Training & Nutrition - How to heel a pulled muscle?

I did about an hour of interval training yesterday and still felt fairly fresh. I decided to do a little upper body workout. I typically do cardio and strength training on separate days. After cooling down a little and decided to do several sets of pull-ups and dips. As I jumped up to grab the pull-up bar, I felt a huge tug in my chest. :eek: That's never happened before. About an hour later, it stiffened up and continued to get worse through the night. I pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my chest. Is it better to stretchi out the muscle or refrain from straining it when possible? :(

Hi,
see a Doc to make sure there isn't anything drastic going on. Ice it down when it bothers you; and take a couple Alleve or a few advil. If it's a basic strain you can start recovery in a few days. GO EASY.

Is it better to stretchi out the muscle or refrain from straining it when possible? :(

I wouldn't stretch

Get some latex tubing, when you start in exercising use the tubing instead of weights. You want a tiny amount of resistance, but high reps.

Could it be just a vein that you pulled? I have some pulls in my neck last time, felt more like vein than a muscle pull.

If indeed it is a pulled muscle, don't stretch it. You will tear up the muscle when it is trying to heal itself. Slight stretches could be fine, but keep it at like 50% of your flexibility limit so that you just warm it up slightly .

If you're sure it's a pulled muscle, then R.I.C.E will help. Also, a good massage will help speed up the process...but mostly rest.