Pec Tear

I was wondering if anyone has gone through a pec tear. Yesterday morning, on my last set of benching I tore my pec. It was with a relatively heavy weight but one I had killed for 5 the week before. Once I felt the tear, I let the weight down and crawled out from under it. I stopped my lifting, took some naproxen, put ice on it within 10 min and iced it every 2 hours for 15 min for the entire day along with immobilizing it with a sling. It started to burse about 6 hr. later and I do have a divot at the point of the pectoral insertion.

As I write this, I am not sure what I am looking for in regard to responses. All I know is this could be the end of my serious lifting, and I do not think I will be able to come to terms with that. I never realized how mentally depressing a physical injury can be. I have a Doctors appointment at 3:00 so I guess I will know more then.

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get good news from your doc; let us know what s/he says (if you feel like sharing).

[quote]EyeDentist wrote:
Sorry to hear that. Hope you get good news from your doc; let us know what s/he says (if you feel like sharing).[/quote]

I took a quick pic today of the area. Maybe not the best pic but you can see the divot and where the bruising has started. That’s about as far as I can lift my arm right now. My GP said it looks like I will need to go under the knife but it doesn’t look like a complete rupture. He got me in quick to see a orthopedic surgeon in 3 days. It sounds like the quicker you address this the better the outcome. I did get the “You ain’t 21 no more speech” from him but it was a bit tongue in cheek.

I’m not a bonecrusher, but that looks like a surgical injury to me (especially if you plan on resuming your lifting career).

Expedited repair is generally preferred, as it is easier to manipulate tissue prior to the development of healing/scarring. Good luck, and let us know what the orthopod has to say.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

I took a quick pic today of the area. Maybe not the best pic but you can see the divot and where the bruising has started. That’s about as far as I can lift my arm right now. My GP said it looks like I will need to go under the knife but it doesn’t look like a complete rupture. He got me in quick to see a orthopedic surgeon in 3 days. It sounds like the quicker you address this the better the outcome.
[/quote]

It’s generally true that sooner is better in cases such as yours. And based on that pic, it does appear to be a tear. Obviously, the in-person exam will confirm or deny (very very small chance, IMO) this.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I did get the “You ain’t 21 no more speech” from him but it was a bit tongue in cheek.

[/quote]

I’m going to refer to you a thread back from June/July of this year. In that thread, you talked about a strain in the groin region.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_injuries/something_went_while_squatting

Specifically, I’m going to refer you to the comments I made on July 14. In addition to describing in (what I feel) is pretty damn good detail of what your injury may be, I gave some advice which I had hoped you took seriously:

[quote]56x11 wrote:
…let’s face an undeniable truth: at 47, you’re no spring chicken…If you want, give an update and we can from go there. Wrong decisions at this point in your life will absolutely flush you back down into the cumulative injury cycle. [/quote]

Yes, the injury from back in the summer was in the leg and now you have an injury at the pec region.

This leads me to believe that you are either:

  1. One of the unluckiest people that I’ve come across.

OR

  1. You continue to engage in a reckless training methods with little regard for the consequences. The bench, dead, and squat have their place in a strength/conditioning program. However, when an experience lifter continues to injure himself, I strongly suspect that he is not doing what’s necessary to establish and maintain long-term health.

Now, only you really know whether it’s #1 or #2 that applies to you.

If the answer is #1, take the point spread on whatever football (college or NFL) game you feel really good about…then bet the OPPOSITE. This way, at least you can make some $$$ off your horrendous luck.

If the answer is #2, then I am sorry for you. And I only rehash this in hopes that someone else can learn from your cautionary tale.

[quote]56x11 wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

I took a quick pic today of the area. Maybe not the best pic but you can see the divot and where the bruising has started. That’s about as far as I can lift my arm right now. My GP said it looks like I will need to go under the knife but it doesn’t look like a complete rupture. He got me in quick to see a orthopedic surgeon in 3 days. It sounds like the quicker you address this the better the outcome.
[/quote]

It’s generally true that sooner is better in cases such as yours. And based on that pic, it does appear to be a tear. Obviously, the in-person exam will confirm or deny (very very small chance, IMO) this.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I did get the “You ain’t 21 no more speech” from him but it was a bit tongue in cheek.

[/quote]

I’m going to refer to you a thread back from June/July of this year. In that thread, you talked about a strain in the groin region.

Specifically, I’m going to refer you to the comments I made on July 14. In addition to describing in (what I feel) is pretty damn good detail of what your injury may be, I gave some advice which I had hoped you took seriously:

[quote]56x11 wrote:
…let’s face an undeniable truth: at 47, you’re no spring chicken…If you want, give an update and we can from go there. Wrong decisions at this point in your life will absolutely flush you back down into the cumulative injury cycle. [/quote]

Yes, the injury from back in the summer was in the leg and now you have an injury at the pec region.

