Left Pectoral strain or tear?

[joe914]

Whats up everyone ... i justed wanted to get your opinions on this ... two weeks ago i was in the gym and i was working on flat BB bench and was going pretty heavy for the first time in a few weeks ... on about my 5th set 2nd rep coming off my chest i felt a slight pop ... i immediately had my spotter help me rack the weight and i stopped my workout ... i didnt feel any pain though ... i went home and iced it down and started to feel soreness ... felt like how a pulled hamstring would feel only in my chest lol if that makes sense .

i took a full week off from training ... and then this week started back and saved my chest workout for friday(today) ... and even today i stayed light ... but as i was benching it felt weird ... no pain just a odd feeling which in turn made me not want to go on really cause i thought if i was to go heavier or give a little too much explosion i mite re-injure myself .

now my questions are is this serious should i be a little more worried than i am right now... should i be looking to get an MRI and see if its torn ... or is this something that i just need maybe a extra week of rest and its common to still feel it 2 weeks after ... i still felt strong even though i didnt put serious weight on me though .

Sorry if this post sounds crazy or confusing ... let me know what think ... it will be greatly appreciated .

thank you

 

[kscowboy]

Its a strain if there isnt any bruising or swelling (Most of the time). It happened to me about a year ago. You need to come back very slow. Take about 3 to 4 weeks to get back to the same weight u were using when it happened. Low weight high reps (15-20 reps). Warm up really good as well and do your reps slow.

 

[joe914]

thanks ... yea there was no bruising or swelling .. just felt slightly warm ... and its been about three weeks ... and as far as getting back into it ... i was thinking for a few weeks maybe using just the hammer strength machines with light weight and maybe using some of my light bands for reistance ...

thank you for the reply ... that put me at ease a little ... searching the web and these boards and reading what symptoms some people had and have gone through made me paranoid lol ... i think i should use this as a wake up call ... as although im making serious strength gains i need to take it a bit slower to adjust to the heavier weight i can push now or next time it could be worse...

 

[Godzilla50]

Work all the other parts till your 100% re-cooped . Don`t keep trying til you reinjure yourself. When the pain starts to interupt your other workouts then go the your DR.

 

[joe914]

thanks ... its feels 100% but i havnt trained it yet ... shoulders didnt* bother it this week ... im going to try push up and hammer strength friday and if i dont feel anything weird ill go thru with a full session and keep the weight low. slow and controlled ... ill keep you guys posted ... thanks again

 

[joe914]

trained chest yesterday... felt good actually ...i kept the weight light no more than 50lbs each side on the hammer strength incline and decline ... but i attached my light bands and add a lil extra and a different feel ... i went extremly slow ... sometimes i felt a little something in my pec but it wasnt pain ... only when it was almost fully stretched ... and it didnt hinder my movement or my strength ... so i figure ill stay with this for a few more weeks and then go by feel and see about adding more weight and etc ...

 

[The Dude]

Sounds like a common strain. I would hope that you use this as a wake up call and STOP BENCH PRESSING! It is a useless movement that has torn more pecs than all other incidents combined. Hammer Strength, Strive, db presses, and dips. If you continue you'll eventually tear the pec and spend years hating yourself.

 

[joe914]

trained chest again yesterday morning ... and it felt even better and i went a little heavier and used my bands again and i felt nothing weird ... had a good pump in my chest and today my chest feels sore like it usually does after a good workout ... next week im going to do a chain workout and still keep the weight low for a few more weeks ... no need to rush and possibly reinjure myself ...