3 weeks in ...Did I just tear my pec?

[Tim Zane]

Finally was excited to start my first cycle other than test (Deca, Dbol, Test) and I just got home from the worst workout. It was a long run (25 years without a serious workout injury), but no more. I was hitting 335 for 6 which is not hard for me, but I just started back into barbell bench this last month. On my 5th rep I heard cracking and popping and my left pec give way like I had no strength. Luckily I had a spotter which I normally don't. He pulled the weight off me. My left pec in the center closer to the shoulder swelled up immediately. I went to the locker room and did not see black and blue like I expected or any discoloration. This was about 45 mins ago now and the swelling has gone down, but it feels like a lump in my chest. It hurts near the outer part to flex and there is slight pain where the pec inserts. I can't imagine with cracking and popping this is just a strain. I'm hoping for only a partial tear. Maybe that's worse than a clean complete tear, I don't know. Who has experience with this and what do you guys think?

Crappiest timing ever. I was so pumped to get huger.

 

[thewizkid]

i'd go to the doctor and get imaging to find out what happened
are you taking anti estrogens?

 

[gungalunga]

The bruising won't happen immediately. If your pec is heavily bruised today, you probably have a pec tear.

 

[Tim Zane]

i'd go to the doctor and get imaging to find out what happened
are you taking anti estrogens?

Yeah. .5 Adx EOD. Why?

 

[Tim Zane]

No bruising today, but painful to move my arm across my chest, obviously. Also hurt to push on the upper outside. Prob go to doctor today and see how bad it is. I'm wondering if it's strictly the muscle that tore. It was like the crunching of ice sound and the giving way was like in multiple quick pops, each one making me weaker.

 

[johnjuanb1]

Ouch! Damn man! Go see a sports doc and see what they say. It sounds like muscle fibers were tearing. If it was a full tear your pec would be in the middle of your chest I believe.

 

[danieltx]

No bruising today, but painful to move my arm across my chest, obviously. Also hurt to push on the upper outside. Prob go to doctor today and see how bad it is. I'm wondering if it's strictly the muscle that tore. It was like the crunching of ice sound and the giving way was like in multiple quick pops, each one making me weaker.

Even if it's strictly the muscle facia that tore, no tendons, you should still have some discoloration.

Get to the doctor if you're remotely serious about getting back to training, nobody here can diagnose this for you.

 

[thewizkid]

Yeah. .5 Adx EOD. Why?

i usually get injuries when my estrogen is too low, when my estrogen is higher i got 0 pains and aches/injuries

 

[muscle96ss]

Bruising can take a few days to a week to come out since especially if the damage is deep. Can you take a bilateral picture of your chest in a flex position as well as with your your arm out to your side. Also can you please point out where the lump is, if it isn't obvious in the pictures?

 

[gungalunga]

No bruising today, but painful to move my arm across my chest, obviously. Also hurt to push on the upper outside. Prob go to doctor today and see how bad it is. I'm wondering if it's strictly the muscle that tore. It was like the crunching of ice sound and the giving way was like in multiple quick pops, each one making me weaker.

I have torn some pec muscle fibers from the insertion point near the front delt before by doing barbell bench presses. The fibers basically balled up near the center of the pec. No bruising, but there was some pain. I took a couple weeks off from chest training, and then found I could do Hammer Strength incline without much pain. I cut way back on weight compared to what I could lift on the HS incline before the fiber tears. I added a little more weight and reps with every workout, and eventually my pec healed itself. I eventually went on to lift more on the HS incline than I ever had before. Haven't done any barbell benching ever since. Sounds like you might have the same kind of injury that I had.

 

[Mike Arnold]

Finally was excited to start my first cycle other than test (Deca, Dbol, Test) and I just got home from the worst workout. It was a long run (25 years without a serious workout injury), but no more. I was hitting 335 for 6 which is not hard for me, but I just started back into barbell bench this last month. On my 5th rep I heard cracking and popping and my left pec give way like I had no strength. Luckily I had a spotter which I normally don't. He pulled the weight off me. My left pec in the center closer to the shoulder swelled up immediately. I went to the locker room and did not see black and blue like I expected or any discoloration. This was about 45 mins ago now and the swelling has gone down, but it feels like a lump in my chest. It hurts near the outer part to flex and there is slight pain where the pec inserts. I can't imagine with cracking and popping this is just a strain. I'm hoping for only a partial tear. Maybe that's worse than a clean complete tear, I don't know. Who has experience with this and what do you guys think?

Crappiest timing ever. I was so pumped to get huger.

99.99% likelihood it's torn (to some degree). Noise (cracking-popping sounds), followed by an immediate loss of strength with the weight crashing to your chest, followed by rapid swelling and a knot/lump (where the muscle likely shortened at the site of injury), are all signs of a tear. Sorry brother.

Get it looked at as soon as possible. Go to a good doctor (and surgeon, if necessary) who understand that it is important for you to regain as much function/appearance as possible. Some doctors will be like "no big deal, it will heal its own" (because they don't understand it's importance to a bodybuilder) and you end up with massive long-term impairment (both visually and functionally). Hopefully, the tendon did not attach at the attachment point and you just tore some fibers, which would be able to healon its own. More severe partial or total tears need good medical care if you hope to regain function/appearance.

