Yesterday while doing intense high rep leg presses, while I was squeezing out one of the last reps I all of a sudden felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head. It hurt the rest of the workout, and I later had to take two Motrin to alleviate the pain a few hours later.
Today I felt fine UNTIL I got into my workout. I was doing 40 rep DB chest presses, and as I was squeezing around 25 all of a sudden I got the same, nauseating pain. I had it throughout my workout, but I felt better after drinking some powerade and now I feel fine after drinking a whey shake.
I looked up a previous thread where someone posted about this...maybe I didn't breathe properly yesterday....but why would that continue today, especially since I was working on breathing very relaxedly and normally (like rtestes once posted)? I'm worried that I may have caused permanent damage :d_frown:, but it may just be because I slept restlessly a couple of nights ago....any ideas? I really do not want to take time off, but the headache really hurts my workouts (especially after the first set for a muscle group)

Yesterday while doing intense high rep leg presses, while I was squeezing out one of the last reps I all of a sudden felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head. It hurt the rest of the workout, and I later had to take two Motrin to alleviate the pain a few hours later.
Today I felt fine UNTIL I got into my workout. I was doing 40 rep DB chest presses, and as I was squeezing around 25 all of a sudden I got the same, nauseating pain. I had it throughout my workout, but I felt better after drinking some powerade and now I feel fine after drinking a whey shake.
I looked up a previous thread where someone posted about this...maybe I didn't breathe properly yesterday....but why would that continue today, especially since I was working on breathing very relaxedly and normally (like rtestes once posted)? I'm worried that I may have caused permanent damage :d_frown:, but it may just be because I slept restlessly a couple of nights ago....any ideas? I really do not want to take time off, but the headache really hurts my workouts (especially after the first set for a muscle group)


thay happend to me once when benching, i musnt of breathed properly, and i got one hell of a pain at the side of my head. eventually went, never happend since.
im interested to read some of the replies to this thread/

Hmm, very strange. I guess it could be a breathing problem, though I have never heard of it. Makes sense though.

How has your diet and sleeping pattern been? I wonder if pre-workout feeding could be attributing to this problem. I get really crappy feeling if I lift without adequate fuel in my body, including the queesy feelings and sometimes even a headache. But from your description it does sound like it was related to the workout somehow, as if the intensity caused a headache. Strange. I too look forward to other replies.

Yesterday while doing intense high rep leg presses, while I was squeezing out one of the last reps I all of a sudden felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head. It hurt the rest of the workout, and I later had to take two Motrin to alleviate the pain a few hours later.
Today I felt fine UNTIL I got into my workout. I was doing 40 rep DB chest presses, and as I was squeezing around 25 all of a sudden I got the same, nauseating pain. I had it throughout my workout, but I felt better after drinking some powerade and now I feel fine after drinking a whey shake.
I looked up a previous thread where someone posted about this...maybe I didn't breathe properly yesterday....but why would that continue today, especially since I was working on breathing very relaxedly and normally (like rtestes once posted)? I'm worried that I may have caused permanent damage :d_frown:, but it may just be because I slept restlessly a couple of nights ago....any ideas? I really do not want to take time off, but the headache really hurts my workouts (especially after the first set for a muscle group)




It could be a number of things. Try warming up before hand, like a few minutes on the treadmill or bike. The sudden contraction or expansion of a blood vessle can cause a headache. A gradual warmup, where you gradually bring your heart rate up, will avoid this. You said it happened upon effort. When you are straining with a weight, your BP shoots up. That causes a surge in internal pressure on your artery walls, hence a sudden expansion of the vessle. If this happens in your head, you will get a headache. Try a gradual warmup. When lifting, take a deep breath on the negative and breath out on exertion.

Also, it could be something you ate or drank prior to your workout. Caffeine has that effect on an unlucky few. So do some of the energy drinks.

If it persists, I would ask a Doctor.

