!! Makes much more sense to do it at home then. I checked Amazon and prices have risen a bit for cafes. Gumtree could also be your friend.

Richard

A quick google showed this site - no idea if it is any good to you but good enough prices.

http://www.preloved.co.uk/classifieds/sport/gym-equipment/all/uk/used+olympic+weights

Richard

Strengthshop do quality, cheap plate/bar sets too.

Did some kettlebell swings yesterday. Can barely walk today.
It's the hamstrings, not lower back so that's good but damn it hurts like fuck.

I've been doing loads of bethaks recently and thought it would help but it's so obviously a different group all-together...

Something something leg day.

What did you do after the kettlebells?

Faffed around with some dumbbells, climbed a bit more and went home.

Should probably have stretched but I usually do that before climbing...

My knowledge and technique with weights is subpar.

Stretching before and after.
A protein shake.
Pacing yourself

I'm not trying to sounds condescending. Those are three things that have helped me from feeling like you did.

Kettlebells?
Quite versatile for home use. Maybe not for maximum lift training but the likes of single leg squats, goblet squats, lunges, swings etc are going to be good for your running.

Yeah, those are all things I should probably do... or at least do more. I think a big part of it is just that my hamstrings just aren't conditioned for it yet. Once they feel normal again, I'll have another crack at the swings.

On the ache front, I have taken BCAAs when lifting and it seems to lessen the DOMs effect. It could also be a placebo effect but it worked for me.

I find BCAA are also good when training on a lower calorie diet. Some say it's a placebo effect but I'll take it :)

Been doing StrongLifts 5x5 for three weeks and it's going well except OHP. I wanted to ask are the accessories worth adding (pullups,chinups)? Are there any accessories that complement overhead press?

Ohp will feel like to takes forever to make any progress because, smaller muscles. The muscles you're working in it don't get used much etc etc.
I think the stronglifts page talks about this.

As it is, im weighing up going down a lot (because Smith machine at work for squats. I know) for my squat. I've failed 3 times at 52.5kg, I'm going to join the gym locally which has a squat rack. I feel I should start low again and relearn it all. Rather than think "boom! 47.5 let's go!"

I've been taking bcaa's for about 2 months now and rarely feel much in the way of aches. I should probably push myself a bit harder

You tried going from a seated squat and pushing up - might be easier in a smith. Can also set the rubber stops so that if you fail the bar wont go with you

Its all change! I'm on leave for 5 months (parenting), so my gym at work is now not my gym. My local gym is the local pure gym (rather than the probably better but a little further away and a bit more intimidating, metroflex). That's got a couple of squat racks, I'd rather get it right now the I can. Rather than keep trying in a Smith.

Depends on your goals... doing chinups (on the machine cos can only do 3-5 atm...) and heavy rows/lat pulldowns has beefed up my lats quite nicely.

But if lats are not your weak point then focus may need to go elsewhere.

I suppose like most I just want to get slightly bigger and then get super lean.

I'm doing a mixture high rep/low weight and high weight/5 max reps

Just started doing hiit on a rowing machine. Just 30 on 30 off. Absolutely destroys me

My go to on the rowing machine is 2k @ 8mins. 2 min rest. 2k @ 8mins. 2 min rest. 2k @ 8 mins. 2 min rest. and final 2k as fast as possible and must be under 8 mins. 40min WOD. fucks you nicely.

Did a bunch of kettlebell swings again today. Hopefully no more DOMS.

No DOMS today :)

Thinking of arranging a session with a trainer just to learn some basic technique/form for dumbbells and bench stuff just in case I'm doing it wrong and slowly damaging myself. What's the consensus on that?

Good idea, go for it :)