Am I nearing the end?

[timelinex]

I think I know the answer, but I just want to see what you guys think.

Age:29
Start weight: ~175
Current Weight: ~207 LB
Dexa BF % midway through: 25%
Height: 6ft
Length: ~9 months (Dealt with flexibility issues through alot of the beginning portion along side recovery issues from doing it with a high impact sport at the same time. Didn't start really focusing on the lifting and gaining fast (LP) till the last 3-4 months)

I have been gaining ~1LB a week, give or take. Since I was already 25% BF I don't think I need to gain faster. I wait a good 3 to 8 minutes between sets, depending on the difficulty of the last set. My form is definitely not perfect, especially as I am getting more and more towards my limit. I did see an SSC at one point though so I'm in the ballpark form wise.

Here are my last successful workouts for the big lifts:
Bench Press: 240LBx5x3
Press: 137.5LBx5x3
Deadlift: 370LBx5x1 (Then 1 back off set after)
High Bar Squat: 265LBx5x3
Low Bar Squat (before injury): 290LBx5x3

Here is the reason why I think I'm nearing the end:
BP: Last workout I just stalled for the first time 242.5x5, 242.5x4, 242.5x3 .
Press: This was my weakest lift at the beginning, so I started much lower. I haven't stalled yet here, but It's been hard for a while and I'm guessing it will be coming in the next 10-15 LB.
DL: I've been adding 10lb once a week for a while, and last week I added only 5lb for the first time. Even with this, my last 2 reps weren't great. I did complete my last rep successfully but it looked like complete crap. The other thing is that for the first time ever, I was really sore for days after DL.
SQ: LBBS at ~260LB started giving me serious brachialis and shoulder issues that grip changes didn't help. I got up to 290LB before it was unbearable. Reset to 260 to work on form, got back to 285LB but pain was still there. So started HBBS. Thats been progressing great and I just completed 265LB. Everything is great but my knees, which started to become unhappy at 260LB. I think it might be fixed with an IT band release, which I will try to get done soon. If I assume HBBS is typically 10% less than LBBS, it looks like I'm finally progressing on the squat again. my last 2 reps of it yesterday were barely completed though.

All the numbers look like they are nearing typical end of novice numbers, except squat. I was really hoping to hit 3 plates, but I'm not sure thats happening with all the problems its causing me.

Does this sound like the typical signs of nearing the end? I will obviously still go through the steps outlined in the book on advance novice (1 reset, then backoff sets or switching to 5x3). I'm looking forward to slowing down the constant 90%+ intensity with intermediate programming, as all my joints have been feeling it.

Thanks in advance for your opinions

[John Hanley]

Thanks in advance for your opinions

This is not the end; this is not the beginning of the end; this is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

[Royce Nichols]

1)Do you wear knee sleeves? Switching to High Bar can definitely piss off the knees more so than low bar, or so I have heard. Anyways, getting a nice pair of sleeves made a big difference for me. For your grip, did you watch the barbell logic podcast with Brett Mckay? He talked about his brachialis pain and how he fixed it.

2) Are you doing a light day in the middle? 80% 2x5?

3) have you been able to see coach santana again? That was who you saw if I remember correctly. I think maybe asking him about programming stuff would be better since he has seen you workout live and knows you better than we do.
4) I think you're getting close to the end but you're not there yet

[timelinex]

1)Do you wear knee sleeves? Switching to High Bar can definitely piss off the knees more so than low bar, or so I have heard. Anyways, getting a nice pair of sleeves made a big difference for me. For your grip, did you watch the barbell logic podcast with Brett Mckay? He talked about his brachialis pain and how he fixed it.

2) Are you doing a light day in the middle? 80% 2x5?

3) have you been able to see coach santana again? That was who you saw if I remember correctly. I think maybe asking him about programming stuff would be better since he has seen you workout live and knows you better than we do.
4) I think you're getting close to the end but you're not there yet

1. I just bought some SBD's the other day and should be getting them tomorrow. I have had shoulder pain since day 1 LBBS 9 months ago (I couldn't even get into the actual position for a while because of flexibility). It was only till I reached 260ish that it went from a constant ache during working out, to not being able to move my arm and some intense pain. I have read all the elbow/shoulder articles, I have watched a ton of videos, and scoured this entire forum for old posts. If there might be a solution I wasn't going to find it at the time anymore, because just stretching killed. So thats why I decided to let everything cool off for a month or 2 and then try playing with the grip again on less pissed off tendons.

2. I have been squatting 2x a week for a while now. I cut out the middle day completely because even with "light" weights it would leave my shoulder/arm in serious pain. Wasn't worth it. Everything else was being effected, including the other squat workouts. Atleast with only 2x a week I would come in a little healed for each workout.

3. I haven't seen him again because I didn't want to go back while injured. During the worst time, I could barely bench and press without serious pain from the arm/shoulder. It started getting exponentially better as soon as I switched to HBBS, but only in the last week or so have I finally been able to bench/press pain free. I think it's time I contact him again for a session.

[Royce Nichols]

Yeah, I would go see him again man. You really gotta get this arm thing figured out. But I would watch that video with Brett Mckay. He said his flared up due to his setup...his coach, Coach Matt Reynolds, pointed it out and told him to do something different. It worked. Now, obviously your situation may be different, but the lesson behind that is to go see a coach and get someone to see you in real time. Get in person coaching for a few sessions. If you can't, try for online coaching...see if Coach Santana does that and y'all get the occasional in person check up. Good luck bro. Sorry for your shoulder pain. That sucks

[Tiburon]

Gain 20 pounds and see what happens

[timelinex]

But I would watch that video with Brett Mckay.

Yea I watched that video. Believe me. I want to LBBS. It feels alot better on the rest of my body. Plus, even though I haven't gotten the hip drive thing on lock yet, it still lets me use alot more weight (and who doesn't love that).

He had a completely different problem. I already do setup the way he now does (Hands on the bar in the correct position first). As far as I can tell my issue is a catch 22 caused by poor flexibility. I carry to much weight with my arms because the wider grip doesn't make a good enough platform. Narrowing my grip makes a better platform but I can't get in the position successfully and even if I do after enough stretching, it kills from over extending my flexibility under load too much. The one hope I have is a thumbs around grip with wrist wraps. I tried it before switching over to HBBS. I could get a much narrower grip (still not too narrow though), but my wrists weren't too happy and ultimately my arm was so inflamed already that everything still hurt. So even if it will be a possible solution, I couldn't possibly know it at the time. I will try again within a few weeks.

I've reached out to Robert and hopefully we can set something up soon.

[skid]

This is not the end; this is not the beginning of the end; this is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Churchill??

[John Hanley]

Churchill??

Who?

He probably stole it from the movie Millennium

[skid]

Made me look it up...

Quote by Winston S. Churchill: “This is not the end, this is not even the begin...”