Consistent Pec Strain

[Deleted member 106824]

Ever since I strained my right pec from incline benching 2 years ago it has never been the same. However, now the problem is on both sides and it does not seem to be caused by any pressing, but rather from a pulling on the arm in a downward or crossover motion.

Despite numerous back issues from deadlifts, this pec issue is actually the reason I haven't done deadlifts in almost a year. The weight pulling down on my pec causes a very painful deep strain to the pec. Originally on just the right side but now on the left too.

Not sure how else to describe it. Today playing football I caught the ball and someone tried ripping it out of my hands and I used to left arm to squeeze the ball against my chest and it happened again. Another example was sitting down and my laptop fell on my left side. I reached over with my right arm and pushed it against the chair to the side of me to prevent it from hitting the floor (so to the side and behind me) and again that crazy intense pec strain feeling.

Anyone have any idea what this is? It originally got bad from the deadlifts but now after not doing them for almost a year it's still happening in these weird situations. I am going to be taking 2 weeks off from the gym starting this weekend, but unlike some other nagging injuries this one does not seem like it would go away honestly.

Lastly, originally it seems just at the shoulder insertion area (maybe pec minor), and that's still how it is if pulling down like in a deadlift, but when it happens from my arm crossing over it's really the whole pec.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[3BILLS]

Could also be the long head of your bicep were it attaches to your shoulder

 

[ajdos]

Could also be the long head of your bicep were it attaches to your shoulder

Or pec minor since it attaches to the scapula. I had the same feeling a couple times on deads.

 

[Deleted member 106824]

Could also be the long head of your bicep were it attaches to your shoulder

But I'm feeling the strain entirely in my pec, and as mentioned it started in just the left but is now on both sides from that downward pulling or crossover pushing.

 

[Lene28]

I had something similar and it turned out to be my lat/trap/upper back wasn't firing correctly. Saw an MAT guy to get it fixed.

 

[3BILLS]

But I'm feeling the strain entirely in my pec, and as mentioned it started in just the left but is now on both sides from that downward pulling or crossover pushing.

I tore the long head last year. The only thing that bothered me was chest tightness right by my arm pit . Just a suggestion

 

[Floxedone]

It could be many things

1. Adhesion in one group of muscle fibers (this type would cause a "strain"/painful feeling even when performing an isolated contraction like bench/decline/incline.

2. Adhesion between to overlapping muscles, this may be fine on isolated contractions but feel "strained" when going though a greater range of motion movement.

3.Tendonosis, non-inflammatory tendonopathy where healthy type 1 collagen is replaced with inferior type 3.

3. Tendonitis, tendon inflammation that causes pain.

To see what it is, do an isometric contraction pushing against a wall and see where you feel the strain/tug/pull.

Push on the tendons and see if they feel lumpy and hard (tendenosis), hot and sore (tendonitis) or supple and painless.

The Isometric contraction may cause the muscles to twitch were an adhesion is.

Feel around the muscle bellies until you find an adhesion.

Take grape seed extract, msm, bromelien, vitamin C.

Try Cold laser treatment

See and ART chiropractor to see for sure what the issue is.

Good luck.

 

[GS]

The first time i tore my shoulder insertion the area from the outer pec that went to my delt area it was doing bench presses i felt a bad burn .So genius me just done cable crossovers 3x20 to work out the kinks 3 weeks later i entered a bench press contest it was hurting pretty bad i put liquid heet on it to the point i used a half a bottle on the pec area then i used wrist tape tightly around the pec and shoulder(i know it was illegal) after that i put on my denim bench shirt .
I hit my first attempt of 505lbs and just as i reached it back into the rack i felt the most sickening pop .My goal at the meet was 550 at 198class but without my coaches advice i pulled my second and third attempt for oe second place was 405 pounds so i knew i would place first.
I took off my shit and my whole pec and shoulder area was black and blue and even ice i couldn't eat dinner with that side.I went to a DR and he was clueless he said the steroids had made my pecs increase so much in size it tore the muscle(lol) went to a knowledgeable Physical therapists who also powerlifted and between ultrasound and deep tissue massage and ice and heat 4 weeks later i started with a 45 pound bar(lol)
After 6 weeks was back to myself so i went up to the 220 class inclines didn't hurt or anything but when i benched heavy i would squeeze the bar as hard as i could and felt tears on the opposite side but since i had 6 weeks we done the same protocol as before and i was 80% full strength and hit a first for me a 600 pound bench at the nationals missed 625 but was satisfied. Every time i benched i would tear which they said where micro-tears and one year later i hit 630 pr and missed 660 which in 1997 was a all time record.It just got to the point it wasn't worth tearing my pec or insertions anymore so i took 1 year off and went into bodybuilding i still don't mess with the bench but incline barbells or flat dumbells doesn't affect me Nor cable crossovers but decline bench especially when my ego gets out of hand i end up back to the PT .
iF DEADS HURT YOU DON'T DO THEM OR ANY TYPE OF EXERCISE JUST REPLACE THEM WITH ANOTHER .
If one pec injury extends to another it is because you are over compensating the weak area.
Just be smart and listen to your gut unlike me but i was lucky i didn't mane myself for being stupid

