My pec tear comeback: the year in pictures

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:46 PM

Thought I'd make this thread as it might be good for those who have injuries and trying to come back from them.

As many of you may or may not know, on February 25th last year I tore my right pectoral bench pressing. Long story short, the ER doc thought it was a strain, a week later I realized there was a deformity so I went to an orthopedic, he thought it was only partially torn, but an MRI revealed that I had fully torn the sternal head of my pectoral at the muscle:tendon junction. My surgeon, Dr. Michael Corcoran of Oak Orthopedics told me the chances the surgery would work were not good due to the fact that much of my tear was actually IN the muscle tissue itself and the surgery "is like trying to sew hamburger back together." I asked him to try the surgery anyway as I would rather try and have it not work, than not try at all and be left with a big deformity in my pec the rest of my life. I had surgery to repair it 1 year ago on March 14, 2008.

If you want more info you can see the first part of my 3 part article about the injury here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layn...comeback_1.htm

This is the year in pictures, please wait til I finish posting all the pics before posting in the thread, I'd like it to move smoothly & not be interrupted by posts between pictures, thanks.

The first set are pictures of my tear about a week after it happened, you can see the lower part of my right pec is caved in. You can clearly see in the 3rd shot where the pec doesn't lift up, it just sags when my arms are above my head

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:48 PM

Here is me before surgery 1 year ago. I wasn't really nervous at all. Something told me it would work, I'm not sure why but I was convinced it would work, and if it didn't I was still determined to find a way to overcome the ordeal.

When the surgeon walked in I said "You got your game face on doc?"

He said "Yup, let's do this"

my kind of guy

when I woke up out of surgery it took me all of 3 seconds to regain my bearings and ask "HOW DID IT GO!" They told me it went better than they could have possible expected. I smiled and thought "that's all I needed to hear"

It was ON! after that point. Apparently I was groggy enough that Isabel told me I kept repeating the same thing to the nurse 5 times in a row LOL

Can you guess which pics are pre op and which are post op? LOL

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:49 PM

I'll tell you what, those first few days after surgery felt like hell. I've never been stabbed but I gotta imagine that's what it feels like. I had surgery on a friday and by monday I was feeling much better. My arm was cuffed to my side so I couldn't move it. A regular sling wouldn't work for me because they didn't want me to move my arm away from my side, they were afraid hardly any stretching of the pec could re tear it.

By monday after the surgery I was getting antsy though. I asked them if I could do some light leg extensions or ride the bike, they said only if I did not jar my upper body. So I was on that **** like white on rice!

4 days after surgery

as you can see I had to cut the sides out of my shirts because of how big the brace was and the fact I couldn't get my arm high enough to put one on anyway

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:49 PM

10 days after surgery I got the bandages removed and got to see the incision, in the words of my wife "it looked like a buttcrack!"

It felt so good to get those bandages off and actually TAKE A SHOWER rather than a sponge bath

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:50 PM

about 3-4 weeks into it I talked with the talk and he cleared me to do single leg presses but being VERY cautious

At this point I said f*** it. I'm going to work legs 3x/week with safe exercises and just do as much as I can to blow my legs up in the next 6 months. Might as well look at it as an advantage to bring my legs up!

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:51 PM

5-6 weeks after surgery doing single arm smith machine squats

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:53 PM

Finally after 6.5 weeks after surgery I got to take the friggin' brace off, god I had grown to hate that thing! That night I got home I got a chance to see what damage had been done. There was some atrophy, but I thought I did a decent job of staving it off.

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 01:54 PM

It was so hard to move my right arm at first, nothing like having it cuffed to your side for 6+ weeks to make it stiff as hell. It took me about a week before I could get my arm above my head and months before it felt normal and still today my AC joint is slightly more stiff on that side.

So the brace was off, but I was still squatting with 1 arm just to be safe

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:10 PM

Approx 3 months post-surgery

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:13 PM

Impromptu posing outside... that just happened to include briefs LOL

4 months post surgery

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:14 PM

5 months post op, really starting to feel like I added size to my legs... sure enough they were almost a full 3/4" bigger than before I had surgery

At this point you can also see my chest starting to even out as well

Ever try to get a competitive bodybuilder into their posing trunks in the offseason... ooh man that took some doing LOL

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:16 PM

6 months post pec tear in the gym. My first mini-pump since the surgery

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:17 PM

Me working out in november, 8 months post surgery! back up to 230

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:20 PM

On vacation in florida in December, 9 months post surgery!

with my wife and then my dog at the doggie beach in St. Pete

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:23 PM

And finally, 11 months to the day post surgery here's me participating in the deadlift and squat portion of a powerlifting meet, a long time goal of mine,

I actually set a raw record in their organization for deadlift in the 220 lb class. 645 lbs in the 220 class and I weighed in at 215 (cut weight a bit to make sure I made 220 class), 3x my bodyweight and hit a PR squat of 520

Not bad for a guy who was told he wouldn't make it back by quite a few individuals.

Hopefully will snap some pics this week so you guys can see some 1 year out pics

here are some vids from the meet

[/quote]

**Coke_Zero** · 03-16-2009, 02:23 PM

Good job on staying motivated during the injury. You are looking strong.

There was a guy in the board who ripped a pec a while back just before he planned to compete (haven't seen him in a while). I hope he see's this to try and keep him going during the injury.

Keep it up.

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:24 PM

Tonight I'll post some lifting pics of 1 year post op!

