Sharp Chest Pain after Dips and other Chest/Tri Exercises

[Coinguy89]

When I do a few sets of dips, normally 3 sets of 10 I recieve a sharp pain at the center of my chest, right between both pecs. It almost feels like the bones are grinding into my skin or organs or something odd like that. It is intense and I can feel sometime there after if I try to stretch my chest by extending my arms back. How can I prevent this? Is this serious? I haven't been able to find anything on this at all.

[LiL USMC BBer]

By the sounds of it, Your relatively new to dips.

Or OR its entirely possible your going to low. Do not go below parellel. Make sure your upper arms hit that parellel mark (**** even slightly higher) and then go back up.

By going to low your sternum (breast bone) is very vulnerable to injury. However it can be worked out as well (sounds stupid I know). I had the same problem when I was new to dips.

Also, there was one day where I was dipping my heaviest set bw+135 at the time I weighed 160LB's (that's heavy for me). On my 5th rep I went slightly below parellel. I felt a sharp pop in my sternum and couldn't do anything for about a month. It was hard to breath sometimes. Hard to laugh.

[liftingbuddy1]

By the sounds of it, Your relatively new to dips.

Or OR its entirely possible your going to low. Do not go below parellel. Make sure your upper arms hit that parellel mark (**** even slightly higher) and then go back up.

By going to low your sternum (breast bone) is very vulnerable to injury. However it can be worked out as well (sounds stupid I know). I had the same problem when I was new to dips.

Also, there was one day where I was dipping my heaviest set bw+135 at the time I weighed 160LB's (that's heavy for me). On my 5th rep I went slightly below parellel. I felt a sharp pop in my sternum and couldn't do anything for about a month. It was hard to breath sometimes. Hard to laugh.

Wow, that sounds pretty bad man. But hell, I'd love to Dip (+135) at a BW of 160 lbs. Unfortunately, I already weigh 160 lbs....but no (+135) dip . I think I might've gone too low yesterday too, I had a weird feeling in my chest today, but it seems to be gone now, thankfully.

Mike

[masculeanman]

Check this man:


Originally Posted by Dominik
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.





Peace,
Mike