Pec tears are nearly always the same story: heavy bench press, the bar drops, sudden tearing pain in the chest or shoulder, bruising shows up within 24 hours. Here's what comes next — and what your timeline actually looks like.
What's actually torn
The pectoralis major has a strong tendon that inserts on the upper arm. Most tears happen at this tendinous attachment — usually on the eccentric (lowering) phase of a heavy bench press. Grade 1 is a strain, Grade 2 is a partial tear, Grade 3 is a complete rupture.
Surgery or no surgery?
Complete (Grade 3) tears in active or athletic patients almost always need surgical reattachment for full strength return. Partial tears and tears in less active patients can often be managed non-surgically with structured rehab. The decision is made with an orthopaedic surgeon based on imaging and your goals.
The rehab timeline
- Weeks 0–6 — Sling, pain management, protect the repair (or the healing tear), gentle pendulum and passive range work.
- Weeks 6–12 — Progressive active range of motion. Light isotonic loading. Scapular control.
- Months 3–6 — Heavier loading. Sport-specific or lift-specific drills. Bench-press build starts here, but lightly.
- Months 6–9 — Return-to-max-load. By 9–12 months, most patients are at or near pre-injury strength.
The two biggest mistakes after a pec tear: doing nothing for too long, or pushing too hard too early. Neither extreme works. The middle path is the rehab plan.
Book a 60-minute first session at our Liverpool clinic — we'll review your imaging and build the plan around your timeline and your goals.