Sternum discomfort in dips ?

[Steveo31]

Is this due to bad form or weak muscle? It's not a strong pain during the dips, but once I get off and move my arms around, there's a sharp-ish pain at the last 2-3 inches of my sternum.

[supergarr]

youre either going down to deep for your body, or youre not leaning forward enough?

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by supergarr
youre either going down to deep for your body, or youre not leaning forward enough?

bump, 2 good ideas.


also, have you just started doing them? if so, there's another potential. also, perhaps you had a previous sternum injury. i know when i injured mine then dips gave me problems off and on.

[scott_donald]

i have never had a sternum injury how do u injure it... sorry i dont understand it... but i know from amuscle that it is sore...

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by scott_donald
i have never had a sternum injury how do u injure it... sorry i dont understand it... but i know from amuscle that it is sore...

drop 290 on your chest benching and see what happens


haha, but not for me anymore now that i've got my safety spotters to catch it

[scott_donald]

Originally posted by amusclehead
drop 290 on your chest benching and see what happens


haha, but not for me anymore now that i've got my safety spotters to catch it

i droped 230 once a while back and i almost suffoicated the power rack was bought the week after...

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by scott_donald
i droped 230 once a while back and i almost suffoicated the power rack was bought the week after...

funny how more equipment always seems to be purchased right after injuries, eh


after yeras of going w/o a power rack we bought one two days after (when i was free squatting) my knee buckled and i went under the weight and just barely got the bar over my head on the way down

[VandalKing]

the discomfort is the cartilage stretching at the bottom (I used to get that sensation all the time), or perhaps it is the connective tissue between pec and sternum being strained.

Question: do you feel the same sensation when you are the bottom part of a pullover? If so, it could be the cartilage.

I hope this doesn't start a debate about whether or not rib cage expansion is a myth. I know from my experience that it is possible at least to some extent. Dips, pullovers, and yoga have definitely stretched out the cartilage around my sternum. I have heard claims of like 12 inches of expansion, but that is hard to believe. I think mine stretched an inch max. My ribs appear to have expanded much more than an inch, like maybe 4 or 5, but I think a lot of that is intercostal and serratus muscle. Too bad I didn't measure before and after, but I had no real intention of making my ribcage bigger, I just noticed one day in the mirror after about three months that my ribs took up a lot more space in the mirror.

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by VandalKing
the discomfort is the cartilage stretching at the bottom (I used to get that sensation all the time), or perhaps it is the connective tissue between pec and sternum being strained.

Question: do you feel the same sensation when you are the bottom part of a pullover? If so, it could be the cartilage.

don't know about him, but for me the answer would be no, heh.

[Steveo31]

Originally posted by supergarr
youre either going down to deep for your body, or youre not leaning forward enough?

I'll give these two a try. I haven't had a sternum injury, so I'll work on... form, it sounds like.

Thanks guys.

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by Steveo31
I'll give these two a try. I haven't had a sternum injury, so I'll work on... form, it sounds like.

Thanks guys.

yea, no need to go all the way down like you're trying to kiss the ground or something liek that that most do. upper arm more or less parallel to ground is best.

[Douche_Nutz]

I get a slight pain in my collarbone. I broke it over 10 years ago, and I think it's something I should just work through...

[amusclehead]

Originally posted by Douche_Nutz
I get a slight pain in my collarbone. I broke it over 10 years ago, and I think it's something I should just work through...

pain bad.

if i were you i wouldn't be doing dips, if it's paining you, even slightly. overtime i'm willing to bet it will build up and something bad will happen.