Stretch Marks Come from Bad Form?

[Discipline27]

I was talking to a friend of mine (who is an avid lifter) about some stretch marks that have started to appear between my shoulders and pecs. He was explaining to me that he went to physical therapy when he was younger for a shoulder problem and he had stretch marks in the same places as me. He was told stretch marks were usually a result of improper form and the subsequent straining of the muscle and skin over it. What do you guys think? I thought it was just from a rapid weight gain in the region.

[J- Bizz245]

Originally Posted by nbb316

I was talking to a friend of mine (who is an avid lifter) about some stretch marks that have started to appear between my shoulders and pecs. He was explaining to me that he went to physical therapy when he was younger for a shoulder problem and he had stretch marks in the same places as me. He was told stretch marks were usually a result of improper form and the subsequent straining of the muscle and skin over it. What do you guys think? I thought it was just from a rapid weight gain in the region.

if that were true jus about everyone in my gym would have stretch marks..... a lot of stretch marks. seems plausible but i've never heard it before

[Timepants]

Straining of the skin beyond what it's used to. That's what I've always heard. Not bad form lol

[Discipline27]

Haha good point about the frequent use of bad form. I should have thought about that. Its just weird getting stretch marks in a new place after lifting for 2 years.

[DaBurg3r]

i believe stretch marks come from gaining weight or size faster than your skin can grow to accomodate it.

[tonester]

Originally Posted by DaBurg3r

i believe stretch marks come from gaining weight or size faster than your skin can grow to accomodate it.

That's what I have always been taught. Also the back and forth of weight loss/gain might do it.

[Reach_Yeah]

Bad form is not the reason for stretch marks. Thats laughable. However, maybe bad form could make you more susceptible to stretch marks in different or more areas and/or slightly worse as the strengthening may be focusing on the wrong muscle areas. So basically you'll be targeting an area that shouldn't be targeted, and isn't used to being targeted. Thats my thoughts anyway.

[oryx2500]

Originally Posted by Reach_Yeah

Bad form is not the reason for stretch marks. Thats laughable. However, maybe bad form could make you more susceptible to stretch marks in different or more areas and/or slightly worse as the strengthening may be focusing on the wrong muscle areas. So basically you'll be targeting an area that shouldn't be targeted, and isn't used to being targeted. Thats my thoughts anyway.

I totally agree.

A friend of mine got stretch marks on his biceps, he found some cream for it and apparently it works pretty good. They're still there but not as bad.

I could see the forum thing in a way, if your weight is too heavy and your leaning your arm against your torso causing friction between your arm and chest causing a stretch mark. Maybe.. I could be out to lunch on this tho.. lol

[bonvec01]

Fat people who have never lifted in their life get stretch marks. I don't think it's from bad form.

[oryx2500]

[sincerelyryan]

I actually am in the minority here, but I agree that stretch marks can be caused by bad form and have said this for years.

The catch is that you guys all have to realize that stretch marks vary in severity, thickness, and color. The lighter, more faint stretch marks that people get on their arms, legs, love handles and stomaches (like pregnant women and fat guys, for example) is from quick growth. The deep red and purple stretch marks that are almost 100% found under the armpits is from bad form with heavy weights.

Plenty of people have bad form, but not many people use that bad form to spike 315 lbs. off their chests. Anyone that has those type of stretch marks will tell you that it's like they almost appeared over night... and they practically do. They are the same type of discolored marks that people get when they have dislocated joints.

[oryx2500]

Originally Posted by sincerelyryan

I actually am in the minority here, but I agree that stretch marks can be caused by bad form and have said this for years.

The catch is that you guys all have to realize that stretch marks vary in severity, thickness, and color. The lighter, more faint stretch marks that people get on their arms, legs, love handles and stomaches (like pregnant women and fat guys, for example) is from quick growth. The deep red and purple stretch marks that are almost 100% found under the armpits is from bad form with heavy weights.

Plenty of people have bad form, but not many people use that bad form to spike 315 lbs. off their chests. Anyone that has those type of stretch marks will tell you that it's like they almost appeared over night... and they practically do. They are the same type of discolored marks that people get when they have dislocated joints.

I agree with you there!