It could be a number of things. Try warming up before hand, like a few minutes on the treadmill or bike. The sudden contraction or expansion of a blood vessle can cause a headache. A gradual warmup, where you gradually bring your heart rate up, will avoid this. You said it happened upon effort. When you are straining with a weight, your BP shoots up. That causes a surge in internal pressure on your artery walls, hence a sudden expansion of the vessle. If this happens in your head, you will get a headache. Try a gradual warmup. When lifting, take a deep breath on the negative and breath out on exertion.

Also, it could be something you ate or drank prior to your workout. Caffeine has that effect on an unlucky few. So do some of the energy drinks.

If it persists, I would ask a Doctor.

Also replying to Fast, thanks for the speedy replies guys! Im not sure...I still have a slightly dull pain in the top/back of my head. Yesterday I ate some cottage cheese, brown rice, and drank milk and lots of water before working out. Today I drank a whey shake with a banana and oats...I haven't taken any caffeine lately (never drink coffee or soft drinks)...I didn't sleep well Tuesday night (got like 7 disjointed hours) but I did get my 40 winks last night. I will try warming up like you said, thanks for the advice.

Are you well-hydrated? Not just sipping a few from your water bottle. I mean, are you taking in lots of fluids constantly throughout the day, before and during your workout?

I ask because the high rep scheme reminds me of when I used to get deep muscle massages. If I hadn't been hydrated before I went in, I would get major headaches after standing up when all was done. I don't know the physiology behind it (I;'m sure google would know), but maybe it's something similar.

Are you well-hydrated? Not just sipping a few from your water bottle. I mean, are you taking in lots of fluids constantly throughout the day, before and during your workout?

I ask because the high rep scheme reminds me of when I used to get deep muscle massages. If I hadn't been hydrated before I went in, I would get major headaches after standing up when all was done. I don't know the physiology behind it (I;'m sure google would know), but maybe it's something similar.

hmmm...now that you mention it...the last couple of days my hydrating has been less than perfect...i still drink quite a bit (refill the ol' bottle) but today I must say I didn't really drink that much water...that might be it...hopefully i will try hydrating on saturday, sleeping well, and warming up and the headache will go away...i will post again after saturday's workout
thanks btw for the advice :tucool:

It hasn't happened to me, but if I "felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head. It hurt the rest of the workout." and the next day I "all of a sudden I got the same, nauseating pain. I had it throughout my workout." I am afraid I would be in my doctor's office the next day.

It might be the things mentioned but that is a scary description you gave. :confused:

it's happened to me three times before, all seperated by about a year's time. It happens when you do not breathe properly, and you strain too much with the wrong part of the body. You need to relax your head when you workout (yes, you can do that) and not strain too hard. Squats, BP and shoulderpress are culprits. I believe that either a blood vessel bursts in your skull, or that a blood vessel is overinflated. There could also be something muscular involved.

What I did is stop working out for a week - however I should have gone to see a doctor. The first two times I thought I pulled my neck, foolishly. The third time I thought that I hurt my skull. It will likely heal on its own, but it's definately something to watch out for. A pro bodybuilder hurt himself in a similar way on a leg press, and had to have a blood clot removed from his brain within the next 24 hours. Take it easy, breath, and don't strain your head!

Never happened to me during training, but has happened at that "moment" during sex. Very painful, and ruins the moment some what.

This page is very informative about it.

http://www.embarrassingproblems.com/headachesex.htm



Why the headache occurs

Sex can cause various sorts of headache.

*
At the moment of orgasm there can be a sudden, severe pain. This is probably due to contraction of some of the small blood vessels in the brain, similar to migraine, and in fact half the people with this type of headache are also migraine sufferers. This pain generally lasts less than an hour, but may be gone in 10 minutes or linger for a few hours. It may be, throbbing, dull or stabbing.
*
Less commonly, as sexual excitement increases, some people experience a dull, cramping, tight feeling at the back of the head. This is probably due to excessive contraction of the muscles of the neck.
*
If you suffer from migraine, you may find that sex triggers a migraine attack. This headache will be identical to you ‘usual’ migraine. It occurs after sex, but not during sex.



It's the same headache, and i know how bad it hurts. Mine stop happening a few days later.