 

[Roxi30mg]

That happened to me 3 times. I was inclining 340 on my 3rd rep I felt some snapping in my upper right peck toward my shoulder. It sucks in deed, everytime I thought it healed it happened again. The second time it happened was doing close grip bench press on the smith, I move a little to get in position while 225 was unracked and snap again! 3 months ago, 340 on incline, on 3rd rep..snap snap. Again. Now I've taken more time for healing, but it sucks ass. My grip is very wide, I touch my chest and go all the way up, real reps, but now I cant anymore. I learned my lesson.

 

[Cerberus777]

PMed you.

 

[Mini Truck]

Pumped,

Something to consider.
Repetitive motions/exercises week after week will cause injuries.

I know you don't change exercises on a regular basis. This may be the cause.

I've seen it happen to many lifters over the years.
When you load a muscle, constantly from the same angle, eventually the muscle itself and all the connective tissue becomes a weak link in the chain.

Variety is the key to longevity in this sport.

-MT

 

[Deleted member 106824]

Or pec minor since it attaches to the scapula. I had the same feeling a couple times on deads.

Given how the pec minor inserts this is what I was thinking too. Did you ever find a solution? It happens every time I deadlift heavy.

I had something similar and it turned out to be my lat/trap/upper back wasn't firing correctly. Saw an MAT guy to get it fixed.

How exactly did it get fixed? and do you know how that could lead to pain in your pecs?

I tore the long head last year. The only thing that bothered me was chest tightness right by my arm pit . Just a suggestion

The chest tightness was occurring beforehand and then you tore the long head of your bicep?

The first time i tore my shoulder insertion the area from the outer pec that went to my delt area it was doing bench presses i felt a bad burn .So genius me just done cable crossovers 3x20 to work out the kinks 3 weeks later i entered a bench press contest it was hurting pretty bad i put liquid heet on it to the point i used a half a bottle on the pec area then i used wrist tape tightly around the pec and shoulder(i know it was illegal) after that i put on my denim bench shirt .
I hit my first attempt of 505lbs and just as i reached it back into the rack i felt the most sickening pop .My goal at the meet was 550 at 198class but without my coaches advice i pulled my second and third attempt for oe second place was 405 pounds so i knew i would place first.
I took off my shit and my whole pec and shoulder area was black and blue and even ice i couldn't eat dinner with that side.I went to a DR and he was clueless he said the steroids had made my pecs increase so much in size it tore the muscle(lol) went to a knowledgeable Physical therapists who also powerlifted and between ultrasound and deep tissue massage and ice and heat 4 weeks later i started with a 45 pound bar(lol)
After 6 weeks was back to myself so i went up to the 220 class inclines didn't hurt or anything but when i benched heavy i would squeeze the bar as hard as i could and felt tears on the opposite side but since i had 6 weeks we done the same protocol as before and i was 80% full strength and hit a first for me a 600 pound bench at the nationals missed 625 but was satisfied. Every time i benched i would tear which they said where micro-tears and one year later i hit 630 pr and missed 660 which in 1997 was a all time record.It just got to the point it wasn't worth tearing my pec or insertions anymore so i took 1 year off and went into bodybuilding i still don't mess with the bench but incline barbells or flat dumbells doesn't affect me Nor cable crossovers but decline bench especially when my ego gets out of hand i end up back to the PT .
iF DEADS HURT YOU DON'T DO THEM OR ANY TYPE OF EXERCISE JUST REPLACE THEM WITH ANOTHER .
If one pec injury extends to another it is because you are over compensating the weak area.
Just be smart and listen to your gut unlike me but i was lucky i didn't mane myself for being stupid

Deadlifts were always my best lift, so I really wanted to include them again after not doing them for a year, but maybe it is best to find a replacement. It was probably even worse with my sumo deads since I had my arms close together so they were pulls down and inward even more.

My new routine is supposed to have deadlifts and dips, both of which seem like a bad idea. Sounds like decline bench caused you issues as well though. Anybody have ideas for a good dip and good deadlift replacement in the new routine?

This is the routine I was planning on switching to after my 2 week break for the record Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version pretty popular one.

