Valsalva maneuver

[Matthew Spicka]

So I am PR'ing my squats every workout and I'm a currently at 285#. Every rep my head preasure is getting more intense. Is this correct or am I performing the maneuver incorrectly?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You're doing it wrong. Hold your breath with your mouth open and your jaw relaxed.

[Matthew Spicka]

Thanks Coach,
I concentrated on it last night for my second and third sets and it was better. I will work on your suggestion next round. I knew there was something I was doing wrong.

[Treg]

Does this happen with all your lifts, or just with squats? I use the Valsalva maneuver for all the basic lifts, with absolutely no problems at all. But if I try to hold my breath while doing chinups, the pressure in my head becomes unbearable after about three reps, and I need to start letting a little air out when I'm around 2/3 or 3/4 of the way up.

I have no idea how intense the pressure is that you're experiencing - maybe it's normal and you just haven't gotten used to it. But if it's really a problem, maybe you could try letting a little air out just as you're nearing the completion of your squat reps and see if that helps. Obviously, you would need to continue to take a big huge breath to start, and hold all of it in so you stay as tight as possible until you're very close to the top, and even then only exhale a little, then let the rest out after completing the rep.

No idea if this will help you but thought I'd throw it out there.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Does this happen with all your lifts, or just with squats? I use the Valsalva maneuver for all the basic lifts, with absolutely no problems at all. But if I try to hold my breath while doing chinups, the pressure in my head becomes unbearable after about three reps, and I need to start letting a little air out when I'm around 2/3 or 3/4 of the way up.

Don't do multiple reps on one breath, okay?

[Treg]

Don't do multiple reps on one breath, okay?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I don't do multiple chinup reps on one breath - way too fat and old for that. I take a big breath at the bottom, exhale at the top and take another breath to descend, then exhale and take another breath to start the next rep. If I hold my breath all the way to the top, the pressure in my head becomes debilitating, not some minor distraction.

There's probably some other explanation for what's going on with the OP, but again, I just thought I'd mention my experience in case it helps him. I doubt that what happens to me with chinups happens to most people, but to me it's a very realy problem for which I have found a simple solution.

[Matthew Spicka]

Does this happen with all your lifts, or just with squats? I use the Valsalva maneuver for all the basic lifts, with absolutely no problems at all. But if I try to hold my breath while doing chinups, the pressure in my head becomes unbearable after about three reps, and I need to start letting a little air out when I'm around 2/3 or 3/4 of the way up.

I have no idea how intense the pressure is that you're experiencing - maybe it's normal and you just haven't gotten used to it. But if it's really a problem, maybe you could try letting a little air out just as you're nearing the completion of your squat reps and see if that helps. Obviously, you would need to continue to take a big huge breath to start, and hold all of it in so you stay as tight as possible until you're very close to the top, and even then only exhale a little, then let the rest out after completing the rep.

No idea if this will help you but thought I'd throw it out there.

No not all of my reps or excercizes and it didn't even happen every set. But noticed it on my first set of squats. I just figured there must be some trick to help with this.