Headache While Exercising?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

i started adding jump rope to my off days a couple weeks ago. once i reach the point where it starts to take some effort to keep going (not even alot, just mild leg cramping and heavier breathing), i start to get a throbbing headache in the lower back of my head. the harder i push myself while jumping rope, the worse it is and the longer it lasts.

i am currently lifting whole body sessions 3 times a week, and i have pushed myself harder when doing high rep leg work than i’ve pushed myself while jumping rope, but that hasn’t caused a headache. i’ve done interval sprints and interval training on an exercise bike without a headache many times before.

Has anyone here encountered something like this before or have any idea what it is? and if its as simple as an exertion headache, why am i getting it only while jumping rope?

2

I had the exact same feeling doing the exact same activity about 6 months ago. More than likely you have knotted up muscles in your neck (not traps, another one I can’t pronouce). Get a massage or buy a foam roller and start rolling your neck (it’ll feel really lumpy).

And stop sleeping on your stomach.

3

I’ve had the same thing myself before- the more strenuous the activity the worse the headache gets- like presure building inside my head. Reall nasty when it come on during twenty rep squats. No idea what caused it and it went away eventually (after a couple of weeks)- thought it was blood presure but that was ok. I’ve also had the same thing happen during sex! Not nice.

4

[quote]djd21 wrote:
I’ve had the same thing myself before- the more strenuous the activity the worse the headache gets- like presure building inside my head. Reall nasty when it come on during twenty rep squats. No idea what caused it and it went away eventually (after a couple of weeks)- thought it was blood presure but that was ok. I’ve also had the same thing happen during sex! Not nice.[/quote]

My wife is currently undergoing diagnosis for a condition called Arnold-Chiari Malformation. If possible I’d look into it because some of the things you describe are symptoms she has felt.

5

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
I had the exact same feeling doing the exact same activity about 6 months ago. More than likely you have knotted up muscles in your neck (not traps, another one I can’t pronouce). Get a massage or buy a foam roller and start rolling your neck (it’ll feel really lumpy).

And stop sleeping on your stomach.[/quote]

I had the identical thing happen to me. It felt like I had a Tumor, not so.

My Neurologist said that it was most likely a pinched nerve in the neck brought on by a Valsalva maneuver, during squats or deadlifts. The other possibility was de-hydration

His advice was deep massage or ART. And remember to breathe on the concentric portion of your lift.

Worked like a charm.

6

[quote]djd21 wrote:
I’ve had the same thing myself before- the more strenuous the activity the worse the headache gets- like presure building inside my head. Reall nasty when it come on during twenty rep squats. No idea what caused it and it went away eventually (after a couple of weeks)- thought it was blood presure but that was ok. I’ve also had the same thing happen during sex! Not nice.[/quote]

It’s breathing that caused this. I got it after I performed 150 reps on leg extension, on the last 20 reps or so i was straining so hard to complete them it caused a headache, the headache subsided after about 2 weeks.

Icing my neck helped ALOT.

7

[quote]Backlash79 wrote:
djd21 wrote:
My wife is currently undergoing diagnosis for a condition called Arnold-Chiari Malformation. If possible I’d look into it because some of the things you describe are symptoms she has felt.
[/quote]

Thanks! I’ll take a look.

8

I’ve had the same thing happen to me after doing front squats for more than 10 reps. Like a throbbing headache.

9

I had a similar experience with Tabata thrusters. Lasted a couple of weeks until I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment, that seemed to fix the problem.

10

I’ve gotten this from the 20 rep squats once or twice but many times from “no breather” swim sets designed to make the body better withstand feelings of hypoxia. I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s spelled.

You get sore and you get a pounding headache because there’s a lack of oxygen for your brain. Dehydration will make the feelings of hypoxia much worse and come on a lot quicker. Gatorade should hold off your headaches. That and a higher V02 max.

11

I have that sometimes on the hammerstrength leg press (real leg press I’m fine with). It usually happens when I’m sleep deprived, dehydrated, not breathing, or making a stong valsalva manuever.

12

hey, update here. tuesday had been my worse headache, but i had finished my jumping rope. anyway, for my wednesday workout, 2 sets of 24 (i’m following CW’s TTT), i did my first set of lat pulldowns (i do them in place of upright rows for shoulder health), and around rep 20, the headache kicks in again.

i finished the set but decided to not do the workout today, the headache was so bad. this is the first time i’ve ever had it while lifting, so its throwing me off. anyway, between what some people have said and talking to my family, i’ve narrowed it down to the following things:

  1. i’m not used to the cardio demand of serious rope skipping and have just developed a migraine as a result that i need a few days off to recover from.

  2. I have inherited my mother’s sinus and allergy problems, just to a lesser degree (so much so i normally don’t take anything for when they trouble me), but as since puberty started (i’m only 18 now), the same problems have gotten gradually worse over time.

Due to weather changes in the area, my mother has had a mild migraine for two weeks now that is severely aggravated by hard, ENDURING exertion, so my headaches could quite likely be a result of my sinuses.

