X-fit, Light Headed. Need Help

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

I just started doing X-fit a few month ago. So far, I love it. However, I’m not improving very fast. In fact, at times I still feel like I’m going to puke or pass out. I get nauseated and spots in my eyes.

After taking some meticulous notes, I’ve noticed that the culprit seems to be intense compound lifts. To clarify, I have NO trouble with Deadlifts, Squats, Rows, Push Press, etc. What DOES give me fits are Burpees, WallBalls, Thrusters, Walking overhead lunges, etc.

While the deadlifts et al are technically “compound”, they are different from what makes me sick in two ways. First, they don’t really require the same level of full body intensity - compare a squat with a thruster for instance. Second, The things on the first list are typically done for maximal effort, or maybe 10 to 15 reps at most. Where as with something like Burpees or Overhead Walking lunges, you might be doing 10 to 30 reps as fast as possible.

Also important to mention, I have no issue with “endurance” per se. i’ve done a Marathon and 3 1/2 marathons - one as recently as 6 weeks ago.

So I can run for 4 hours fine. Lift heavy just fine. Lift compound movement just fine. But 5 to 10 burpees and I’m losing my balance and getting tunnel vision.

I remember that there is a term (or technique) that involves rapidly switching the part of your body doing work. It forces your body to re-distribute blood quickly from say your legs to your arms. Could this be what I’m bad at?

Any knowledge or theories any of you have will be very appreciated. I hate being bad something and I’d love to have a diagnosis and plan to improve.

2

First of all I would take a look at my diet if I was you. Have you recently switched over to the zone or paleo diet? You could be getting lightheaded and dizzy because of a lack of carb intake pre workout.

Secondly, it’s very possible that your conditioning just isn’t there yet. You’re doing different exercises than before and doing thrusters, burpees, double unders, box jumps, the rowing machine ect… is a different kind of conditioning than jogging a marathon. your body could just need more time to adjust to the new conditioning methods.

3

Yes, it’s a different kind of conditioning. However, box jumps, rows, double unders etc. don’t give me the same trouble. For instance, look at an example of the same “workout”, but with different movements:

3 sets: Max Reps 2 mins each with 1 minute rest

A - Double Under, Rows, Box Jumps. This is intense, but I can do it well and strong.

As opposed to:

B - Burpees, Over head walking lunge, wall balls. I get dizzy in the fist 60 to 90 seconds and can’t finish. I might get through 1 set of that and need 15 minutes to recover.

There is something to the particular exercise, not the intensity or type of training (at least it would seem).

The same thing goes for the diet theory. Sure maybe there is something with Carbs/salts/hydration or whatever. But that’s not a problem with Workout A above, but it is with workout B. This leads me think it can’t be a diet thing.

4

Seems like you’ve got it all figured out then.

5

[quote]vitaminJ wrote:
Yes, it’s a different kind of conditioning. However, box jumps, rows, double unders etc. don’t give me the same trouble. For instance, look at an example of the same “workout”, but with different movements:

3 sets: Max Reps 2 mins each with 1 minute rest

A - Double Under, Rows, Box Jumps. This is intense, but I can do it well and strong.

As opposed to:

B - Burpees, Over head walking lunge, wall balls. I get dizzy in the fist 60 to 90 seconds and can’t finish. I might get through 1 set of that and need 15 minutes to recover.

There is something to the particular exercise, not the intensity or type of training (at least it would seem).

The same thing goes for the diet theory. Sure maybe there is something with Carbs/salts/hydration or whatever. But that’s not a problem with Workout A above, but it is with workout B. This leads me think it can’t be a diet thing. [/quote]

Just looking at those two workouts, I can tell you I would have just as hard a time as you with the second one. Double unders, and bow jumps use a much smaller total body ROM as burpees and wall balls (fuck burpees). Overhead walking lunges just sound brutal due to the OH stability aspect.
I feel like the second workout just has a greater total movement requirement than the first.
My .02

7

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:

[quote]gregron wrote:
Seems like you’ve got it all figured out then.[/quote]

LOL, that’s what I was thinking!

OP: It sounds to me like a blood pressure issue. Sudden drop in venous BP caused by hyperperfusion of the lower body muscles. Maybe.

I still think you need to post your pre-workout nutrition though.

BBB[/quote]

Have to agree here with the BP drop, second workout is much greater workload capacity and more total body exercises. It could also be an inner ear issue, with the change in body planes from standing to lying.
How long do the symptoms last?

8

All the exercises you mentioned that make you nauseous involve holding arms overhead for a part of the motion. These always leave me gasping for more air, and consequently get me much dizzier. I remember reading an article on here way back about how overhead movements don’t allow you to take in as much air.

9

[quote]Sharp4850 wrote:

[quote]vitaminJ wrote:
Yes, it’s a different kind of conditioning. However, box jumps, rows, double unders etc. don’t give me the same trouble. For instance, look at an example of the same “workout”, but with different movements:

3 sets: Max Reps 2 mins each with 1 minute rest

A - Double Under, Rows, Box Jumps. This is intense, but I can do it well and strong.

As opposed to:

B - Burpees, Over head walking lunge, wall balls. I get dizzy in the fist 60 to 90 seconds and can’t finish. I might get through 1 set of that and need 15 minutes to recover.

There is something to the particular exercise, not the intensity or type of training (at least it would seem).

The same thing goes for the diet theory. Sure maybe there is something with Carbs/salts/hydration or whatever. But that’s not a problem with Workout A above, but it is with workout B. This leads me think it can’t be a diet thing. [/quote]

Just looking at those two workouts, I can tell you I would have just as hard a time as you with the second one. Double unders, and bow jumps use a much smaller total body ROM as burpees and wall balls (fuck burpees). Overhead walking lunges just sound brutal due to the OH stability aspect.
I feel like the second workout just has a greater total movement requirement than the first.
My .02[/quote]

I agree with this - I do a lot of this type of work. The exercises in the first work need a degree of skill, power and energy to do and therefore when heavily fatigued you either have to stop to allow your energy stores to recover or slow down to a work rate where replenishment can occur. This means that you can never reach the same level of fatigue as you can with burpees, wall balls, or overhead lunges - you can always do another one of these no matter how slow you have to go or how fatigued you are. This makes these sessions very fatiguing, very hard mentally and frequently cause me to regurgitate my last meal