Charles Griffen narrowly escaped a career-ending injury on Monday. In a recent Instagram post, Griffen shared a video of the accident, which saw him tear his pec attempting to press heavy dumbbells. As a result of the mishap, he will require four to six weeks of rest.
A dark horse of the IFBB Pro League, Charles Griffen continues to make strides as an elite Men’s Open competitor. Fans were impressed by his physique in 2019 at the Tampa Pro. While he finished seventh, many assumed his consistency would pay off eventually.
In 2021, Griffen took third at the Tampa Pro behind Phil Clahar and Iain Valliere. The show served as a major boost to his confidence. He returned last year (2022) with granite conditioning at the Indy Pro but finished second to Blessing Awodibu. A few weeks later, Griffen’s persistent nature paid off; he won the California State Pro and secured an invite to Mr. Olympia.
At the 2022 Olympia show last December, Griffen took 14th place. And while some thought he deserved a better placing, he at least exacted revenge against Blessing Awodibu, who tied for last in 16th. In favor of making improvements for his next show, Griffen bowed out of the 2023 Arnold Classic.
Charles Griffen Avoids Career-Ending Injury, Suffers Pec Tear: ‘Dumbbell Came Off My Leg Wrong”
According to Griffen, the accident was frightening and he initially thought he suffered a career-ending pec tear. Pectoral tears are classified into 1 of 3 grades depending on the functionality and number of muscle fibers lost.
“😳 This was scary scary and thought my pec was gone gone. This happened on Monday dumbbell came off my leg wrong. Went to the Dr this morning to review mri long story short we need no surgery grade II tear 4 to 6 weeks no deformities at all! #Blessed” Charles Griffen shared.
Check out the video below:
Many in the fitness and bodybuilding communities consider bench-pressing and incline-pressing movements dangerous. Bodybuilder Ryan Crowley sustained a horrific pec tear following a bench-pressing accident. Fortunately, he was spotted by powerlifting phenom Larry Wheels. Nevertheless, the damage was difficult for viewers to watch and he was required to undergo surgery afterward.
Charles Griffen’s rival, Blessing Awodibu, also found himself the victim of a training accident recently. He hyperextended his knee performing machine hack squats. He made it clear the accident was a minor setback and plans to bring his best package to date in 2023.
Pec tear injuries are difficult to bounce back from in bodybuilding. One of the original ‘Giant Killers,’ Lee Priest, has publicly stated that chest atrophy due to an injury prevented him from considering a Masters Olympia comeback.
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After a review of his MRI, Chares Griffen plans to train like he normally would in four to six weeks. Fans look forward to seeing him back on stage.
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