  1. Since i can’t get sufficient resistance for back extensions on my heavy day of TTT (6 sets of 3), i’ve swapped them for good mornings. The past two weeks or so, the heavy good mornings have been caused discomfort in the cervical spine while doing them. this could have caused excess neck tension and/or excess spinal pressure.

There are other possibilities (which seem to be much worse scenarios for the most part), but given the suddenness of this happening (i’ve done karate for 8 years, done plenty of high rep lifting before, and have done interval sprinting and interval bike work, all with no problem, this is my first experience with this stuff), i’d say these are the most likely.

So i plan to try the following:

  1. i will take the rest of the week off from lifting.

  2. i will start back with my heavy day on monday and use romanian deadlifts in place of good mornings.

  3. i will not jump rope for awhile.

  4. i will try to sleep on my side more.

  5. i will give myself neck massages when possible.

  6. when my high rep day rolls around again, if i have a repeat of today, i may consider seeing my doctor.

or i could retry my endurance day tomorrow and take some headache medicine just before my workout. (my mother’s recommendation which seems sound since her headache symptoms just seem to be a more severe version of mine).

this would allow me to then do my speed day on friday and finish my routine for the week, and then take a few days off, which i would like to do since i planned on this being my last week on the routine anyways before backing off a bit. either way, if i still am having problems after a week off, i’m probably gonna see my doctor.

btw, a lot of good advice and experiences have been posted here so far. any more thoughts or experiences, or suggestions based on what i’ve added?

14

I once had something like this happen during a heavy set of bench. It felt like a bomb went off in my head. I put up with it for about 3 weeks (while I had a 24 hour headache). Finally I went to the doctor. Turns out I busted a blood vessel in my head. I was told not to lift for a couple weeks, but (being stupid) I went right back and got after it. I had a headache every time I lifted for a couple weeks. Chances are this isn’t what happened to you, but it’s a similar experience.

15

[quote]djd21 wrote:
I’ve had the same thing myself before- the more strenuous the activity the worse the headache gets- like presure building inside my head. Reall nasty when it come on during twenty rep squats. No idea what caused it and it went away eventually (after a couple of weeks)- thought it was blood presure but that was ok. I’ve also had the same thing happen during sex! Not nice.[/quote]

I had the same thing happen to me and it turned out to be a sinus infection. My pain was more towards the front of my head though. That could be one of many possibilities.

16

If it’s Hypoxia all you need to do his Hydrate, have the right electrolytes, have a good amount of food in you, and work through it.

I don’t want to be liable for your death if your headaches are from another problem but taking a week off for massages seems a bit extreme.

17

[quote]BigAlSwede wrote:
I once had something like this happen during a heavy set of bench. It felt like a bomb went off in my head. I put up with it for about 3 weeks (while I had a 24 hour headache). Finally I went to the doctor. Turns out I busted a blood vessel in my head. I was told not to lift for a couple weeks, but (being stupid) I went right back and got after it. I had a headache every time I lifted for a couple weeks. Chances are this isn’t what happened to you, but it’s a similar experience. [/quote]

That’s similiar to what’s happened to me- a few times. After a few weeks it seems to get better. When it strikes it is a mega headache- really makes me want to vomit it’s so bad. Can occur on any heavy lift- or sex as it happens! No way I can really work through it as it’s the worst headache imaginable…

18

Again: The headache was caused during an exercise where you was not breathing correctly. This caused a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Yes, it also happens during sex because at times you catch yourself not breathing normally. You don’t breathe normally while performing reps for an exercise either; Breathing in on the eccentric and breathing out on the concentric is NOT normal breathing.

You don’t need any fucking medicine to make it go away, pain killers will just make the problem worse also, you will think its ok and train anyway.

If you wan’t your headache to go away, you will follow this advice:

STOP DOING ANY ACTIVITIES THAT IN-HIBITS YOUR BREATHING FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK.

Garaunteed this will be very hard, since you will no doubt want to either a) have sex or b) beat off.

During this week, you should also PUT AN ICE PACK ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK for a few minutes, a few times each day, for the week, and make sure you stay hydrated.

When you go back to training after the week, do not carry on with heavy lifting for at least a few days, you will not be 100% recovered.

Instead, do training that would be in a highish rep range (10+) with exercises that are not highly stressful on your nervous system, so NO deadlifts/squats/bench press/good mornings/cleans etc.

So there you have it, how to get rid of your oxygen-deprived headache 101.

19

Thanks- that’s very interesting advice. If that’s the cause why does it only happen on rare occasions? I train and breathe in the same fashion all the time and 99.9% of the time it doesn’t happen. I always stay well hydrated too, particularly before and during exercise. Thanks :slight_smile:

20

[quote]djd21 wrote:
Thanks- that’s very interesting advice. If that’s the cause why does it only happen on rare occasions? I train and breathe in the same fashion all the time and 99.9% of the time it doesn’t happen. I always stay well hydrated too, particularly before and during exercise. Thanks :)[/quote]

I was referring to the person who created the thread, but ok.