missing major pectoralis ?

[norty]

i went to my doctor a few years ago and he said that i was missing my major pecs. i have started to lift weights and i cannot do as much on the bench as my friends can, like im about 5-10 pounds less, and one of my friends is smaller than me. is it possible that i am missing all or part of my major pecs ?

here is a pic of me to let you see if i am or not

http://home.comcast.net/~mrjohnson27/after.jpg

 

[sugar-free]

I do not understand how you could bench press a doughnut if you didn't have pecs. How could you even move your arms without pecs? I'm not a doctor, and have absolutely no qualifications on which to base any medical advice, but it seems like a little common sense is in order here. Are you sure you understood correctly? Maybe your doc was joking with you and meant that you needed to "develop" your pecs and didn't mean it literally when he said you had no pecs. If I didn't have a bicep, I'm sure that would have been obvious from birth seeing as I wouldn't be able to bend my arm. Wouldn't the same theory apply with your pecs?

 

[sugar-free]

Well, apparently there's something called Poland's Syndrome where people are born with a missing pec. You can do a google search for more info.

 

[the guy on the couch]

um... looks like you've got pecs there.

if you're missing muscles, there is a BIG problem, and your activity would be greatly restricted. i'm guessing you misunderstood the physician, especially since you say it was "a few years ago".

now, as for your friend being able to lift more than you:

your muscles are under-developed. don't feel bad about it, we all start out somewhere. that said, your friend can't be that much smaller than you, and in all probability he is a bit bigger than you. even at that, you can't say your friend lifts more than you when it's only 5 or 10 lbs. some weeks my bench goes down 5-10 lbs. if i didn't get enough sleep, food, etc.

if your friend IS in fact smaller than you, is he shorter than you? short people typically can lift greater amounts than tall people (it's all physics). the bottom line, is if your forearm is 3 feet long, it's a lot more difficult to curl 90 lbs than it is if your forearm is 1 foot long. it has to do with lever-arms.

if you're looking to put mass on, look around here, it's a great place to get started. i wish i had found this site when i first started lifting. there are so many basic things about nutrition, routine, exercise form/execution, etc. that would've helped out so much if i had taken the time to learn them when i first started.

good luck, and keep learning.

 

[Latamier]

Sounds to me like you need a second opinion from an orthopedic Dr.