I have been using free weights since I can ever remember training.
A teammate (triathlon) of mine claims that she has tried free weights and gets headaches the next day.
Now she has insisted on only using machines because they do not give her a headache. (I failed at explaining the use of free weights > machines)
I have tried to come up with possible rational for the headaches, but I can’t pinpoint anything.
Any comments
Could be as simple as that she is using and taxing stabilizer muscles when using the free weights that ARE NOT used in the machine work. Thus leading to New pain she is not used to. Justy a guess but if that is the case it would go away as the stabilizers got developed and adjusted to the new stimulus.
Just a guess but hope it helps,
Phill
Could be that she’s getting headaches due to sore/fatigued traps and cervical muscle.
Otherwise, she may be holding her breath while training.
[quote]Moderator 7 wrote:
Could be that she’s getting headaches due to sore/fatigued traps and cervical muscle.
Otherwise, she may be holding her breath while training.[/quote]
Could this possibly cause the headaches to appear the next day?
Knowing what free weight exercises she did might render some clues.
If you do squats or other exercises with the bar high on the neck, you can get what I call ‘stiff neck’ headaches which do appear the next day.
Building up the traps and holding the bar a bit lower on the back will fix that.
But what you have described is too vague to determine anything. If you really want to solve this you need to find out a lot more.
[quote]Major Dan wrote:
Knowing what free weight exercises she did might render some clues.
If you do squats or other exercises with the bar high on the neck, you can get what I call ‘stiff neck’ headaches which do appear the next day.
Building up the traps and holding the bar a bit lower on the back will fix that.
But what you have described is too vague to determine anything. If you really want to solve this you need to find out a lot more.[/quote]
I’ll ask and get back to ya.
Is she dropping the free weights on her head? This will give anybody a headache.
Maybe a blood pressure issue?
Severe drop in blood sugar?
I’d vote on neck and stabilizer muscles being recruited more. Having sore of stiff neck muscles can contribute to a headache.
So could clenching her jaw or other “strange” behaviors done due to the more widespread effort involved in free weights.
Just some guesses, take em with a liberal does of salt.
Note to ass clowns, that is NOT meant as a political pun.
Ahhh…ass clowns…an underused phrase!! Good job. : )
[quote]vroom wrote:
I’d vote on neck and stabilizer muscles being recruited more. Having sore of stiff neck muscles can contribute to a headache.
So could clenching her jaw or other “strange” behaviors done due to the more widespread effort involved in free weights.
Just some guesses, take em with a liberal does of salt.
Note to ass clowns, that is NOT meant as a political pun.[/quote]
I’ve tried every proposal. I think it downright comes to her frustration with having to LEARN how to use free weights. Maybe they should make dumbells with little pictures on them and color ever muscle red. Hey look it actually can do everything!
I had a similar problem… look up exertion headaches… Eric Cressey recommended this to me… the symptoms were dead on… if this is the case… it’ll pass with time…
I’d like to echo trap fatigue and exertion headaches… I got the same when i first started doing snatches.
I actually got her to read the site.
She’ll be doing some research as well as taking up the Velocity Vixen Diet (its her semi-off-season)
Looks like I just built a new T-Addict
[quote]Bob423 wrote:
Ahhh…ass clowns…an underused phrase!! Good job. : ) [/quote]
LOL!
[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
I’d like to echo trap fatigue and exertion headaches… I got the same when i first started doing snatches.[/quote]
Doing snatches huh? You mean the exercise right? 
[quote]Kuz wrote:
Xen Nova wrote:
I’d like to echo trap fatigue and exertion headaches… I got the same when i first started doing snatches.
Doing snatches huh? You mean the exercise right? ;)[/quote]
You’ve gotta losen the trap before you snatch…
What a newbie mistake