Lifting and Headaches

[Swartz]

This is fucking me in the ass. Nothing has changed about my routine or intensity over the last several months since I started lifting consistently but within the last couple weeks I get some really sharp pain mainly on my first few sets of any heavy workout (was only on leg days but even back and chest workouts lately). I can't imagine what might be causing it. Like I said, I workout the same and my diet hasn't changed dramatically. Other aspects of my life like my sleep are fine.

Unlike most headaches I feel in the front, these seem to target the top or back of my head. It usually goes away by halfway through the workout but it's becoming increasingly worse each time I go to the gym.

Anybody have similar experiences and might know what the hell is going on? I don't expect anyone to know but if you've experienced this before maybe you found a solution? Perhaps I need to start warming up more as I tend not to (though that still doesn't explain why this only started recently).

[Origional]

I get these, usually during the squat and overhead press. Nothing you can do but finish the set, crawl in the corner and hope that it goes away before your next set.


If anyone can find a cure it would be awesome.

[Honken]

Holding your breath during heavy lifts?

[anfeyd]

I had a headache after bashing my head off of the wall after repeated Tetris Attack losses.

But in all seriousness, the only time I get anything neck/head related is on overhead presses where I black out easily if I forget to breathe. I also have a little kink in my neck that feels odd on a daily basis. The only time I had headaches was when I was doing 6x6 back squats immediately followed by 2x20 good mornings (thanks Chicanerous you ass), even then it was more of a lightheaded feeling.

What do you eat prior to lifting? What's your breathing like?

[Jackamaideshwang]

Whats your blood pressure like? You may be hypertensive. If you suddenly get premonitions, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Swartz]

That's the thing. You're all asking me questions about my diet/breathing and that's not a factor. I haven't changed anything. I considering my breathing but experimented with that only to find it didn't help for shit. The first few months I had none of this and I haven't adjusted since then.

This was really just a shot in the dark anyway. I may experiment with a more thorough warmup as I only feel it at the beginning. Just boogles my mind why it would start happening suddenly.

[Birch]

I was recently hospitalized with head trauma and spent several weeks off from training. I had to avoid inducing any sort of cranial pressure, which can pretty much been done by raising blood pressure. Are you lifting heavier than usual? Or trying harder? Or are you training anywhere different? Are the light sources changing or getting brighter?

Apart from these possibilities, you haven't hit your head?

[Swartz]

It's all right. I'm not going to find my answer here likely. Everything's been the same. Sure my lifts go up and stuff over time but that's always been the case. I'm lifting 5-6 days a week and have been since late December last year. I'll see how I do over the next week.

[Kris]

Ive had that some time ago! And it came surprisingly, too. I did not change anything at all. I would get a deep and stabbing headache in the front head that made it very unpleasant to move the head, sometimes I had to throw over because of this(3 times). I also thought I did not change anything, but for me it went away by not drinking a large cup of coffee right before training anymore which I always did then and warming up more properly, especially the neck. Did not do any joint twists or similar things and then started doing that. But weird is that now I wouldnt get that pain again if I dont warm up properly or if I drink a large coffee right before train, so I was lost a bit, too. Hopefully its going to change for you, soon. It really sucks :(

[Birch]

There was a time were I would get really acute headaches when I came after bating. Gawd it was an ordeal.

[tpvlyrm]

I had perhaps the same problem, Swartz - suddenly one workout I got a really bad headache after a set of something, probably deadlifts, and then I kept getting it for several workouts. It was years ago, but I think I took a week or so off from lifting, no exercise, then cautiously started back and never really experienced it again. I suggest you, too, stop lifting for a little while, if you can.

[Victor L]

I dunno, same thing happens to me before when i did push ups - turns out i was holding my breath too much.

[Jackamaideshwang]

Oooohh right, you may need a sensual neck massage and a bit of a stretch (chin to chest). And fix up your posture when on the computer. The tight muscles may be reducing venous return from your head, and when you start lifting, you're tensing those muscles more, cutting off more blood, causing large pressures to build up in your head, causing pain. And why its happening now instead of December is because it develops over time like any muscle inbalance. Possibly why it goes away after some exercise is the alteration of sympathetic stimulation due to exercise or the vasodilation due to exercise produced substrates. This seems like a plausable explaination to me.

[Swartz]

The recent replies are helpful as it sounds like my problem. Thanks for the input. I'm going to mess with a more thorough warmup and whatnot with my upper body and see how it goes. Taking a break is my last resort.

[anfeyd]

That's the thing. You're all asking me questions about my diet/breathing and that's not a factor. I haven't changed anything. I considering my breathing but experimented with that only to find it didn't help for shit. The first few months I had none of this and I haven't adjusted since then.

This was really just a shot in the dark anyway. I may experiment with a more thorough warmup as I only feel it at the beginning. Just boogles my mind why it would start happening suddenly.

You see Swartz, things can happen under current circumstances/conditions despite them not happening prior.

[Swartz]

You see Swartz, things can happen under current circumstances/conditions despite them not happening prior.

Of course. Anyway I just got back from another workout with the same shit. I'm almost used to it now unfortunately. Perhaps a rest is needed afterall but I'm too stubborn.

[n3m3s1s]

Do you drink enough water? I always get headaches if I dont drink anything...

[Jackamaideshwang]

Massage!!!

[King]

only thing I can think of if it isn't breathing is if you don't warmup before lifting or maybe you just need a good rest period.

[Swartz]

I haven't been lifting but today I decided to try some pushups at home and around 30 or so it came back. Felt like my skull was ripping open. Now I'm worried. If any kind of strenuous activity is going to do this I may need more than a simple break. Perhaps a doctor though I don't really care for that idea given I have no health insurance. I think I'll try a week off of everything and see what's what. I haven't eperienced anything like this before.

I hope I don't give myself an anuerysm one of these days.

[DeeJay]

Why don't you take some aspirin or something before you go training?

[Swartz]

It's just a very sharp pain that lasts several minutes at the beginning of any workout. Always occurs at my highest exertion, around the point of failure on my first few sets. I don't like the idea of taking medicine prior to it every damn time, especially if it doesn't work all that well. Given how recent this is I don't think that's necessarily a solution. There's obviously something wrong with me haha.

[DeeJay]

What's wrong with taking medicine all the time if it works? People take baby aspirin daily.

[Swartz]

I highly doubt it's ability to work in my situation. For now I am done bitching.

[tpvlyrm]

Yes... I think you really ought to take a break, Swartz. And then when you start back, go light and easy, build up again over a couple of weeks.

[Jackamaideshwang]

I think you should go to chinatown and get a cheap massage, much cheaper than a doctor or physio visit and you get immediate results, no need to rest for a few weeks. But that advice is probably iresponsible seeing as it is intense noggin pain.

[Ashtar]

I was lifting heavy in the gym and suddenly I had this sharp pain in the back right of my skull. Now I get it when I exert myself hard, even stuff which gave me no pain before.

Was I holding my breath and popped something? I don't know what to tell a doctor, could MRI help?