a sharp pain in sternum (middle of chest) when performing dips

sakuraba97 · 08-02-2006, 10:05 PM

I am fine when doing pushups or benchpressing, even butterflies. but when I do dips, I get a sharp pain in my chest. I can do five dips easy, but after that the pain kills me!!! if I do enough dips, ill feel the pain for like two weeks afterwards... what is this? or is this just the getting used to dips feeling?

**Standard** · 08-02-2006, 11:07 PM

I get the odd tightness in that area, nothing serious though, really bad pain is not good.

How far forward is your head compared to your arms? you could be recruiting too much of your pecs if you lean really far forward.

How does your chest feel doing decline bench press?

Revok · 08-02-2006, 11:17 PM

You wouldn't think it but there are a few tendons in your sternum. Sometimes I can make mine pop and crunch... Anyway, you might have tweaked a tendon due to lack of flexibility and now you keep irritating the injury. I'd say lay off any chest exercises for a couple of weeks then work on your flexibility in that area - just hanging as deep as possible in the dip bars might help, or extend your arm out against a wall and twist away from it to stretch out your pec.

LCDforMe · 08-03-2006, 01:40 AM

Weird...my sternum has a sharp pain in it tonight after grappling. Mine generally does hurt after I do dips and sometimes makes a pop and feels a bit better.

sakuraba97 · 08-03-2006, 03:09 AM

mine pops too when I stretch it.... I knew there was cartilage in front of your ribs, but not tendons... thats spare education lol

sakuraba97 · 08-03-2006, 03:09 AM

but revok, while sounding like an intelligent person, your pic is deceiving...

TDonovan · 08-03-2006, 12:26 PM

Yeah I get a pop in my sternum area when I stretch now too. Not always, but it happens every other day and feels kinda cool.

My sternum used to kill during dips and some bench as well. I'm sure I hurt one of the tendons or something in wrestling. I was muscling some guy over onto the mat and I got a sharp pain in the sternum area. Fell over on my back and got pinned.

Just take a break and ice it. My pain eventually went away.

UFCFan417 · 08-04-2006, 02:40 PM

i get the same thing.... i just work through it by using more tricep and back and not pecs. its just a form thing however u may have done something in ur chest area