I have another 16 months before I make my first appearance on the pro natural bodybuilding stage, I plan to make everyday between now and then count!

**TySJI** · 03-16-2009, 02:24 PM

Grats on your comeback and the successful surgery.

If you don't mind me asking, did the tear come near the (would be) failing rep or on it? Do you remember what rep range the weight you were using was in? Just curious about how to prevent these sorts of things.

**Zenan** · 03-16-2009, 02:25 PM

We are not worthy..

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by TySJI

Grats on your comeback and the successful surgery.

If you don't mind me asking, did the tear come near the (would be) failing rep or on it? Do you remember what rep range the weight you were using was in? Just curious about how to prevent these sorts of things.

I was doing singles, but it was weight I had done before. But tears can happen damn near anytime. My surgeon told me a lot of stories. Sometimes **** just happens. He said one of the Bear's players he operated on tore his bicep going up to catch a pass. I asked him about it and he said they keep track of wind mph, field temperature, barometric pressure, all kinds of different variables and he said usually there is no rhyme or reason... **** just happens.

I say this because people always will look at someone who tears their pec and say "oh he was using bad form" or "he wasn't doing it right" etc etc. Thinking it can't happen to ME. You are kidding yourself. When I was researching pec tears after it happen I came across people who had torn it doing 15 rep sets, one guy tore his doing PUSH UPS! If you think it can't happen to you then you are out of your mind. Using good form helps, warming up and stretching helps, but there is no sure fire way to prevent injury... sometimes '**** just happens'. With me there was absolutely no warning. No pain, nothing. It tore in a split second

I will say that BB bench press is how about 95% of pec tears occur. And usually it's using the bodybuilding style bench with arms flared out, it places a lot more stress on the tendon than any other exercise. I suggest keeping your elbows tucked and DO NOT USE A WIDE GRIP!

**CriticalAcclaim** · 03-16-2009, 02:29 PM

That Deadlift pic at the PL meet is my new background lol..

**E.N.D.** · 03-16-2009, 02:30 PM

Good stuff! good to see you staying motivated. You could have easily gone off the rails during that long period of time.

Keep it up!

Reps.

**2k89Power** · 03-16-2009, 02:30 PM

Hard work pays off brother! Great job.

**TySJI** · 03-16-2009, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by str8flexed

I will say that BB bench press is how about 95% of pec tears occur. And usually it's using the bodybuilding style bench with arms flared out, it places a lot more stress on the tendon than any other exercise. I suggest keeping your elbows tucked and DO NOT USE A WIDE GRIP!

I'm inclined to agree that the use of a wide grip for pressing is particularly dangerous. I was doing wide-grip dips and aggrevated my right shoulder, which I can sometimes still feel a bit 1 year later. My only (mild) injury to date.

**Fire8085** · 03-16-2009, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by str8flexed

I suggest keeping your elbows tucked and DO NOT USE A WIDE GRIP!

What would you recommend in place of this for focusing on chest then?

**debrovnik** · 03-16-2009, 03:29 PM

Great to see you fighting back - good job!

When do you think you'll be back to competition standard?

I was really suprised looking through some of the pics, I've only seen ones of you on stage before, looking shredded, don't take this the wrong way but in some, you just look like an average guy who goes to the gym (give or take the quads

)

**str8flexed** · 03-16-2009, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by debrovnik

Great to see you fighting back - good job!

When do you think you'll be back to competition standard?

I was really suprised looking through some of the pics, I've only seen ones of you on stage before, looking shredded, don't take this the wrong way but in some, you just look like an average guy who goes to the gym (give or take the quads

)

had not to take the wrong way LOL. The thing is I don't take my pictures in perfect lighting or with great overhead lighting or in a nice setting with the flash off. I take my pictures in as brutal lighting as possible with the flash full on. I know that when I look good in those, I am doing well.

compare for instance the pictures of me in the gym or outside vs. the pictures of me at home. different lighting makes a huge difference, for example, would you believe the attached pictures were taken 4 days apart?

**debrovnik** · 03-16-2009, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by str8flexed

had not to take the wrong way LOL. The thing is I don't take my pictures in perfect lighting or with great overhead lighting or in a nice setting with the flash off. I take my pictures in as brutal lighting as possible with the flash full on. I know that when I look good in those, I am doing well.

compare for instance the pictures of me in the gym or outside vs. the pictures of me at home. different lighting makes a huge difference, for example, would you believe the attached pictures were taken 4 days apart?

Seriously bro, my bad; I think that we all get so used to seeing the engorged IFBB Pros that when we see some with the word 'Pro' next to their name, we instantly expect freakishness.

Obviously, when you cut up, you look ridiculous it's just seeing you bulked, you look more 'normal' than 'freak' - I don't mean this in a bad way!

I think it's good that you take and post pictures without harsh lighting and some where you haven't been all oiled and pumped up - it kind of make you seem a bit more real and legit than some of the other Pro's out there...

Hope to see you back on stage soon!

**Coke_Zero** · 03-16-2009, 04:21 PM

What debrovnik said could be taken the wrong way, but I think what he was trying to say was that you are more of a normal guy rather than a freak. You look a lot more natural yet you are still huge. It is something "normal" people can aspire to become rather than looking at IFBB pros and becoming disillusioned that people can get that way natually. You look like you haven't used drugs to get that way which I think looks better than someone who is clearly on gear.

**Reseg** · 03-16-2009, 04:31 PM

wow, thanks for making the thread and taking us through all this work and incredible progress!

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