[judokamatt]

i think thats the biggest load of horse crap i have ever heard.

stretch marks are caused by the skin being stretched by something behind it trying to get out, wether that be a baby in the uterus or fat in your belly or flabby arms, all the way down to your muscles growing in size thus the skin must adjust to fit the new volume inside it, stretch marks are not caused by improper form long term injurys are caused by improper for LULz jeezz people these days lack a certain amount of common sense

[Muskle]

i have stretch marks in my upper pecs

it is said that they appear if you are fat(lol),and
rapid muscle growth

theres probably plenty more but thats what wikepedia stated

[borcic0]

Originally Posted by oryx2500

LMFAO

[oryx2500]

With improper forum where your arms/legs rub against other parts of your body.

..think about it, if i'm doing bicep curls with so much weight my arm is leaning against my chest, and i'm using my shoulder to get the weight up. My bicep rubs hard against my chest for 3 sets of 8. I would think you can get stretch marks from that. Your skin is also kind of sticky when your all hot and sweaty too.

It's like a hickey, stretch mark on your neck.

Or remember when you were a kid and people would do the 'snack bite' thing on your arm, grab your forearm with both hands and twist in opposite directions. Do this enough it will leave a mark. Same concept with the improper forum. Like a friction stretch mark.

[oryx2500]

Originally Posted by borcic0

LMFAO

glad you liked it

[J_Bo]

Stretch marks don't come from bad form. Good form usually involves getting as much of a stretch as possible, so why would bad for force the skin to be stretched so far that it must tear? Obviously when we lift, we can add inches, litterally inches to our arms and pecs in a couple minutes just from the pump. This type of rapid expansion, along with fast muscle growth are most likely the cause of stretch marks. causing microtears in the skin to accomodate the added size. It would especially make sense with the pump, since the blood is in the muscles, the skin would have less and therefor be less pliable so tougher skin combined with more muscle volume would stretch the skin beyond capacity.

[J_Bo]

Originally Posted by oryx2500

With improper forum where your arms/legs rub against other parts of your body.

..think about it, if i'm doing bicep curls with so much weight my arm is leaning against my chest, and i'm using my shoulder to get the weight up. My bicep rubs hard against my chest for 3 sets of 8. I would think you can get stretch marks from that. Your skin is also kind of sticky when your all hot and sweaty too.

It's like a hickey, stretch mark on your neck.

Or remember when you were a kid and people would do the 'snack bite' thing on your arm, grab your forearm with both hands and twist in opposite directions. Do this enough it will leave a mark. Same concept with the improper forum. Like a friction stretch mark.

sorry, but I REALLY doubt stretch marks are caused by friction. I have a lot of areas that get high friction and they either just get raw or get calloused

[25nj]

Originally Posted by bonvec01

Fat people who have never lifted in their life get stretch marks. I don't think it's from bad form.

Being fat is bad form, so is being pregnant.

[oryx2500]

Hmm, thats the only thing I was thinking about as far is improper forum.

True about the getting raw and calloused part too.

[oryx2500]

Some Info I found:

"The amazing thing about stretch marks is that they're not really caused by the skin "stretching". People associate stretch marks with weight gain or pregnancy and assume that stretch marks are caused by our skin stretching to fit around this new, larger body. The association is so strong that the name 'stretch mark' was given, only further adding to the misperception.
Hormones the Cause
The true cause of stretch marks is hormones. That's right, hormonal influences are the cause. How can I support this fact? Well, when people gain weight, our hormones are produced and metabolized by fat cells. Hormones resemble fat and cholesterol, so when we gain and lose weight it affects the hormones in our body, and also the hormones in our skin.
Able to 'Create' Stretch Marks in the Lab
For example, we have been able to artificially create stretch marks on normal skin simply by applying strong topical corticosteroid creams. And this is without any weight loss or gain on the part of the test subject. The steroids are similar to the hormones in our bodies which cause stretch marks so by applying them to the skin, we are inducing a stretch mark. Proof positive that it's not the 'stretching' of the skin that's causing the stretch mark, as the skin isn't stretching.
Gaining Weight, Pregnancy Changes Hormones
So why do people who gain weight or are pregnant often get stretch marks? During the times we are growing, certainly when women are pregnant, when guys are lifting weights, or growth during puberty, its true that your skin is expanding as your body is expanding. But these life changes are accompanied by a serious change in our hormones and a change in the metabolism in our skin. It is this, not the 'stretching', that is the cause of stretch marks."

