[poopypants]

since ive been grabbing larger and larger weights at an accelerated rate this last couple months and more so high reps of dips ive been getting what seems to be an increasing problem....

i dont know how many others have experienced (and is part of why im posting to see if this is norm) this so ill do my best to explain.... your sternum is a joint but for most folks it wont pop likeyour knuckles or knees... mine does, and recently ALOT, and the moreits popping the more it hurts, when it happens its like my chest gets really tight and it usually happens when im in my recliner or cradling my lil boy,with my shoulders and chest pressing concave inwards, then when i go to stand up or set him in his rocker/hand off to moms i cant stretch it out it gets very tight and compressed and i have to pull my shoulders back and tip my head back stretching and eventually get a relieving POP, wich then turns to pain for the next little while.

is this norm? have others experienced this? am i gonna tear my sternum if i keep pushin heavier weight at this rate, or is this going to cause permanent damage from constant popping? if anthing else this is just damn annoying and sometimes fairly painful, any remedies?

thanks for any input guys love to hear it but will be taking this up with my doc as well most likely.

[ryansm]

I have never had this problem personally but know of ppl who have. Anyway I doubt it's going to cause any long term or delayed problems in the future. So I would suggest to man up! Seriously though perhaps you should try stretching more often specifically before, during, and after you train chest. Perhaps look into Yoga as this has helped a friend of mine with the same problem. Also you may want to take some time off, or perhaps change your training style. Use a slower tempo, or try a different exercise.

[poopypants]

great advice as always ryan, thanks my man!

[ryansm]

I also thought it could be your range of motion, I am a big fan of using as much range as possible for the lift. It allows for the entire muscle group to work through its natural movement under tension. I have found that this allows for better mobility as you gain size. It also works the ligaments and tendons allowing for better stability in the joints.

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by ryansm

I also thought it could be your range of motion, I am a big fan of using as much range as possible for the lift. It allows for the entire muscle group to work through its natural movement under tension. I have found that this allows for better mobility as you gain size. It also works the ligaments and tendons allowing for better stability in the joints.

i use a huge range of motion... dipping very low (leaning forward on one set, tipping back on the other then pushing straight up on the last), dropping DB's below 90 degrees to get more pull on outside of pecks, setting fly machine on back settings to make tension even at my most relaxed position (prob not good at 295lb flys) and hitting decline and incline all in one night.... i honestly think its this extra stretch im forcing on my frame thats causing the popping and space to be there for gas to even gather... make sense?

[ryansm]

Yes that makes since. I would lower the weight and slow the tempo. Keep using the same ROM just without as much weight and a slower movement. I think it will not only stop the issue, but allow you to resume heavier weight at a faster pace without the return of the problem.

Except I would first take some time off, and then incorporate those ideas. JMO

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by ryansm

Yes that makes since. I would lower the weight and slow the tempo. Keep using the same ROM just without as much weight and a slower movement. I think it will not only stop the issue, but allow you to resume heavier weight at a faster pace without the return of the problem.

Except I would first take some time off, and then incorporate those ideas. JMO

sounds great Ryan, thanks for taking some time to help bro. ill prob take a short break from hitting chest and focus on form and tempo then work back up to it while i concentrate on some other body parts.

[RSX-S]

I actually have had the exact same problem. My sternum will pop and like you said, if I am sitting with my shoulders forward and my chest concaved in, when I stand up it will pop.

A few months, maybe a year ago, It popped and actually hurt the day after and for a while after. I couldn't do any exercises that would stretch my rib cage out too much. Like seated DB tricep extensions (Don't even know if thats the right term for that exercise, I'm talking behind the head DB tricep exercises.) It was almost like I had tendonitis in my sternum. And it would get painful. Eventually I had switched my workout around to where I could get a workout in without pain. And just avoided exercises that would aggravate the problem. I believe there is actually a medical term for the condition, I googled it and the treatment was just like any other tendonitis problem.

But, everything is ok now. It will still pop, like in the morning when I push my chest out. People would think I was crazy when I would tell them about it. But I have no more pain in it. I still get nervous when doing exercises that stretch out my sternum alot.

[somewhatgifted]

Poop how are the rest of your joints?

[AnonyMoose]

if you are experiencing the pain you indicate - you might want to see a physician to make sure your zyphoid process is in tack.

[supersoldier]

Hey bro, I had something similar. I had to see a bunch of docs, because the pain got to be excruciating all the time. The chief of Orthopedics where I was at was the only one that had a clue what it was, and said it was (not sure of spelling) costochondritis (maybe costalchondritis). For me it only got worse and worse. I remember it hurting the most on the eccentric portion of back movements. Read through this...

Wacky chest injury - please read and advise...

[sogone2day]

I get this to poops. On flat db bench my chest will pop it doesn't hurt then it actually feel good like it has loosed up something. Only Time it feel bad is on dips it feels like theres a pressure pushed on my chest. It is defintly a wierd feeling.

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by somewhatgifted

Poop how are the rest of your joints?

crappy, VERY crappy.... my shoulderhae gotten much better, my elbows only dry out a lil form time to time, never any wrist problems, BUT i have tendonitis in my knees with huge lumps right under my knee caps, making sqauts sound lik i have rice krispes in my knees and then in pain for the next couple days after legs, and my ankles just give out and roll during normal walking on level surfaces

its great for snowboarding

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by sogone2day

I get this to poops. On flat db bench my chest will pop it doesn't hurt then it actually feel good like it has loosed up something. Only Time it feel bad is on dips it feels like theres a pressure pushed on my chest. It is defintly a wierd feeling.

ya i feel it the very most during dips, im thinking of cutting them out all together even in the future.