Gather cowhides from RuneScape gold cows near Lumbridge, tan them, and craft leather gear. It's an easy and efficient way to train Crafting while preparing early armor.
Herblore

Herblore is often overlooked early, but becomes crucial for creating potions. After completing the Druidic Ritual, start farming herbs and making potions when possible. Strength and Prayer potions will significantly improve your early combat performance.

Combat: Train Smart, Not Hard

Combat is essential for progression, but early-game monsters can still be dangerous when you have limited food and gear. Start with low-risk targets:

Chickens and Cows – Great for food, bones, and crafting materials.

Goblins – Drop basic gear and coins.

Stronghold of Security – Offers a safe zone for combat training and rewards you with 10,000 coins. It's one of the best early-game activities for Ironmen.

Train Melee, Ranged, and Magic in balance. As an Ironman, flexibility is crucial. Having all three styles leveled will allow you to adapt to different boss mechanics and Slayer tasks later.

Don't Neglect Prayer

Prayer is one of the most important survival tools in OSRS. Protect from Melee, Missiles, and Magic can mean the difference between victory and death.

As an Ironman, you must collect bones manually:

Bury bones from chickens, goblins, and other early mobs.

Upgrade to using a gilded altar in your Player-Owned House or a friend's for better XP rates once you're further along.

Consider using the Ectofuntus for cheap Runescape gold efficient Prayer XP if you're training early but want to save bones.