[ribpreto]

I had a friend that once weighed around 200 lbs and was at most 5'4" he lost a ton of weight and got stretch marks because of it.

He said he did some physical therapy and lost most of them.

I bet that it does have to do with hormones and weight loss.

[fes09]

Originally Posted by DaBurg3r

i believe stretch marks come from gaining weight or size faster than your skin can grow to accomodate it.

x2...

[Doobalips]

I believe it's when your body grows faster than the elastic fibers in your dermis can handle which stretch to the point of breaking down causing tiny bleeds/tears over a period of time resulting in a stretch mark.

Originally Posted by oryx2500

Some Info I found:

Sure some hormones can play a role, ie stress, just not the way your article relates to them. Infact everything in that article relates to growth..

[SideFX]

Originally Posted by fes09

i believe stretch marks come from gaining weight or size faster than your skin can grow to accomodate it.

This is correct. You do not get stretch marks from "bad form" lol. The stretch marks commonly found in the armpit area simply occur because increased chest size, deltoid size, and arm size all affect the stretch on the skin in that zone which makes it a hot spot for stretch marks so to speak.

[2uantuM]

Cortisol.

[SimilartoMogan]

I think most of you guys have the right idea, but from personal experience I'd say its a combination of the above factors. I have those ugly reddish/pinkish stretch marks in the region where the chest meets my shoulder, kind of just underneath.... if I have my arms down at my sides they are not really visible. But I'm pretty much 100% positive that I got these stretch marks from puberty. As guys when we go through puberty our shoulders and torso become much more broad and in my case, I went from being a 95 lb soaking wet 10th grader into a 155 pound 11th grader(not fat either, I've never done steroids before but if I had to guess, then that's what it would feel like) seemingly overnight once my hormones kicked in and that's when they appeared for me.

Weight training was almost certainly a contributing factor because I went from grade 10 basic phys. ed. to weight training every day the next year and like I said... it almost seemed like I blew up overnight. The combination of teenage hormones making my body grow and the weight training on top of that really made my upper body a lot bigger and I'd bet the farm that that's why guys get stretch marks in that spot. My dad has them in the same spot too and he's a fairly wide-built guy.

And lastly, that area of the body has some of the tightest skin on the whole body when you bring your arms up or back. Try doing a double bi pose and tell me your skin in that area isn't stretched pretty tightly.

[jeepgirl3041x]

"Stretch marks can appear when there is rapid stretching of the skin. They are often associated with the abdominal enlargement of pregnancy. They can be found in children who have become rapidly obese. They may also occur during the rapid growth of puberty in males and females. Striae are most commonly located on the breasts, hips, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, and flank.

Stretch marks appear as parallel streaks of red, thinned, glossy skin that over time become whitish and scarlike in appearance. The stretch marks may be slightly depressed and have a different texture than normal skin.

Striae may also occur as a result of abnormal collagen formation, or a result of medications or chemicals that interfere with collagen formation. They may also be associated with longtime use of cortisone compounds, diabetes, Cushing disease, and post-pregnancy."

As published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and The National Institutes of Health.

[fes09]

Originally Posted by sincerelyryan

I actually am in the minority here, but I agree that stretch marks can be caused by bad form and have said this for years.

The catch is that you guys all have to realize that stretch marks vary in severity, thickness, and color. The lighter, more faint stretch marks that people get on their arms, legs, love handles and stomaches (like pregnant women and fat guys, for example) is from quick growth. The deep red and purple stretch marks that are almost 100% found under the armpits is from bad form with heavy weights.

Plenty of people have bad form, but not many people use that bad form to spike 315 lbs. off their chests. Anyone that has those type of stretch marks will tell you that it's like they almost appeared over night... and they practically do. They are the same type of discolored marks that people get when they have dislocated joints.

can you explain to me what is bad form......i think it is pretty hard to get a bad form doing a bench press IMO