Hey all,

At the ripe age of 40, with a baby boy screaming in my arms and showing a natural strength that I knew would very soon outstrip mine I vowed to be a dad he'd be proud of if for absolutely no other reason than I would be able to smack into pink slime anyone who messed with him... and so here I am. God Bless the United States, Rippetoe and barbells everywhere (except shitty Made in China ones).

Me:

Male, 40, 6', 210lbs (circa 20% BF - yuck),
Squat 205lbs 3x5,
Deadlift 270lbs 1x5,
Press 110lbs 3x5 (bad shoulder from rugby years, getting better though with SS training).
Bench 165lbs 3x5 (pathetic I know but I'd forever been doing it wrong with shoulders at 90 degrees and figure that's where my shoulder never healed...
PC - haven't yet mastered the technique where I'm comfortable to put on the plates. Chin-ups BW 3x4. Pull-Ups - giving it a miss because of shoulder.

I've been messing around really just learning the lifts, getting comfortable with the techniques while under weight that's pushing me but as of tomorrow Monday, 9th July, 2012 it's officially strict SS regime - journals, milk, protein, rest and lifting to get strong and nothing else.

I'm interested in some goals - would setting myself to be able to hit 300lbs in Squat, Bench and Deadlifts by end of the year be reasonable? Too easy? Too hard? Some guidance on goal setting based on my metrics would be appreciated.

Thanks Mr. Rippetoe, you've saved me from dumbass 'gymisms' that have literally hurt me, hindered me and made me scoff at the barbell... who knew that there's Thor's own Hammer there in the corner of the gym, behind all those nice shiny LifeCircuit machines...

Cheers