chest

**JP1570** · 02-06-2002, 11:07 AM

I think I pulled a muscle in my chest pretty bad. My bench has gone down about 50% and the right side of my chest gets really swollen whenever I work chest. So I stopped doing chest for a while. My ? is, know any good exercises to at least tone my chest that don't really involve pressing anything? Thanks bros.

**KeyMastur** · 02-06-2002, 11:11 AM

bro, you pull a muscle, you lay off it for a while. no if / ands / or buts about it. you'll slow down your recovery time if you keep usin that mucle. REST !

**Ironweb** · 02-06-2002, 11:13 AM

Pec Deck, DB flies, cable crossovers, dips. That would be a pretty good chest workout w/o a lot of pressing.

**JP1570** · 02-06-2002, 12:47 PM

yea, I've tried similar workouts and still get really swollen. Hell, I did 50 pushups for one workout and it was as bad as ever the next day. I will try some cable crossovers though, and maybe some seated dips to make it as light as poss on my chest. I know I should just rest, but I started my first real cycle not long ago and I just have to do chest somehow. Thanks for the advice bros.

**KeyMastur** · 02-06-2002, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by JP1570
I know I should just rest, but I started my first real cycle not long ago and I just have to do chest somehow.

you could always STOP the cycle and start it back up later on depending on how far into it you are. if i tore something, i'd care less about crashing, just as long as i got healthy again. can't do nothin with a limp titty. pushin on it more is just gonna delay the healing process, and hurt it more. but...it's your body, so do with it as you please...

**VEGETA990** · 02-06-2002, 05:50 PM

Training it will just aggravate the inflammation and it will not heal. My advice would be to take a steady dose of Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation, icing it a little bit should also help throughout the day. Take 10 grams of L-glutamine throughout the day too. Also with torn muscles, try to massage it a little bit, maybe some stretching, but be careful.

**JP1570** · 02-06-2002, 08:24 PM

yea, will definitely try that. don't think it's torn though, just a bad pull. you know when you tear a pec. thanks bros

**Fif the Great** · 02-06-2002, 10:20 PM

What part of the pec feels sore or hurts when you put weight on it?

**JP1570** · 02-06-2002, 10:43 PM

Nothing feels sore or hurts at all. My strength is just way down and the right side of my chest gets swollen when I do chest. Interestingy though, when I do traps, I think they're called upright rows, ya know, wrists almost together on ez bar, bring wrists to your chin...I feel kindve stress on the right side of my chest, almost like something is torn. Incidentally, I dont do those for traps anymore. diagnosis doc????

**Fif the Great** · 02-06-2002, 11:21 PM

Well if it hurts during the upright row, it is definitely a pectoralis major injury. The reason it hurts when you are doing the upright row, is because you are bringing your shoulders in (toward the front) to assume the position of the motion (the pecs are the muscle that bring your shoulders in), and with the added strain of the weight you are holding, it causes the pain.

I hate to say this, but swelling can sometimes be a sign of a slight tear in the muscle.

This is quoted from SportsInjuy.com.au:
The first sensation you feel when the pectoralis major muscle is torn is sudden pain felt in the chest or, more commonly, at the front of the armpit. At the same time, you may have a sensation of something tearing. In minor tears, you may be able to continue exercising with minimal hindrance. However, as the muscle cools down following completion of exercise, pain may gradually worsen as bleeding and swelling around the injured muscle takes place.

So you might want to see your physician about it. Not trying to alarm you or anything, but safety and health should be your number one concern.

**JP1570** · 02-07-2002, 01:53 AM

Damn, thanks a lot bro. I was gonna go see doc, but then I decided I'd just suck it up. Hardly any pain at all, just sucks not being able to do chest. Guess I will pay him a visit after all.

**Tobey** · 02-08-2002, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by JP1570
Damn, thanks a lot bro. I was gonna go see doc, but then I decided I'd just suck it up. Hardly any pain at all, just sucks not being able to do chest. Guess I will pay him a visit after all.

Let your doc give you the run down on exactly how bad off your chcest is and exactly what you did to it. Then and only then will you be able to make a educated decisison on weather or not you should train or not. Good luck.
IC