Hey guys, I just started my 20 rep squat program yesterday and have a quick question. Around my 14th or 15th rep, I suddenly got a splitting headache. I was just wondering if anybody had an idea as to what caused this.
I was guessing that I wasn’t taking enough breaths, but I’m not totally sure. That headache’s been on and off since that time yesterday, and your input would help me out a lot before I do it all over again tomorrow.
Are you new to lifting? If not, how long have you been training? What style of training do you do? What was your last program? How old are you? Where is the bar being placed on your back? Any past medical issues? Are you following the program laid out by Strossen in Super Squats?
More Later,
Raw Power
Sorry, I should have gone into further detail. I actually just started lifting seriously in mid-December. I started with Big Boy Basics which I found on this site and followed it up until a week ago. I took a week off, and just started a rough 20-rep squat program…20 rep squats after a couple lighter loads to warm myself up followed by 3 circuits of pull-ups to failure, dips to failure, and leg raises on a bench to failure.
I’m 20 years old and have no previous medical conditions or issues minus a slight tear in my patella tendon my senior year in high school (~2005) as well as a fractured kneecap in middle school (both are fully healed).
I’m still relatively new to squats and I still have trouble getting ATG without falling backwards, so I may be setting the bar a little too high. Could I have possibly hit a nerve that triggered the headache? I didn’t use an extremely heavy weight…my 10 rep max at 145 pounds is 185, so I started at 165 on Monday just to be safe. As for my bar position, I wish I could say exactly where I put it, but I usually just push my shoulder blades back and rest it in a comfortable position slightly below beck level…maybe on my traps?
Hope this is enough information. Thanks.
Probably a tension headache.
I notice that changes in level of endorphins can be one of the causal factors.
When I did this scheme I would end up getting a pain in the right rear neck area that would then go through my right eye and give me a HORRIBLE headache. Maybe pressure on a nerve?
[quote]mpd21487 wrote:
Hey guys, I just started my 20 rep squat program yesterday and have a quick question. Around my 14th or 15th rep, I suddenly got a splitting headache. I was just wondering if anybody had an idea as to what caused this.
I was guessing that I wasn’t taking enough breaths, but I’m not totally sure. That headache’s been on and off since that time yesterday, and your input would help me out a lot before I do it all over again tomorrow.[/quote]
I get the same headaches when doing high reps for squats. I believe it’s from having the bar pressing down on your neck for such a long time. I’m no doctor so I don’t have a medical explaination- just that it’s “normal”. Don’t worry about it.
If you really want to freak out you could have some of the side effects of my training happen to you- bleeding from the nose, popped membranes in your ears, blood vessels in eyes, face, neck, chest burst, bleeding from tear ducts.
“Pain don’t hurt…”
meat
When I first started training I was doing bodybuilding. I was using the 20 rep squat protocol religiously and it gave me great results. After a few years I moved into powerlifting and started doing strength training specifically.
A few years after that I tried to incorporate some high rep squats (20 or more) with light weight as a means of recovery. The bar was not up high on my neck, but down lower such as in the powerlifting squat.
I also began to have extreme pain in my head when I got to around rep 16 or more. It would clear up within a few minutes. I figured this was happening because I was not used to that rep range. I also thought that it was because of the number of years that I had been training that the rep range was over the limits. The longer you train your neurological rep range becomes lower and lower.
When I do other GPP/recovery training I don’t have this same event happen as stated above. It was only from doing the high rep squats. Needless to say, I don’t do those anymore.
I can’t give you an exact reason why you are experiencing this so early in your training days. Check your bar placement, body position and form when doing squats. Since you are a new lifter you may be having issues with these and not know it. Try to find an experienced lifter who can check you out or post a clear video if possible on here so we can check it out and maybe help you.
How long do they last?
It happened again today, and at rep 12 this time (at 170 lbs)…err. I started blacking out at rep 15, so I stopped. Is there any chance that the bar might be cutting off circulation to a part of my head? My spotter told me that I have terrible breathing technique, so that could be a part of it, too. Are there any articles out there on correct breathing technique and practice? I feel as though that may be my weakest link at the moment.
My last headache was lingering since Monday, and I was still a little bit uncomfortable this afternoon before I hit the gym. I’ll give this another couple sessions and if it keeps up, I’ll try to wrap a towel on the bar or something.
Maybe you should try building up your traps a bit more… just a thought.
