Welcome Michigan Tim. I am 44 years old and have been back in the "lifestyle" for 2 years plus. If you have trained in the past you will be glad to know that you still have gains to make! Yep, you heard me, there is more to come. As long as your diet is good, your routine is good, and you lift wisely, you can surpass what you did when you were "younger". In all my years I have never been this strong, this lean, this "fit". If I can achieve these things at my age you can too!
The advice given about warm ups so far is pretty good. Any thing that will get the muscles warmed up, the blood flowing, etc., will help prevent injury. I usually spend 10 minutes warming up the muscle group that I intend to work.
As for your "reasonable" amount of strength, and I am sure PowerJim will back me on this, a 225 max bench is not out of the realm of possibilities. Again, using me as an example, when I was in my 20's, I could not bench 135. Now, I am almost benching 205 for 6 reps! I was the skinny, undefined kid. So age is not the issue. Set realistic goals for yourself and follow some of the beginner routines found on this site. Good luck and welcome aboard!
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http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39994
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