That happened to me 3 times. I was inclining 340 on my 3rd rep I felt some snapping in my upper right peck toward my shoulder. It sucks in deed, everytime I thought it healed it happened again. The second time it happened was doing close grip bench press on the smith, I move a little to get in position while 225 was unracked and snap again! 3 months ago, 340 on incline, on 3rd rep..snap snap. Again. Now I've taken more time for healing, but it sucks ass. My grip is very wide, I touch my chest and go all the way up, real reps, but now I cant anymore. I learned my lesson.

Yup. Although it sounds like yours was more of a sudden snap? Mine was more gradual, I would start the set and it would feel a little shitty, then each rep was worse and worse and I was a dumbass and kept pushing until I couldn't take it anymore and then stopped, but then it would be messed up even longer.

I have found close grip bench is still OK with me, or preferably with a towel wrapped around it or a close grip board press to limit the bottom ROM a bit.

Still though that makes sense because it's during the movement. What's even worse now is the pull it's causing during deadlifts.

Another thing I don't get is it originally hurt in spring of 2012. Well in 2013 I was incline benching and deadlifting PRs. Then around last April is when it started being a problem again for deadlifts but not incline bench, and then last summer it was a problem with incline bench again. It seems like they might be separate issues but the deadlifting and crossover one is a little more concerning to me because of how it feels, like the pec is contracting very hard and bunching up.

Pumped,

Something to consider.
Repetitive motions/exercises week after week will cause injuries.

I know you don't change exercises on a regular basis. This may be the cause.

I've seen it happen to many lifters over the years.
When you load a muscle, constantly from the same angle, eventually the muscle itself and all the connective tissue becomes a weak link in the chain.

Variety is the key to longevity in this sport.

-MT

Hey MT, thanks for chiming in. Any suggestions in particular? Do you rarely ever do the same exercises? After 8 years it just seems like the only way I make true progress in muscle size is to get stronger in the core movements, which is why I don't switch them that often because I'm doing most of them and don't want to switch to less effective exercises that won't yield true muscle gains.


Thanks

 

[Deleted member 106824]

It could be many things

1. Adhesion in one group of muscle fibers (this type would cause a "strain"/painful feeling even when performing an isolated contraction like bench/decline/incline.

2. Adhesion between to overlapping muscles, this may be fine on isolated contractions but feel "strained" when going though a greater range of motion movement.

3.Tendonosis, non-inflammatory tendonopathy where healthy type 1 collagen is replaced with inferior type 3.

3. Tendonitis, tendon inflammation that causes pain.

To see what it is, do an isometric contraction pushing against a wall and see where you feel the strain/tug/pull.

Push on the tendons and see if they feel lumpy and hard (tendenosis), hot and sore (tendonitis) or supple and painless.

The Isometric contraction may cause the muscles to twitch were an adhesion is.

Feel around the muscle bellies until you find an adhesion.

Take grape seed extract, msm, bromelien, vitamin C.

Try Cold laser treatment

See and ART chiropractor to see for sure what the issue is.

Good luck.

I do think seeing an ART specialist would be helpful. Pretty pricey but maybe worth it given how it's been feeling.

I just did the isometric contraction against the wall....honestly not really feeling any pain. It's more so when there is either a strong tug downwards like in the deadlift or if I have to do a crossover and push against the opposite side. Left side is still slightly sore from yesterday but not too much.

I will say this though, when I massage my pecs on the outside you can see it ripple across and contract to the inside, and vice versa. Like a little wave and I will feel it on the opposite side of the pec. I have no idea what this is.

I had gyno surgery back in January if that's at all related but this issue has been going on well before that.

 

[ajdos]

Originally Posted by ajdos View Post
Or pec minor since it attaches to the scapula. I had the same feeling a couple times on deads.
Given how the pec minor inserts this is what I was thinking too. Did you ever find a solution? It happens every time I deadlift heavy.

Mine was never serious enough to cause problems, but I would feel it on the first good heavy sets of deeds, considering the chest and back work antagonistically I chalked it up to scar tissue that was binding.
ART therapy has helped me the most over the years with things like that.

 

[Mini Truck]

Pumped,

The tool box is overflowing with tons of great compound movements for every single body part.

Take back for example.

DB Rows, BB Rows, BB Rows on Smith, Reverse Grip Rows, T-Bar Rows, Meadows Rows, Cable Rows, etc.

You may have you favs, I do too, but does one variation produce more results in strength and size than another? I think not. They all will produce what you desire.

Dead Lifts vs Sumo Deads vs Rack Pulls vs Weighted Hypers......same thing.

