Saturday did a lot of OHP, squats, and incline press - felt fine. Figured I'd do some triceps extensions to finish out the workout, and when I was pulling down my right pec tweaked a little. No pain or anything, so I know it wasn't a full pull or even a bad strain. Two days later, no pain, but I can feel that the muscle is not quite normal. It's the outer part of my right pec. I have full movement without any pain, I can put weight on it, etc, so I really don't think there's much wrong with it. I can just tell it's not quite right - just feels a little bit off.
I'm pretty unfamiliar with pec injuries, so I don't know how long to rest this for. Normally Tuesday is my big bench day (i.e. tomorrow), and I'm obviously afraid of pulling it even more. Should I just take a week off? Should I do deadlifts and all my back stuff tomorrow instead of chest, and move my bench workout to Friday? Those of you with experience with these injuries, what do you think?
If there is no pain, but you can feel a deformity within the muscle belly or tendinous juncture, I'd recommend decreasing the load during your pressing movements until you are sure it is ready to handle the larger loads. You could just switch to a deadlift day and avoid all pressing movements, but I think it will actually benefit you to give the muscle some stimulation, especially since there is no pain associated with activity.
Foam rolling/soft tissue work to the area, gentle stretching, and mobility work will all also help with recovery.
thanks Matt. i don't even feel a deformity, to be honest. it's more just the muscle feels a little bit odd. may just be a mental thing at this point. if i put my hand on the muscle and dig in, though, i feel nothing. appreciate the advice.