Pec tear maybe?

[Fafner]

Rip,
Does this sound like a pec tear to you?

Two days ago I was doing weighted dips (50 lbs) as the last excercise of the workout.
Near the bottom of the last rep of the last set I started feeling pain in the upper region of my left pec. The pain very quickly escalated (less than a second), which freaked me out and I dropped to the floor rather than trying to finish the rep. I felt essentially fine soon afterwards.

The next day (yesterday) there was a little bit of soreness in the region of the pec where the pain was, but nothing dramatical. Today this soreness is somewhat increased and I also seem to have some pain developing in the left front deltoid.

Since the symptoms seem to be getting worse two days after the event I am beginning to think I may have suffered a minor pec tear. However, there is so far no discoloration of the skin in the affected region and there does not appear to be any swelling or assymmetry when compared to the right side. If there is loss of strength I have not noticed (but also haven't tested extensively). Appreciate any thoughts you may have.

Thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

This is probably a very minor tear in a few fibers. Get on the bench press tonight and see what happens with 3 sets of 25 with the empty bar.

[Fafner]

Did so and found no discomfort at all. Guess I'm probably overreacting.

Next workout is supposed to include a 3x5 bench PR, but it seems like a good idea to hold off until full recovery before attempting a PR. Do you think 2-3 pain-free days is enough?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Just stay on schedule and let your warmups tell you what you need to know about the situation.

[Fafner]

Thank you very much for the advice.
At times like this I wish you'd reconsider adding a paypal donate button.