are these goals reachable?

[ahiggs]

coach
i know you see these a lot, but would appreciate your input

i have been training about a year and a half, i am 5'8" 208lbs 37 years old. when i started i was very week, 115lbs bench 90lb shoulder press 205'lb deadlift and 3/4 squat. right now i have 225x6 bench, 155x5 press, 405x6 deadlift, and 315x5 squats. my short term goals are 225 press, 315 bench, 405 squat, and 495 deadlift. i am sure i will be able to hit these goals, but long term i want to hit them each for 10. i think i have pretty good genetics, my dad use to have 675 squats and deadlifts for doubles and we are built about the same. my question is do you think my long term goals are reasonable and achievable at my age, or am i just blowing smoke up my own ass?
thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why would you think you couldn't? Do what he did, and be glad you have a good guy to lead you through the process.

[ahiggs]

i don't know? because i started the iron game later than most, i know there are guys out there that are older than i am, lifting far more weight than i even want too...but they have also been lifting their whole lives. i want to aim high, but i didn't want to aim so high that the goals were not reachable. i appreciate your time thanks!!

[Mark Rippetoe]

They may not be his precise numbers, but many men have gotten very strong having started in their thirties.

[hbriem]

I started at 41 and I can bench 300, squat over 400 and deadlift over 500 at about 200 in your archaic system. I don't seem to have any particular genetic advantages nor was I ever trained by anyone. I don't use drugs or any supplements except creatine.

[Les Hahn]

i don't know? because i started the iron game later than most, i know there are guys out there that are older than i am, lifting far more weight than i even want too...but they have also been lifting their whole lives. i want to aim high, but i didn't want to aim so high that the goals were not reachable. i appreciate your time thanks!!

Check out Norman's log (thefinalsql) in the competitve log section of this forum. He started lifting in his fourties, after a heart-attack as well. In two years time he now squats 660lbs (without knee wraps, which would add even more weight), benches 405 and DL's over 600. If there is a will, there is a way!

[Mark E. Hurling]

37 years old and with thumbs incapable of managing capital letters. Most impressive.

[Steve Hill]

They may not be his precise numbers, but many men have gotten very strong having started in their thirties.

Who knew!

[Hour of Judgement]

Mark,

If my recollection serves, you made a comment in one of your SS sessions regarding the cumulative effect of strength training and testosterone on the body. It was something to the effect of males benefitting from the cumulative effect of the training during the periods of their lives when the testosterone was relatively high. (Hopefully I didn't muck up what you actually said too much.)

For a situation like the OP, what sort of magnitude of difference of ultimate attainable strength are we talking about for starting in the late 30's vs. starting at 18? Or does this just get dwarfed by the different genetic capabilites of different people? That is, person A is just a strong SOB, and he will achieve more in terms of ultimate strength than person B, even if A starts at 40 and B started at 18?

Thank you.

[Mark Rippetoe]

These kinds of things do not lend themselves well to quantification. Genetic freaks that start at 40 will outlift me having started at 21.