This leads me to believe that you are either:

  1. One of the unluckiest people that I’ve come across.

OR

  1. You continue to engage in a reckless training methods with little regard for the consequences. The bench, dead, and squat have their place in a strength/conditioning program. However, when an experience lifter continues to injure himself, I strongly suspect that he is not doing what’s necessary to establish and maintain long-term health.

Now, only you really know whether it’s #1 or #2 that applies to you.

If the answer is #1, take the point spread on whatever football (college or NFL) game you feel really good about…then bet the OPPOSITE. This way, at least you can make some $$$ off your horrendous luck.

If the answer is #2, then I am sorry for you. And I only rehash this in hopes that someone else can learn from your cautionary tale. [/quote]

I agree hell if I never touched a weight I’m sure I would never had a groin or pec tear; nothing ventured, nothing gained. Tell me if I’m off base here, and if I am, I apologize now. This is a simple yes or no question. Have you at anytime in your life held 400 lbs in your hands on the bench, dead lifted and squatted over 600 lbs?

Bow season is probably down the shitter…

Sorry to hear that. Best of luck on your rehab. I would suggest anabolics and GH for a quicker healing.

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:
Bow season is probably down the shitter…[/quote]

One word; XBOW!

[quote]niksamaras wrote:
Sorry to hear that. Best of luck on your rehab. I would suggest anabolics and GH for a quicker healing.[/quote]

Thanks Bro! I need to look into the GH thing. Thinking the GHRP-6 may help me recuperate. It will be a long road but I’ll be back!

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:
Bow season is probably down the shitter…[/quote]

One word; XBOW! [/quote]

I don’t even know If could condone an injured man using a xbow! j/k! Good luck!

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

[quote]56x11 wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

I took a quick pic today of the area. Maybe not the best pic but you can see the divot and where the bruising has started. That’s about as far as I can lift my arm right now. My GP said it looks like I will need to go under the knife but it doesn’t look like a complete rupture. He got me in quick to see a orthopedic surgeon in 3 days. It sounds like the quicker you address this the better the outcome.
[/quote]

It’s generally true that sooner is better in cases such as yours. And based on that pic, it does appear to be a tear. Obviously, the in-person exam will confirm or deny (very very small chance, IMO) this.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I did get the “You ain’t 21 no more speech” from him but it was a bit tongue in cheek.

[/quote]

I’m going to refer to you a thread back from June/July of this year. In that thread, you talked about a strain in the groin region.

Specifically, I’m going to refer you to the comments I made on July 14. In addition to describing in (what I feel) is pretty damn good detail of what your injury may be, I gave some advice which I had hoped you took seriously:

[quote]56x11 wrote:
…let’s face an undeniable truth: at 47, you’re no spring chicken…If you want, give an update and we can from go there. Wrong decisions at this point in your life will absolutely flush you back down into the cumulative injury cycle. [/quote]

Yes, the injury from back in the summer was in the leg and now you have an injury at the pec region.

This leads me to believe that you are either:

  1. One of the unluckiest people that I’ve come across.

OR

  1. You continue to engage in a reckless training methods with little regard for the consequences. The bench, dead, and squat have their place in a strength/conditioning program. However, when an experience lifter continues to injure himself, I strongly suspect that he is not doing what’s necessary to establish and maintain long-term health.

Now, only you really know whether it’s #1 or #2 that applies to you.

If the answer is #1, take the point spread on whatever football (college or NFL) game you feel really good about…then bet the OPPOSITE. This way, at least you can make some $$$ off your horrendous luck.

If the answer is #2, then I am sorry for you. And I only rehash this in hopes that someone else can learn from your cautionary tale. [/quote]

I agree hell if I never touched a weight I’m sure I would never had a groin or pec tear; nothing ventured, nothing gained. Tell me if I’m off base here, and if I am, I apologize now. This is a simple yes or no question. Have you at anytime in your life held 400 lbs in your hands on the bench, dead lifted and squatted over 600 lbs? [/quote]

No, no, and no.

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t aggressively pursued the traditional bench since I was freshman in college.

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never went for max weights on the dead or the (traditional) squat.

But if you ever go through my posts on this forum, you’ll quickly find out that I’m NOT nor do I ever plan on being a powerlifter. Therefore, I don’t train for max numbers on those three lifts.

You see, in my youth, I’ve also made the mistake of chasing arbitrary trophies in sports such as the martial arts and rock climbing.

And as the injuries - the trinkets of poor decision making - began to add up, I evolved.