Go see a doctor asap, it might be something serious. I'm no doctor but assuming you have a dormant problem you don't want to risk a stroke or something along those lines.

As someone else already said your description of a "sudden felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer" is far from normal. Even during heavy squats a pain in the head like that is very unusual, puking is common but not a severe headache.

Seriously, go see a doctor today... don't carry on reading go now!

I've had exertion headaches a few times due to poor breathing.

The first time I went to the doctor, had an MRI... everything was fine. I had to stop lifting for almost two weeks, however, because any exertion made the pain come back.

The second time was less severe, but I had to take about a 1 week break.

ok i consulted my doctor (my mom) and the first thing she said was that it could be a increase in blood pressure. She told me to get lots of sleep, drink more water, and take a week off. Then when I come back I should start lifting light and see how I feel. She says if it still lingers I could have an aneurysm. I still have this nagging headache so I am going to go take a nap. Thanks for all the advice guys!!

ok i consulted my doctor (my mom) and the first thing she said was that it could be a increase in blood pressure. She told me to get lots of sleep, drink more water, and take a week off. Then when I come back I should start lifting light and see how I feel. She says if it still lingers I could have an aneurysm. I still have this nagging headache so I am going to go take a nap. Thanks for all the advice guys!!



Go see a real Doctor so you can stop playing the guessing game.

Taking a week off will do nothing for your blood pressure. What do you think is going to happen when you start lifting again, your possible high blood pressure will suddenly go away? It won't. Also, if you had an aneurysm, you would have some ugly lingering symptoms a lot worse than what you described, but I would still get it checked. The fact that you said Motrin helped indicates you have a vessle problem, caused by what, I don't know. Motrin relaxes constricted vessles.

BTW, if your BP is high, there are ways to reduce it naturally which you should ALWAYS try before prescription drugs. I brought mine down naturally with supplements and changing my diet.

Go see a real Doctor so you can stop playing the guessing game.

Taking a week off will do nothing for your blood pressure. What do you think is going to happen when you start lifting again, your possible high blood pressure will suddenly go away? It won't. Also, if you had an aneurysm, you would have some ugly lingering symptoms a lot worse than what you described, but I would still get it checked. The fact that you said Motrin helped indicates you have a vessle problem, caused by what, I don't know. Motrin relaxes constricted vessles.

BTW, if your BP is high, there are ways to reduce it naturally which you should ALWAYS try before prescription drugs. I brought mine down naturally with supplements and changing my diet.

ummm...maybe you didn't get my point. My mom is a doctor, M.D. She is my pediatrician...
are you a qualified physician? Because I do not have high blood pressure, and I do not have a family history of high blood pressure. My mom said it is most likely too much stress on my CNS combined with lack of sleep and she told me as a doctor to take a week off, then see how I feel. She only mentioned the aneurysm since I asked if it could possibly be anything more serious. I hope that clears up any confusion....but still I wonder what background gives you such insight into this problem :confused: ?
(BTW I feel much better after taking an hour nap)

ummm...maybe you didn't get my point. My mom is a doctor, M.D. She is my pediatrician...
are you a qualified physician? Because I do not have high blood pressure, and I do not have a family history of high blood pressure. My mom said it is most likely too much stress on my CNS combined with lack of sleep and she told me as a doctor to take a week off, then see how I feel. She only mentioned the aneurysm since I asked if it could possibly be anything more serious. I hope that clears up any confusion....but still I wonder what background gives you such insight into this problem :confused: ?
(BTW I feel much better after taking an hour nap)


Understand that I wish you only good health. I understood you to say that she told you to take a week off for and get some sleep (your words) for possible high blood pressure or a possible anuerysm. I said a week off will do NOTHING for either of those. That's why I said go see a real Doctor. No, I am not a Doctor, but my father is and I know that is what he would tell you. He would never speculate over a possible anuerysm or high BP without running tests. Either one of those situations requires a diagnosis and qualified treatment. An anuerysm is serious and I did not want to see you laying around for a week when you could be getting treatment.

Now I just read that she thinks it is too much stress on your CNS along with lack of sleep. That is good, I hope for your sake it is, because it is a LOT less serious than the other two. A week of rest should help a lot and I hope it does.

