I've noticed several guys keeping logs are having some pec issues (strains, tightness, soreness, even a tear), so I decided to jot down some ideas that can help loosen up the pecs and keep them healthy as much as possible.
1) If it hurts, don't do it. This is obvious and I only expect people to follow this in severe situations, but if you've strained a pec, give it time to heal. If you've strained a pec on a specific exercise, give up that specific exercise for quite a long time (if you can). Now I don't expect people with a little soreness to stop benching, so you have to know the difference between sore and injured. But don't forget about this rule.
2) Stretch pecs, shoulders, and lats. If you just stand in the doorway and move your arms through all kinds of ranges of motion, stretching as you go, it will help keep things from seizing up on you.
3) Warm up well on the bench. I start with the bar and do a ton of reps flat-backed and touching hi, lo, and everywhere in between. I've used dumbbells in the past and they work well also. The point is that you want to get that area warmed up thoroughly before you start heavy work on it so the muscle tissue is pliable.
4) Use passive recovery techniques. Pecs are in a great place for self-massage. If you don't mind looking like you're fondling yourself, massage them throughout the day. If you own a TheraCane or other trigger-point device, it's perfect for work on the pecs. If you don't have one of those devices, use the end of a wooden broomstick. It works just as well. Some other passive recovery methods include: doing some pushups / hi-rep DB bench to induce bloodflow A cable crossover movement with a miniband Ice massage works great for pecs Any Hot-Cold treatment
I hope those 4 points help some of you all. Any questions, let me know.