In other words, I do NOT define myself in what I can or cannot do in the bench, dead, or squat.

I see some value in those lifts that can be extrapolated to various situations. However, my formal training in Strength/Conditioning (as well as good old fashioned common sense) tells me that trying to reach PRs in those three lifts has a cost to benefit ratio that I saw little value in - especially for someone who doesn’t compete in the sport.

Does this mean that I’m some punk who lifts those pretty little db’s while standing one-legged on a bosu ball…?

Absolutely not.

If you’re ever in So Cal, pay me a visit. And bring a video camera for posterity. We’ll meet at a local gym of your choosing and if you can EVEN KEEP UP with me in my lifts, you’ll be welcome to gloat as much as you like.

My current weight fluctuates around low 190s. You’re probably in the low to mid 200s. We won’t even adjust the weight for the difference. In other words, you don’t have to handicap me and go on percentages. It’ll be just who moves more weight in a given lift. Simple as that. And you’ll get owned, simple as that.

What myopic people like you fail to see is that there are different expressions of raw strength and power.

What myopic people like you fail to see is that, outside of a powerlifting meet, internet forum, and a few other places, very few people give a rat’s ass…hell, not even the scab off a dead rat’s ass how much they max on those three lifts.

What those with clarity see is that the worst form of hell you can find yourself in is to look back at one’s life with regret.

And who do you think will have more regret in his later years…? The guy who is in pain every single day of his life with the hideous dimple on his pec? Or the guy who can still be active and live pain free…?

And don’t try to sell me on some badge of honor horseshit. The soldier who’ve suffered permanent injuries protecting our country DESERVE such titles. Assholes with warped views of reality who, by not taking simple yet protective in the weight room, only deserve a modicum of pity.

I see them all the time. They sheepishly approach me when no one else is around and tell me about some injury they inflicted on themselves. And you can practically hear the violins as they beg for something - anything - that can make them feel whole again. The genuinely honest ones end the conversation by admitting that they never should have been so foolish.


Make no mistake: I do believe in the adage that a perfectly safe exercise is a perfectly useless exercise. In other words, some risk must be taken each and every time we step into a weight room.

However - AND PAY ATTENTION HERE - that risk must be calculated and respected.

It is abundantly clear that you are not nor will you ever be in this group.

It is also abundantly clear that you are myopic in what you define as strong.

And you’ve shown no evidence in your ability to improve in your chosen endeavor in an intelligent manner.

Like I implied in my earlier post, it’s obvious that any effort at turning you into a smarter lifter is beyond hope.

I am taking the time to spell things out in the hope others who read this will learn from the likes of you.


So, go ahead. Contribute to some otho’s bank account. Contribute to some PT’s bank account. Hell, at this point, they’re probably going to send you Christmas cards.

And once you reach a semblance of healing, look me up if you’re ever in So Cal. Make sure that video camera has a fully charged battery. And just try to keep up with me in the lifts that I care about and pursue.

Because while people like you are getting on and off that absurd merry go round of injury/rehab/injury, people like me are training pain free, injury free, and continuing to make steady progress.

(edited for clarity)

That’s a long post for “NO, NO and NO”

The world is full of your type, few of mine. Keep playing the so so. Here’s the difference between you and I, given a chance to do it all over, God damn right I would. All you have to offer is “Don’t do that”…weak, very weak.

For your record; At the end of April I ran a 10k at a bit over 50 min. and squatted 600 on the same day. Get back to me when you get close.

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:
Bow season is probably down the shitter…[/quote]

One word; XBOW! [/quote]

I don’t even know If could condone an injured man using a xbow! j/k! Good luck![/quote]

Ah, just want to be able to load it for my son, it’s his first year. I’m happy to see him in the woods with a crossbow as opposed to in the living room with an ipod!

BTW, tried to pull the bow back today for the first time, didn’t have an issue. Going to see how they fly tomorrow.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
That’s a long post for “NO, NO and NO”

The world is full of your type, few of mine. Keep playing the so so. Here’s the difference between you and I, given a chance to do it all over, God damn right I would. All you have to offer is “Don’t do that”…weak, very weak.

For your record; At the end of April I ran a 10k at a bit over 50 min. and squatted 600 on the same day. Get back to me when you get close.
[/quote]

Like I said, look me up if you’re ever in So Cal. You pick the gym and we’ll do some lifting. Bring that video camera so you can record just how “weak” I am.

Keep acting like an idiot, keep hurting yourself, and keep posting these pity-party threads after each and every new injury.

It won’t surprise me one bit if you resort to creating ghost accounts by that time.

You see, you dumbest of fucks, my comments were NOT to convert you. You’re already beyond hope.

