Although you must hold your breath between reps, there is a difference between holding your breath and straining so much you cause headaches.
I am 19, roughly 170 lbs and have been doing Stronglifts for a couple of months. Two weeks ago I was finishing a set of squats at 220 lbs. when suddenly my head starting throbbing in much the way I hear exertion headaches described. My entire head felt it was in a vice and them felt stuffy and "clamped" for the rest of the day. I'm only worrying now because I've since had it happen every other time I try exercising -- I'd lowered the weights to 185 for reps of 10 with squats and it happened again. Then I tried pull-ups a few days later and it happened again. Most recently it happened slightly this morning during sexual activity and then more so during a set of push-ups. I'm scheduled for a doctor's appointment this evening but this has already interfered severely with my workouts. I've found when I go on a run however the stuffiness subsides and i'm roughly back to normal. Has anyone experienced anything similar who can possibly shed light on my condition?
Last edited by stockyslim; 04-14-2011 at 09:28 AM. Reason: addendum
Although you must hold your breath between reps, there is a difference between holding your breath and straining so much you cause headaches.
Ive had the same thing happen, you need to control your breathing better. My headaches lasted almost two weeks, you can keep lifting but as soon as you feel the throbbing sensation stop the set immediately. It would probably go away faster if you didnt lift for a while.