Good luck and good health.

Understand that I wish you only good health. I understood you to say that she told you to take a week off for and get some sleep (your words) for possible high blood pressure or a possible anuerysm. I said a week off will do NOTHING for either of those. That's why I said go see a real Doctor. No, I am not a Doctor, but my father is and I know that is what he would tell you. He would never speculate over a possible anuerysm or high BP without running tests. Either one of those situations requires a diagnosis and qualified treatment. An anuerysm is serious and I did not want to see you laying around for a week when you could be getting treatment.

Now I just read that she thinks it is too much stress on your CNS along with lack of sleep. That is good, I hope for your sake it is, because it is a LOT less serious than the other two. A week of rest should help a lot and I hope it does.

Good luck and good health.

sorry...i meant that she thought it wasn't high blood pressure...but that while i was doing the leg press the blood pressure in my head went up and vessels constricted...sorry that i wasn't more clear...i can see where the confusion stems from
and she only mentioned the aneursym as a very long shot...saying that it was possible but not likely at all

[QUOTE=Indianchap]sorry...


No problem. I just want you to be healthy so you can live life to the fullest. It sucks for me to hear about a 16 year old with medical problems. I am glad to hear it is nothing serious.





i meant that she thought it wasn't high blood pressure...but that while i was doing the leg press the blood pressure in my head went up and vessels constricted...


That's what I thought when I mentioned it in my first post. I hope thats all it is. Good luck.

Yesterday while doing intense high rep leg presses, while I was squeezing out one of the last reps I all of a sudden felt a huge pain in my head, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to my head. It hurt the rest of the workout, and I later had to take two Motrin to alleviate the pain a few hours later.
Today I felt fine UNTIL I got into my workout. I was doing 40 rep DB chest presses, and as I was squeezing around 25 all of a sudden I got the same, nauseating pain. I had it throughout my workout, but I felt better after drinking some powerade and now I feel fine after drinking a whey shake.


See a doctor. Sudden onset massive nauseating headaches must be looked into by a pro. You could have a subarachnoid hemhorrage and you can't mess around with that. There are even worse things it could be.

I'm guessing you might actually have "exertional headache" (here is a description of some of the possibilities: http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/02feb/mccrory.htm)
but I'm not a doctor, and I'm guessing.

Go see a doctor.

ok i consulted my doctor (my mom) and the first thing she said was that it could be a increase in blood pressure. She told me to get lots of sleep, drink more water, and take a week off. Then when I come back I should start lifting light and see how I feel. She says if it still lingers I could have an aneurysm. I still have this nagging headache so I am going to go take a nap. Thanks for all the advice guys!!

OK I didn't read enough ahead before my previous post. Since it turns out your mother is a qualified physician then you are doing the right thing. You can't mess with nasty headaches though.

Happened to me once, trying to push out that last rep on the bench, wasnt breathing properly.. Headache lasted for a week or two, I went back the next day and still ahd the headache, so i took 3 or 4 days off, which mostly cleared it up.

well I took that week off, slept a lot more and did some cardio, and I felt great. I have done two workouts since, and I have not experienced any headaches at all. However, I took a step back and reexamined my goals, and did a lot of reading. I was very impressed by ABBH (especially by the results of jsbrook, tennisball, and co.) and also decided that I would try to avoid training to failure just in case. Thanks for the help guys, nad I am glad it was nothing more serio :)

well I took that week off, slept a lot more and did some cardio, and I felt great. I have done two workouts since, and I have not experienced any headaches at all. However, I took a step back and reexamined my goals, and did a lot of reading. I was very impressed by ABBH (especially by the results of jsbrook, tennisball, and co.) and also decided that I would try to avoid training to failure just in case. Thanks for the help guys, nad I am glad it was nothing more serio :)


Good to hear you're doing fine.
Seconding the high blood pressure due to holding your breath and straining too much - Valsalva Manoeuver. I used to get headaches trying to squeeze one out :whistle: . Now I make sure to take lots of fibre.