Weird Muscle Pull

[Roughrydr]

I was doing my bench press training yesterday evening. I did my usual 225x15, 315x12 for warm up. Then I do 5 working sets at 405. Usually like 12, 10, next set will be 8 to 10, next couple of sets are usually 6 reps each.
I did my first set and felt really strong at 12 reps. I eased it up to 425. 12 easy reps. So I put 455 on there. On the way down I felt a weird pain in my left arm pit. It felt like a muscle or tendon was on top of something and it snapped into place. I did 4vreps but it didnt feel right so I racked it even though it felt light.
There is no bruising in my arm pit. There is a small malleable lump I can move around with great pain. So I'm not sure what I've done. I'm not incapacitated in the left arm. But my arm pit feel like I have been in a fight and someone with skills tried to kill me with an arm pit shot. But again, no bruising, yet.
Any thoughts.

[A1food4u]

Man.... that's a new one for me... the knot, how big? Could you have squished a lymph node?

[Beef Newton]

Maybe burst a vessel internally? Not a big enough one to do any real damage and not close to enough to the skin to see any bruising?

[liftsiron]

The knot does not sound good you may have a partial tendon tear, often there isn't any bleeding into the area causing discoloration.

[Roughrydr]

Whatever it is it hurts on the tricep muscle in that area. I've been able to work all day. I've been carrying packs of shingles up a ladder just to show off really. I'm a vain dumbass. There has been some pain. But like earlier, not debilitating.

[b52]

If you felt it in your armpit benching that's a tendon. I'd take it easy. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm about half your age and i don't heal like i used to, so a tear at your age would be pretty debilitating. Give it some time and if you do any benching use super light weight. You'll be able to gauge how bad it is when the lactic acid starts building up from repping it out. I've pulled my chest too many times to count.

[Glycomann]

Sounds like pec tear either in the muscle close to the tendon or tendon tear.

[Roughrydr]

Yesterday evening when I got home just for more info I put 225 on the bench. Pulled it out of the rack. The pain was about 3 inches or so below the central area of my arm pit. It extended to the inside tricep muscle and across the line between my upper pec and middle pec muscles. You know when you do like a most muscular pose, that simple on the pec right next to the arm pit and the line across from the dimple to the sternum. That's where it hurts. Still no bruising. I did 6 sets of bench at 225 but had to move the bar up and down slowly or the pain grew too intense. After every set I immediately did close grip bench with the 225. Again I had to move extremely slow. I didnt count reps. It was a good bit. But slow motion was the key. Today it hurts less except the little knot. Its painful with my arm just hanging over it touching it.

[b52]

Give it a couple weeks off from benching.

[Roughrydr]

Two month later update. Whatever it was it is something that has come unattached. In my left armpit, where the tricep seems to meet the last there is something. I cant really feel a lump or anything any more, but my arms are really big so there is a lot of muscle mass covering the injury, and it feels to be deep tissue.
It never got swollen or bruised like when I tore my biceps each one on a separate incident. But it is having a lasting effect. I can raise my arm all the way up like on a front lateral raise, all the way to straight over my head. But when raising it up from the side, as in a side lateral, it only goes to shoulder height then the pulling in my armpit is so tight it wont go any further. And ideas whet I've done?

[Dawgpound_Hank]

Never think that for it to be a tear that there must be bruising. I tore my pec doing incline bench in 2007. I wasn't even on my heaviest set (which is common), when I felt a quick, extreme pain in my left pec near the pec/delt tie in. It was so intense that I just KNEW I tore it. So I go to the bathroom and check the mirror - no bruising. I figured too soon - let's keep scoping it out. 20 mins later, still no bruising. I go home, ice the fuck out of it, 8 hours later still no bruising. Long story short, it never bruised. I've had a hole slightly wider than a golf ball near that pec/delt tie in ever since - can't really notice it until I crunch the pecs like hitting a MM or whateva. I laid off all chest work for 4 weeks, and started back slow and easy. Shit like that mentally fucks you - I didn't go heavier than 225 for the next 18 months. Lay off heavy shit - especially benches - until it heals 100% or you might be sorry man.

[Dawgpound_Hank]

Btw too bad you won't compete in a bench competition. You're what now, 63, 64? That's gotta be world record territory. If you're hitting 455 for those reps, that sounds like a 500 bench easily, especially since you did all those previous sets and still hit 455 for those reps.

Is this you Rough?...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7OV988j4Lk

[Dakota]

I had no bruising when I torn my bicep either. It likely has to do with where it tears. In the middle of a belly probably produces more tissue damage and bruising, near the tendon much less.

[Glycomann]

Time for an MRI if you can.

[liftsiron]

Time for an MRI if you can.

Without an mri everything is just a guess, my guess is that you have either a partial or complete tendon rupture in one of the more minor tendons. I think that it will improve with time as far as range of movement is concerned. But it would be good to know exactly is going on in your hairy armpit.