Chins or any variety of lat pulls, same thing.

Now add in some chains or heavy bands to change the work load.

My point is this.
The same exercise done in the same order week in and week out is simply not taking advantage of maximum growth factors.

Plus the repetitive nature of the same exercise will ultimately result in some form of injury. Could just be a nagging injury or could be worse.

Compound movements are the bulk of my workouts, but they are constantly changing. Your goal should be to be strong in all of them, not just a select few.

-MT

Given how the pec minor inserts this is what I was thinking too. Did you ever find a solution? It happens every time I deadlift heavy.



How exactly did it get fixed? and do you know how that could lead to pain in your pecs?



The chest tightness was occurring beforehand and then you tore the long head of your bicep?



Deadlifts were always my best lift, so I really wanted to include them again after not doing them for a year, but maybe it is best to find a replacement. It was probably even worse with my sumo deads since I had my arms close together so they were pulls down and inward even more.

My new routine is supposed to have deadlifts and dips, both of which seem like a bad idea. Sounds like decline bench caused you issues as well though. Anybody have ideas for a good dip and good deadlift replacement in the new routine?

This is the routine I was planning on switching to after my 2 week break for the record Bill Starr 5x5 - Madcow Intermediate or Linear Version pretty popular one.



Yup. Although it sounds like yours was more of a sudden snap? Mine was more gradual, I would start the set and it would feel a little shitty, then each rep was worse and worse and I was a dumbass and kept pushing until I couldn't take it anymore and then stopped, but then it would be messed up even longer.

I have found close grip bench is still OK with me, or preferably with a towel wrapped around it or a close grip board press to limit the bottom ROM a bit.

Still though that makes sense because it's during the movement. What's even worse now is the pull it's causing during deadlifts.

Another thing I don't get is it originally hurt in spring of 2012. Well in 2013 I was incline benching and deadlifting PRs. Then around last April is when it started being a problem again for deadlifts but not incline bench, and then last summer it was a problem with incline bench again. It seems like they might be separate issues but the deadlifting and crossover one is a little more concerning to me because of how it feels, like the pec is contracting very hard and bunching up.




Hey MT, thanks for chiming in. Any suggestions in particular? Do you rarely ever do the same exercises? After 8 years it just seems like the only way I make true progress in muscle size is to get stronger in the core movements, which is why I don't switch them that often because I'm doing most of them and don't want to switch to less effective exercises that won't yield true muscle gains.


Thanks

 

[Cerberus777]

I do think seeing an ART specialist would be helpful. Pretty pricey but maybe worth it given how it's been feeling.

I just did the isometric contraction against the wall....honestly not really feeling any pain. It's more so when there is either a strong tug downwards like in the deadlift or if I have to do a crossover and push against the opposite side. Left side is still slightly sore from yesterday but not too much.

I will say this though, when I massage my pecs on the outside you can see it ripple across and contract to the inside, and vice versa. Like a little wave and I will feel it on the opposite side of the pec. I have no idea what this is.

I had gyno surgery back in January if that's at all related but this issue has been going on well before that.

Sounds like nerve issues if you can push on
The muscle and it contract like that.

 

[Deleted member 106824]

Sounds like nerve issues if you can push on
The muscle and it contract like that.

Nerve issues on both pecs? I'm not even sure how this happened. Does that help to explain the bunching up feeling at all though or the insertion area cramping with the downward tugging?

Today was my last 'pushing' workout before the 2 week break. Luckily no injury, but the left side definitely felt tight.

Shoulder press and Incline DB Bench were both down significantly unfortunately not sure if that's from the pec being messed up or just from cutting and coming off cycle. My pushdowns after those two hit a PR oddly enough. That's when the left pec strain was the most noticeable today, going down more so than pushing out.

Did John Meadows' DB Twist & Press later in the workout today, only going up to 60lb dumbbells for sets of 15. Felt fine. No noticeably pec issue. Then again incline benching the 100's for 15 felt fine earlier too lol it's mostly the downward and crossed angles.

 

[TheDeceiver]

I tore my pec three time's in the muscle not at the attachment. I bled on the inside of the pec and also ran down the arm. My pressing has never been the same.

 

[Deleted member 106824]

I tore my pec three time's in the muscle not at the attachment. I bled on the inside of the pec and also ran down the arm. My pressing has never been the same.

So in the center? My left side is still a little tender from Friday but luckily no injury occurred.

I'm going to call 2 local A.R.T. places and see what their prices are like, maybe an MRI and a few A.R.T. sessions could help me out because these nagging injuries are starting to hold me back significantly.

 

[tren_plz]

The possibilities are endless. Why not go see a specialist?