[quote]xXxBiKeRxXx wrote:
Maybe you should try building up your traps a bit more… just a thought.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure my traps aren’t the problem, they’re proportionally bigger than the rest of my muscles. I did a good deal of trap bar and dumbbell deadlifting in my first program and although that could be the problem, I think it might be more of a breathing or neural issue.
I think you could be right about the breathing. Squats are so demanding, because the quads are huge muscles with a great oxygen demand (muscles get “pumped” with increased blood flow, oxygen is transported in the blood)Make sure you exhale on the way up; don’t hold your breath.
[quote]MODOK wrote:
You are possibly impinging a nerve. Move the bar placement around and see if that helps.[/quote]
I wouldn’t get that sort of a headache by holding the bar too low since the powerlifter squat stance has a very low bar placement right? Would the conclusion be that I’m holding the bar too high if this is true? I’ll try to hold it an inch or so lower next time and see how that goes.
After I nearly blacked out doing squats today, I did a couple sets working on my form and I got that down, so all I need to work on is bar placement and breathing I guess.
Thanks
The same thing happened to me about a month ago, here’s some info about me:
17 years old
started weight lifting around Christmas
was doing medium rep dumbbell squats, around 8
I was on the last rep of a set and suddenly I got a massive headache. I held onto a pole for a few minutes and it subsided, but for the next few days even stuff like climbing the stairs would give me a mild headache. I was using dumbbells so I don’t think it has to do with pinching a nerve, just exertion that your body is not used to. All I can suggest is holding off on the squats for the next week or so, and then ease back into them.
I think you have a mild sinus infection or alergies that don’t allow the blood pressure to be released properly which might be giving you a headache. This happens to me about once a year, right before Allergies get bad and I get claritin to get rid of them.
[quote]The New Guy wrote:
The same thing happened to me about a month ago, here’s some info about me:
17 years old
started weight lifting around Christmas
was doing medium rep dumbbell squats, around 8
I was on the last rep of a set and suddenly I got a massive headache. I held onto a pole for a few minutes and it subsided, but for the next few days even stuff like climbing the stairs would give me a mild headache. I was using dumbbells so I don’t think it has to do with pinching a nerve, just exertion that your body is not used to. All I can suggest is holding off on the squats for the next week or so, and then ease back into them.[/quote]
Hey thanks, those are the exact symptoms that I’ve been having with the lingering headaches while I exert myself doing daily things (walking quickly to class, etc.). I plan on taking the rest of the week off and I’m going to try to work back into it, possibly at a lighter weight, on Monday.
Try stretching the traps, lats and pecs before doing the 20 rep squats. Chin tucks and scapular wall slides would be good too. I think that part of it is tightness in these areas. I had a friend with the same issues but he was very tight in all these areas and had internally rotated shoulders. When I started helping him correct these issues he stopped getting the headaches. Tight scalenes could be an issue also.
As far as breathing goes you should be taking at least one huge breath between reps. Towards rep 12 you should be taking at least 3 huge breaths between reps. This should allow enough oxygen and also bigger weights. You can take as many breaths as needed but the upper and lower back really starts to fatigue the longer the bar is on your back so pump out the first ten or so quickly.
I hope all of this helps. You can also sit in a low backed chair, lock your fingers together behind your head and bend back pulling your elbows back at the same time. This will stretch all the right muscles.
I recommend appropriate amounts of water as well.
I didnt go through this whole thread, but it strikes a very similar chord to what I was going through when I did higher rep work with bigger weights. Lets say I got one of these exercise induced headaches on Monday from a really heavy or high rep session, that would then carry over into the rest of my workouts for the week, incapacitating me from lifting anything heavy for days.
I read everything I could on here before I decided to go see a doctor. There was even a link on here to a med. journal that described exactly what I was feeling. (I apologize, I looked all over for it but I cant find it, Ill try and look later.) I took this to the doctor because it was the only thing I had read that explained exactly how I was feeling. The doctor recommended 600mgs of aspirin before a heavy training session. Yes, Ive read that it can impact muscle growth, but I made gains just fine while taking it. Furthermore, do you really want to sacrifice your health for what would amount to marginal gains at most?
So I took the aspirin (that dosage comes out to 3 capsules) and had NO problems whatsoever. I know a lot of people think its breathing techniques, and that might play a role due to its affect on blood pressure, but thats the key here. At the end of they day, just go to the doctor and have it checked out. When it comes to serious medical questions, a forum may help, but be smart. Go see a doctor.