Starting strength is OK, but I feel like the best start for strength training is to start by training your grip with http://www.ironmind.com/ .. And then I would get a kettlebell and do 1 handed swings, goblet squats, and turkish get ups. Specifically, do up to 5 sets of 5, with 5-10 minutes of active rest in between. Active rest meaning you can shake your muscles you just worked out in a relaxed way. I'll jump rope sometimes. Never push yourself to failure. Always leave something in the tank.
But I got all of that from Pavel Tsatsouline on a Tim Ferris podcast titled The Science of Strength. Been practicing that and so far I have had some good results. Grease the groove as Pavel says..
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/01/15/pavel-tsatsouline/
Grip training is good, but I'm not sure it's necessary for someone who is untrained. You'll get a fair amount of grip training by doing deadlifts.
Kettlebells are also ok, but pretty suboptimal. They are harder to incrementally load, the technique is more complicated, less of an emphasis on strength etc.
Turkish get ups have absolutely no place being recommended for novices/untrained population, sorry to disagree there.
Tsatsouline is one of the better fitness gurus around, but he still gives a ton of really questionable advice. I definitely favor Rippetoe, who isn't perfect but overall his logic has way fewer holes.
So rather than a basic gripper, you would rather have a 'untrained' person start with deadlift? Deadlifting is one of the most complex weight lifting movements there is.[0]
I know its tempting to defend beliefs and I like Rippetoe as well. I have done starting strength. My point is just be open enough to listen to Pavels ideas. For Pavel its not about building muscle and adding weight, for Rippetoe it is. And there is a big difference. Pavel is talking purely about strength. Not adding to the engine, just making it run optimally.
[0] From Pavel on podcast listed in above comment.
"Deadlifting is one of the most complex weight lifting movements there is."
I don't particularly like Rip's methodology, but I don't agree. Deadlifting is pretty much the simplest movement there is - it is nothing more than picking something (which was specifically designed to be picked up) up from the floor and standing with it. It is the same basic movement pattern than the one-armed swing you advised (hip hinge) but with no ballistic component. I can't say which is safer, but anybody can pick up the correct movement in a few hours of training and it is definitely not more complicated than a kettlebell swing.
Deadlift is not one of the most complex weightlifting movements. As far as weightlifting movements, it's quite simple--the only trick being keeping your spine neutral. A proper squat is harder to execute than a proper deadlift.
Also, starting people with deadlifts is fine, as long as you keep the weight low. Not to mention that if you had to choose, deadlifts would do a lot more for you than turkish get ups (which I've honestly never even heard of until now, and I've been a serious weightlifter for years).
Deadlift is not complex. Stand close to the bar, bend over and pick up the weight with your back flat.
Press, clean and jerk, and snatch are certainly complex, but deadlift not so much. Turkish getups are a great way for a beginner to drop a kettlebell on their head.
From my experience being a gym rat, a majority of beginners have decent deadlift form with minimal training.
I think you are underestimating how easy it is to get injured while performing the deadlift with improper technique. Naturally with little weight the technique isn't as critical, but load the bar and it's an entirely different story. I think the squat is on par in technicality, which lift is more technical I think is irrelevant.
No offense, but this is a ridiculous suggestion. Grip training is one of the most boring aspects of body training, and the health payoffs are absolutely minimal. Please, do not start with grip training - just jump into starting strength (with your doctors OK if necessary). The kettlebell stuff rickdale mentions are also good.
Grip training should be done when the person is already at a moderate level of fitness, and their grip is holding them back(for example, the thing that stops them from deadlifting more is their grip, or from doing more pullups).
But I got all of that from Pavel Tsatsouline on a Tim Ferris podcast titled The Science of Strength. Been practicing that and so far I have had some good results. Grease the groove as Pavel says.. http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/01/15/pavel-tsatsouline/