Pain at Collarbone after Dips

[SwampMonster]

targetting my chest. recently Ive started having a bit of pain in my collarbone. Is there something wrong with my technique or am I weak in the area of some stabilizer muscle? Im taking it easy on this exercise, but id really like to find out what caused this so it wont happen again.

I superset dips with pullups, could fatigues lats contribute to this?

any info appreciated

[974g63awd]

targetting my chest. recently Ive started having a bit of pain in my collarbone. Is there something wrong with my technique or am I weak in the area of some stabilizer muscle? Im taking it easy on this exercise, but id really like to find out what caused this so it wont happen again.

I superset dips with pullups, could fatigues lats contribute to this?

any info appreciated

I have the same problem bro. I do my dips right after DB incline press and once in a while I get a pain around my collar bone. Although when it happens, the pain does not go away for at least a week or so. I have not done dips in about 2 weeks. I am affraid that I might injur myself. Still have no idea why. Are you going strait down or do you go down at an angle?

[dmac]

I'm another one who had the same problem with pain in the collar bone area. It really started when I increased weight to a dip belt, also it was more with chest dips than tri dips.

I hope someone has input on this.

[jakerandolph]

My problem was that I actually tore some of the tissue that connects your pec muscle around your collarbone. I don't know if it is a similar problem to yours, but I'm thinking it could be considering there is so much stress put on your pecs during dips. I ended up going to the doctor and doing some physical therapy. Then I would just have to do some stretches before lifting, such as placing your hands on the sides of the wall at the corner of a room and pushing your chest towards the joint of the wall. Deep tissue massages help to remove all left over the cartilage.

[SwampMonster]

I'm another one who had the same problem with pain in the collar bone area. It really started when I increased weight to a dip belt, also it was more with chest dips than tri dips.

I hope someone has input on this.

exactly the same with me. the pain started when I started being able to add an extra 30+ to the dip belt, and again mostly with chest dips.

My pain goes away in a matter of hours, but obviously comes back when I do dips again. I dont want this to develop into a serious problem, but neither do i want to give up doing dips.

I'll certainly try some extra stretching next time and maybe seperate the pullups and see if fresh lats make a difference

[dexterium]

I had the same problem. You are more than likely developing AC joint injuries. Stop dips, now. They are NOT that important. Super set some more on the bench, do some more skull crushers, db bench press, or push ups even. Just avoid any painful exercises. They are not worth it.

[Dominik]

targetting my chest. recently Ive started having a bit of pain in my collarbone. Is there something wrong with my technique or am I weak in the area of some stabilizer muscle? Im taking it easy on this exercise, but id really like to find out what caused this so it wont happen again.

I superset dips with pullups, could fatigues lats contribute to this?

any info appreciated

Dips can put a lot of pressure on the sternoclavicular joints. This can be a real problem with poor form (I'll explain this) and trying to add too much weight too soon.

One of the keys to dipping safely is not allowing your shoulders to slump which puts more pressure on joints that connect the sternum to the collarbones along with the sternum itself. Keep the shoulders back by pushing the chest out and don't descend on a deflated chest. Breathe properly.

Here are some tips that have worked well for me (dipping 4 plates for reps @ 255 bw) and a list of where injuries can occur:

* don't dip below parallel (until you've got the flexibility)
* breathe in as you descend to avoid lowering yourself on a deflated chest
* keep your chest out and don't slump your shoulders
* lower yourself under control and avoid dipping "to failure"
* take your time increasing the weight and listen to your body (back the weight off or take a break from the exercise if you're experiencing soreness)

Sternum. This involves the cartilage where the ribs connect to the sternum. Everyone experiences this one at some point, especially when starting out. Keep the chest filled with air on the way down, shoulders back, only dipping within the limits of your flexibility (for some this will be to parallel). Ease off the weight or put the exercise on hold if it persists.

Sternoclavicular joints. Pain in the collarbone area, specifically below the neck. Once again, chest filled with air and shoulders back so you're not dipping on a caved in chest which puts more stress on these joints. Go to a safe depth. If there's persistent pain there, back off the weight or drop the exercise for a while.

AC joint. This will feel manifest itself as persistent pain or tenderness in the front delt area. I've experienced it from dipping heavy for long periods without backing off. If you push it too hard a separation can occur. This is a common pressing injury and when it's serious it can put your training on ice for a long time.

Pec tendon. Pain at the front of the armpit. This is where the pec tendon inserts into the humerus. Pain there means "back the f*ck up." Very common on bench but also applies to dips, especially if you train them heavy at low reps. If it feels tender, you need to take a break from heavy pressing involving the chest. If you keep pushing it, the damage could range from a strained pec to a full rupture of the tendon, the latter usually requiring immediate surgery and you could be sidelined for 6 months.

[KingSht]

I had shoulder trouble doing the negative portion of dips. (i.e. going down) So I moved to the rings and started doing only the postive movement using heavy weights and felt much better, keeping the negative portion light weight. Experiment with the positive and negative, treating them as separate lifts.

I don't use weight that I perceive is close to my max and am happy with my physique. You don't need to strain yourself to build a good chest.