My comments is that some of those who read this thread will take a step back and think, regardless of their goals, that if they CONTINUE TO GET INJURY AFTER INJURY maybe, just maybe, there’s a better way to reach their goals.

EDIT:

I just had a thought. The entire premise of your sad little argument is that because your numbers in the bench/dead/squat are so magnificent, what I have to say has no value. Furthermore, you assume that because I do not train the bench/dead/squat I won’t excel at it.

Yet another example of stupidity for all the world to see.

Suddenly, those three lifts became just a little more interesting.

Give me a financial incentive and a year to prepare. We’ll have our own one on one powerlifting meet and see who gets the higher total. And you’d better make the money worth my while.

We’ll go with no suits (knee wraps, belt, wrist wraps allowed) and no chemical assistance (we’ll both get tested). If you want to be one of those coward/hypocrites who juice leading up to the event, go off just long enough to piss clean, and then claim natty status, fine by me. I already have zero respect for you so that number can’t get any lower.

If the money is worth it, let’s shoot for a year from now. That should be plenty of time for you to heal (provided your dumb ass doesn’t get hurt again) and for me to train the three lifts.

Won’t be too difficult to modify my training so the gains are specific to those lifts. And guess what…? Due to my overall health, strength base, and knowledge of proper training, the transfer will be seamless.

Just make sure the amount of money is worth my time and trouble. Because this will be winner-take-all.

Do you actually think I cannot own you in the bench/dead/squat if I SO CHOOSE to train for it? You moron. You sad, gimpy moron.

You lost me at NO,NO,NO.

Dlung, sorry to hear about the tear…looks painful.
How much weight we’re you using ?

56x11 seriously ? The guy has a catastrophic injury and is looking for information, not a pissing match.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
You lost me at NO,NO,NO.[/quote]

Riiiiiight. Just because I made a conscious decision to not be a powerlifter means that, now that I’m sufficiently motivated, I won’t own you in the lifts that YOU hold so near and dear.

Don’t cling to what you WERE able to do in the past. That would no be no different than my saying challenging you or anyone else to climb 5.14 JUST because I was able to do so way back in the day.

Like I said, you’re a sad moron if you really think that I won’t put you in your place in your field of battle.

You’re the worst type lifter I see everywhere. Someone who is just accomplished enough to give horrendous advice to impressionable newbies. This is why I’m calling you out as the waste of space you are.

And back in July of this year, before I knew what a self-destructive fool you are, I gave you the benefit of doubt and specifically offered advice regarding your groin injury. I also suggested that you follow up. You blew me off then, went back to your stupid ways, and now have a new injury to add to your pathetic collection of “battle scars.”

Keep acting like an idiot, keep screwing yourself up. Keep telling yourself that these fuck-ups are to prized in your pathetic warped sense of reality.

I’ll be expecting another injury thread on another body part from you within the next six months. That is, unless you create another ghost account.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
That’s a long post for “NO, NO and NO”

The world is full of your type, few of mine. Keep playing the so so. Here’s the difference between you and I, given a chance to do it all over, God damn right I would. All you have to offer is “Don’t do that”…weak, very weak.

For your record; At the end of April I ran a 10k at a bit over 50 min. and squatted 600 on the same day. Get back to me when you get close.
[/quote]

I could do a 10K in my car… =D

Hope you recover quick from the injury/ surgery brother. Just keep your head up. You will be back.

[quote]PKNY wrote:
Dlung, sorry to hear about the tear…looks painful.
How much weight we’re you using ?

56x11 seriously ? The guy has a catastrophic injury and is looking for information, not a pissing match.
[/quote]

Read this thread.

http://tnation.T-Nation.com/...while_squatting

This was back in the summer when this chump OP was talking about a groin injury. If you read my response, I went into detail on what the injury could be. I also offered assistance - at no cost - to go over follow ups via this forum.

He blew me off then, did some more stupid things to his body, and now he’s back. And now he dares to question me because I never matched what he once did on lifts I don’t even train…?

Bench/dead/squat do not interest me enough for me to focus my efforts on them. I never felt the need to compete in powerlifting. I chose to train in ways that I wanted.

And now this OP back peddles from a challenge now that I’m sufficiently ticked off.

No matter what advice anyone gives him, the fool will just go back to his idiotic ways and return here begging for crumbs of help.

Idiots like doublelung are the reasons why the really good posters on the Injury forum post less and less.

Does this OP really think that - if given time to prepare for those lifts - I won’t be able to hold my own…? The hell with him and his injuries. That’s why I issued the challenge. To let this pathetic fool know that - regardless of goals in the weight room - there are correct ways to go about things. I’m willing to put up. Clearly, the OP just needs to shut up.