T Nation

Left Pectoral Strain

Bodybuilding
#1

Age: 17
Height: 6’2"
Weight: 205
Bench: 275
Squat: 500

I took a week off from lifting because of a sickness. When I returned I decided to max. When I brought the weight down I felt a stinging feeling in my left pec, like I stretched it too far. I still continued my workout. The next day I was really sore. No bruising or anything like that though.

Before my sickness I had decided to widen my grip on the bench, outside the rings and fly my elbows out when benching thinking it would help get more chest involved. I know now you are suppose to bench with your elbows in and the wider your grip the more injury prone your shoulders are.

I took a week off after the max day, but ever since I came back for the last three weeks my bench has been going down (almost 15 pounds) and my left pec feels very fatigued short into my workout. I decided to take a few weeks off.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is happening, what to do, or if I should take a break doing bench.

#2

YEP. A strained muscle wont heal from working out. Switch to back and shoulders for a couple weeks, and ice it. you will be ok. dont bench for a while though. 3 weeks max. you will gain your strength back. Or, you can fuck up your body right now. Its up to you

#3

I had the same thing happen recently. I bench the bar only for 50 continuous reps 2x per week and in 2 weeks it was fine.

#4

Thanks alot. Any advice helps. This winter I got a scholarship for football and I have been trying to get stronger before I report this fall. This whole thing kindof scared me. I can’t afford something real bad to happen.

So you think just take a few weeks off from bench? Also, doing shoulders and stuff won’t aggrivate or slow the recovery time down, will it?

Thanks again.

#5

I’ll add that I took it as a sign that I needed to up my lat training and work on external rotators-Lats, so I could stay tight on the way down and rotators as it could be a sign of an increasing imbalance

#6

So do you guys think that is what it is a strain?

#7

[quote]AmFeX wrote:
So do you guys think that is what it is a strain?[/quote]

mate ive got the same problem!this is the 3rd time ive strained my right pec in in 1half years.this time perhaps my fault i didnt warm up as i should of done.havent had a proper chest workout in 2months now!its a fucking killer!its still fragile now.

#8

So have you ever been to the doctor for it? I just started benching again after a 3 week break. I feel okay now. What things do you do to try and make it better??

#9

I’m going through the same thing. In fact today was my first day back doing any kind of chest exercises since I took a 3 week break. I have no idea what I did for it to hurt unless I didn’t warm up properly.

The strain was both sides of my upper pec, kinda between the upper armpit and the pectoral muscle. I know it wasn’t a tear cause there was no bruises or knots or anything like that, it just got sore as hell the next day to where I couldn’t even do 135.

I’m wondering what I should do as well to help this out and strengten those areas. I’m probably going to wait till next friday before I try and get on the flat bench, still kinda nervous. I hope that I can be back in full force cause I’d hate to be where I was 3 weeks ago doing 405 2-3 times on a good day to just working my chest out.