5 rep valsalva

[VNV]

Your valsalva will become stronger as your body adapts to stresses just like the rest of your body. When I first started doing heavy singles I couldn't hold the valsalva at all. The air just got crushed out of me. It only took a couple workouts for that problem to fix itself.

I noticed this too. I used to nearly suffocate under a single rep of 135 lbs. But it didn't take long (w/in a few weeks?) for that to disappear. Now 135x3x5 is very accessible with good valsalva and no suffocation.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why don't you just take a breath for each rep, like a sane person does?

[hamburgerfan]

On a set of 5 presses, I usually hold my breath for the first 3. But my first 3 reps take under 6 seconds.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Ham is never quite all the way on board.

[VNV]

Why don't you just take a breath for each rep, like a sane person does?

I am sorry I haven't been clear.

I have always reset/breathed between each rep of the press, at the bottom.

Initially, one rep of 135 lbs was crushing. It used to be very difficult to breath in at the bottom to reset the valsalva, due to the sheer weight of those massive 45's on each side.

Weak. But sane.

[Christopher Button]

On a set of 5 presses, I usually hold my breath for the first 3. But my first 3 reps take under 6 seconds.

I'm exactly the same. It's sort of inconsistent, because the first three reps are touch-and-go, followed by the pause and a breathing reset, and then I do the remaining two.

Maybe I should just learn the damn Press 2.0.

[Greg C]

On a set of 5 presses, I usually hold my breath for the first 3. But my first 3 reps take under 6 seconds.

I'm with ham on this one. I knock out the first three-ish, take a breath and finish the set. Never had an issue with dizziness. And this from a guy with bilateral Meniere's.

[Notrhwoods]

Doing 5/3/1 with AMRAP sets I pushed a squat set to the point of my legs feeling numb and the weight not really feeling there. I had a somewhat out of body experience like you describe. I did 3 or 4 reps in this numb state. I tried it again the next week and collapsed to the ground with a 280# bar on my back, luckily I was in a power rack.

You are dancing with the devil if you can't really feel the weight and will end up dropping it on your head or passing out.