 

[Tim Zane]

So I just got out of the doctor and x-rays showed the tendon is normal. Prescribed ice and a follow up visit Friday I'm gonna make an appointment with a specialist tmrw hopefully. Some doctors don't even try to act like they know what they're talking about and that's who I got. Some ancient man who looked super confused but at least acknowledged the swelling.

I'm wondering If I should just quit my cycle cold turkey and go to TRT or keep going being optimistic about recovery. I don't really want to waste what I have left just to pin for a few more weeks...supposed to pin tmrw.

I will take some pics when I get home and post.

 

[muscle96ss]

So I just got out of the doctor and x-rays showed the tendon is normal. Prescribed ice and a follow up visit Friday I'm gonna make an appointment with a specialist tmrw hopefully. Some doctors don't even try to act like they know what they're talking about and that's who I got. Some ancient man who looked super confused but at least acknowledged the swelling.

I'm wondering If I should just quit my cycle cold turkey and go to TRT or keep going being optimistic about recovery. I don't really want to waste what I have left just to pin for a few more weeks...supposed to pin tmrw.

I will take some pics when I get home and post.

Lol, your Dr. is a moron if he thinks the tendon is normal based on an x-ray. X-ray only shows bones, you need an MRI to see the soft tissue.

 

[johnjuanb1]

So I just got out of the doctor and x-rays showed the tendon is normal. Prescribed ice and a follow up visit Friday I'm gonna make an appointment with a specialist tmrw hopefully. Some doctors don't even try to act like they know what they're talking about and that's who I got. Some ancient man who looked super confused but at least acknowledged the swelling.

I'm wondering If I should just quit my cycle cold turkey and go to TRT or keep going being optimistic about recovery. I don't really want to waste what I have left just to pin for a few more weeks...supposed to pin tmrw.

I will take some pics when I get home and post.

I would drop to TRT, add 2ius of HGH. and site administered BPC-157 to speed up the healing. 250mcg BPC-157 twice a day in the wound site works great.
I quit barbell bench and inclined many years ago. I love hammer strength chest equipment. Dorian’s chest was weak until he switched to hammer hammer strength for chest. My chest is better since switching to hammer strength. You can work around the injury with very slow concentrated reps keeping your elbows tucked into the body at all times.

 

[upeccmi]

I've had this happen many times over all the years. The worse was about 20 years ago, inclining 465 for sets of 8 and it went. Never had an MRI but that time it did turn a little yellow so I know I probably partially tore it. It would always heal but that sound stays with you, I learned to stop with the heavy benching and do only Hammer or maybe smith machine now. You probably would get it looked at as there is no way to really know, if you completely tore it, you would know it and would need surgery ASAP.

 

[Tim Zane]

I've had this happen many times over all the years. The worse was about 20 years ago, inclining 465 for sets of 8 and it went. Never had an MRI but that time it did turn a little yellow so I know I probably partially tore it. It would always heal but that sound stays with you, I learned to stop with the heavy benching and do only Hammer or maybe smith machine now. You probably would get it looked at as there is no way to really know, if you completely tore it, you would know it and would need surgery ASAP.

Yes. That sound keeps replaying in my head. It's a nasty sound. makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to bench with intensity again thinking about it. Like strands of a rope breaking.

 

[skyblob]

I had same thing 2 months ago. Felt like if youre tearing some fiber cloth and your chest is relying on one last fiber and if you push again it will completely tear. It looks like a partial tear. I had 2 each side of the pec over 12 years. It happens mostly when I barbell press. I injected 500mcg 2x ED for a month directly where I felt the tear was. Rested and Ice for the first couple days. A week later I started doing cable flies really low weight just to get blood pumping and was really attentive to my body if I felt something was wrong or painful id stop.
Good luck in your recovery !

 

[Dave Perez]

Welcome to the torn pec club...tore mine in 2003 with 405...like you I was lucky I had a spotter....I took a week off and the following Saturday went in and benched with an empty bar....it wasn't until the 50 the rep I was able to touch my chest....ten weeks later I was back to 315 5x5...I still have a nice pump where the tear occured....

 

[skyblob]

Welcome to the torn pec club...tore mine in 2003 with 405...like you I was lucky I had a spotter....I took a week off and the following Saturday went in and benched with an empty bar....it wasn't until the 50 the rep I was able to touch my chest....ten weeks later I was back to 315 5x5...I still have a nice pump where the tear occured....

I mostly blame barbell for my injusries

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Ugh sorry to hear dude. Part of the torn pec club as well.

Tore mine 5 years ago on the 4th rep of 435 on flat bench. Heard a loud pop, right arm dropped and luckily had spotters. Immediate swelling and basically unable to do shiiit with my right arm for weeks/months. Tore some nerves too so im actually numb on part of my right pec. I actually dont blame flat bench or barbell shit too. Mine was a fatigue and "not listening to my body" injury. I had gone weeks with feeling shitty in my shoulders and just overall overuse in my pressing movements. I needed a deload bad and i decided to push hard, my mistake. I flat bench hard and heavy for years (even post 2 reconstructive shoulder surgeries) and was fine. I just think it's standard "chest building" exercise for beginners even though there are better options. I would rather newbies start their lifting careers off with incline bench and dips (building up to weighted dips) if they want big chest development. Thats just my 2 cents.