Ever gotten so lightheaded you thought you were going to pass out on OHP?

[Charlie Davies]

I had a full-on syncope once. Woke up on the floor, thought I was in bed, wondering why I'm just a girl was playing on the radio. Then started wondering why there was a pull-up station above my bed, and why my head hurt. Then I realized I didn't have a radio. Then I realized I was still in the gym, lying on the floor... It wasn't even a heavy press, just glad I managed to re-rack it before falling backwards.

Me too, but it was power cleans. Again, screwed up breathing/valsalva timing.

That moment of confusion as you come to! Where am I, why does X hurt, how did I get here...

[hollismb]

I had a period of near misses about a year in to proper lifting, and full blown attack once, and nearly crushed/sheared my thumb off. Was careful until it stopped happening, and has been fine since. I thought it was a period of adaptation where the weakest link in your valsalva is the circulatory system in your head, until it adapts and moves on elsewhere (like the blood vessels in your face). I fully expect to be wrong though, prolly just dumb bracing or summat (although why it was only ohp when it's the lightest lift bugged me something fierce).

Just letting out a little puff of air between the unrack and the first rep normally fixes it immediately if it tends to happen on your first or second rep (and breathing properly between reps of course. See also: the book).

[Murelli]

I was also floored on a power clean, but more out of dumbness: I catched the bar with a semi-split stance and tried to get my feet in a better position with the bar on the rack. I lost balance, the bar rolled onto my neck and next thing I know I'm looking at the ceiling and trying to stand up with a big literal pain in the ass. Lucky me I fell ass first and the bar rolled down to my hips before my back hit the ground. I fell right between a leg press machine and the only rack in the gym.

[ud2o]

Right on, seems common enough that maybe I'm not about to have a brain aneurysm. Unless we're all ab. . . . . . .nevermind.

I'll have to check my valsalva & breathing. Never really paid much attention to when I exhale, it's possible that I'm doing that at the "top" of the lift.

Thanks for your thoughts, dudes.

[chromoly]

I had this when I was going for a new 1RM the other day. I reracked the bar and sat down for a few minutes. I was so pissed off that I attempted the lift again and got it.

Not the first time it's happened to me though. For me, there's no rhyme or reason to it, except the weight has to be reasonably heavy (80% of 1RM or above). I sometimes get similarly light-headed when doing power snatches. Has never happened for any other lift.

Also, I breathe out at the top, doing the press 1.0. The light-headedness/blacking out never happens at the top, only right as the bar is about to pass my head, at the sticking point of the lift. Maybe it has something to do with the valsalva, I don't know.

[Manimal]

This happens everytime I press. I valsalva to unrack the bar, and have to immediately start breathing after I set my feet. After I repressurize then I can lift straight through a set of 5 without breathing again. It's the only lift I have issues lift, well DL but everyone does. For me it seems the speed at which I am loaded matters more than being loaded.

[BostonRugger]

I get this periodically. Had to rack it and take a knee a couple times. Typically I start to feel it in the bottom position as soon as I take the bar out of the rack.

Taking a bigger breath and holding it more tightly usually lessens the problem for me. Most of the time I'm able to fight through it and finish the set. Reconsidering that strategy after reading Eric K's post above.

[shoq]

Maybe your belt is too tight? Does the lightheaded occur if you remove your belt and do the set?

[FatButWeak]

Yes. Ive blacked out twice and dropped the bar. Private powerlifting gym, so no one cared. The blackouts were instantaneous - l was out for less than a second but thats all it takes.

Im tall and have naturally low blood pressure, made even lower because Im usually on a ketogenic diet.

To combat I make sure to drink extra salt with my pre workout; I warmup slowly with a huge valsalva on all the warmups (lift light weights like they are heavy weights); i wear my belt tight; i squeeze my glutes super tight; I have noticed a difference between catching my breat at the dop, vs at the bottom, but If I start to get tunnel vision, I usually lowe r the weight to clavicles and breath - I can usually complete my reps after this.

It sucks, but you just gotta grind theorugh.