To learn 3d modeling I started off using a bunch of weird tools like milkshape and stuff back in the days of modding Halo PC hehe but then I started to primarily use 3ds max(or well, gmax which is basically watered down 3ds max) and since then ive been 3ds max all the way through(bit of XSI here and there). A lot of the tutorials I followed back then were related to modeling cliffs and such for Halo but I started to lurk
polycount for a really long time and read
the wiki and exposed myself to the workflow of others by watching other people's
WIP threads and getting pretty technical about 3d art through some low level 3d graphics programming. It's really messy and I kinda just improved my own curriculum but the different environments(modding, gifs, vfx, etc) I put myself in have left their imprint on me for sure! Low poly art is such a good area to practice your 3d modeling skills since it puts your attention at the individual tri/polygon level to make a powerful and efficient shoutout, topology, and having the two complement a UV-texture applied to it, AND having your topology work with any animations it goes through!
This is getting really preachy but if there's any tutorials I could link it would for sure be poopinmymouth's character modeling series!
http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorials/