Stop Cycle Because of Injury or Wait It Out??

**LOKITSC** · 04-27-2006, 10:08 AM

BACKGROUND
I'm in week two of a Test E and Anadrol cycle. I've gained about 20lb (most of which is water retention) and I've experienced significant increase in reps in all movements but I'm not going much heavier than I was pre-cyle.

PROBLEM
I was doing bench when I felt what I think is either a muscle tear or bad strain of a chest muscle. I had to stop my work out and I anticipate taking at least a week, maybe two off from training.

I know that people sometimes injure themselves when on juice because they lift too heavy too quickly. However, when I injured myself, I was benching 315, a heavy weight for me but a weight I could bench a couple of reps before I started my cycle. (the shitty part is I can bench 315 six or seven reps and intentionally wasn't going heavier to avoid a f*%* injury like this) I don't have any discoloration in my chest, so I don't think I've torn a muscle or a tendon. There is pain but I do have full mobility. Perhaps it's just a strain?

QUESTION:
Should I stop my cycle and wait for recovery then resume gear use, or should I continue my cycle and just take a week or two off of training?

**2.minutes** · 04-27-2006, 10:13 AM

IMO go to a Dr 1st and see wuts wrong wid dat pain then u can decide to stop or not

**bowie** · 04-27-2006, 10:15 AM

IMO I would stay on cycle and see how you feel after a couple of weeks of NOT training. Sometimes when doing bench you can strain the muscle from the ribcage causing a burning pain for a couple of weeks.

**daem** · 04-27-2006, 10:16 AM

In all likelihood, the gear is going to mask what could be a precursor to a serious injury, so my advice is to abort.

Go light and get your chest back up to 100% naturally because you are less likely to encounter any complications when the gear isn't potentially masking a serious injury.

If it is nothing, in a few weeks you can resume and will have the peace of mind knowing you made the right decision.

Tough choice, but you know what to do!

(ps. If you happened to tear your pec, you wouldn't be doing upper body exercises for 4 months at least!)

**LOKITSC** · 04-27-2006, 10:18 AM

2 Minutes. Going to a Dr. is surely the right thing to do. However, I'm a grad student and don't have medical insurance. Whatever the injury may be, I'm pretty sure the cure is to just wait it out. I'm hoping to take a week or two off and just use light weights for a week or two. Thanks for the advice.

**scerpico22** · 04-27-2006, 10:23 AM

sight soarness/tenderness (specific area when touched) relates more towards tendon or ligament damage.

when the general area is soar/tender it relates more to the muscle itsel.

being that you do not have discoloration you probably did not do any actual muscle damage.

is there any swelling? if not you really do not have too much to worry about.

if there is swelling, you might want to see a doc have an MRI taken, only way to know exactlly what happened.

if nor swelling and no discoloration - IMO stay on the gear give it a 3 - 4 days of rest and re-assess, with light to vigurous movement only - light weight if nothing feels weird then get back to it in a week or so.

if the pain continues...go see the doc.

my $0.02

**daem** · 04-27-2006, 11:08 AM

See, the problem with that is that "feeling ok" while on cycle is going to feel different than being off...

I do not agree with anyone's posts to just take a few days off...It is a waste of your gear.

One of my best friends told me a very similar story to yours (although his cycle was different), took some days off when he felt a tweak, in 1 week resumed heavy lifting, and tore his right pec completely. He was sidelined for 7 months.

You aren't going to be able to feel what is going on until it is too late while on AAS!

**farrebarre** · 04-27-2006, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by daem

You aren't going to be able to feel what is going on until it is too late while on AAS!

i agree with this, i hurt my shoulder while on cycle and i thought nothing of it at first and kept going to the gym and it turned to tendonitis and ive been out of the gym for 10 months now (1 year in june) and its the worst thing ever happening to me in my entire life. IMO go to the doc and then decide to stop or continue, better safe then sorry. good luck bro

**LOKITSC** · 04-27-2006, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by scerpico22

sight soarness/tenderness (specific area when touched) relates more towards tendon or ligament damage.

when the general area is soar/tender it relates more to the muscle itsel.

being that you do not have discoloration you probably did not do any actual muscle damage.

is there any swelling? if not you really do not have too much to worry about.

if there is swelling, you might want to see a doc have an MRI taken, only way to know exactlly what happened.

if nor swelling and no discoloration - IMO stay on the gear give it a 3 - 4 days of rest and re-assess, with light to vigurous movement only - light weight if nothing feels weird then get back to it in a week or so.

if the pain continues...go see the doc.

my $0.02

That is a great reply, especially the information regarding discoloration and swelling. I'm actually feeling a little better about the injury. There is no discoloration, no swelling, and the pain is in the pec. I've seen guys tear muscle and it's pretty ugly, so I think it's not torn. Also, the muscle itself is sore, so I don't think it's a tendon.

I'm going to keep lifting on other muscle groups and stay away from movements involving the chest for a week and re-evaluate, per your recommendation. I've been taking an anti-inflamatory which should help. Also, I'm hoping the gear will expedite the recovery. I'll take your advice and just stay light on the bench for a couple of weeks.

The bitch of it is, one of the reasons I was taking Anadrol was for the strength gains in the bench. I've had a hard time pushing through the 400 lb mark. Hoping it'll still happen this cycle, if i can just stay healthy.

thanks for all the info, great reply !!

**Steel_Test** · 04-27-2006, 12:20 PM

Stay on your cycle and train your injured area in moderation. GO LIGHT.

**scerpico22** · 04-27-2006, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by LOKITSC

That is a great reply, especially the information regarding discoloration and swelling. I'm actually feeling a little better about the injury. There is no discoloration, no swelling, and the pain is in the pec. I've seen guys tear muscle and it's pretty ugly, so I think it's not torn. Also, the muscle itself is sore, so I don't think it's a tendon.

I'm going to keep lifting on other muscle groups and stay away from movements involving the chest for a week and re-evaluate, per your recommendation. I've been taking an anti-inflamatory which should help. Also, I'm hoping the gear will expedite the recovery. I'll take your advice and just stay light on the bench for a couple of weeks.

The bitch of it is, one of the reasons I was taking Anadrol was for the strength gains in the bench. I've had a hard time pushing through the 400 lb mark. Hoping it'll still happen this cycle, if i can just stay healthy.

thanks for all the info, great reply !!

what the other guys are saying about the gear "masking" injury is very true. this can happen.

but this is why i went into a lot of detail in assessing the area in which you fell discomfort.

again, you need to pay very close attention to this if you decide to stay on the gear and re-assess this in a few ways as i detailed in my previous reply.

i am not a doc but know a bit about injuries when it pertains to sports and or lifting.

also - the ONLY way to truly know whats up inside is to have an MRI done...but leave it for a few days and see whats up.

good luck bro.