why am i getting KILLING headaches when working out

[New England]

Dehydration

said in one word what took me about 500 or so lol.



the TS is almost certainly dehydrated.


drinking water throughout the day (pure water, room temp if possible) especially before during and after your workouts, will solve the problem.

[SplitSecond]

glass brain

[Ringo]

Hey man - couple of possibilities here. Dehydration could be the culprit, but because the pain is localized to your head, it is probably more of an aggravating cause than a root issue.

Most likely culprit - rapid increase in blood pressure. Your cranium is one of the least flexible areas in the body (other than, say...your teeth), and the brain does NOT tolerate swelling very well. When you combine the extreme exertion of lifting weights (especially in the heavier sets or near the end of a set), your blood pressure skyrockets, as your heart is working double time, on a reduced level of oxygen, to get oxygen-starved muscles some air. Also, lactic acid buildup makes your body less efficient (that's why you get muscle fatigue and cramp, but that's another seminar.), thus your internals have to work harder (read: increased BP).

Bottom line: Increase in blood pressure leads to head****e. You simply HAVE to have adequate rest between heavy lifting sets, you HAVE to know the limit for the day, and you HAVE to get your breathing under control before and during a set.

Now, here's one that'll make you go, "huh." Incline leg press, right? Think about the orientation of your body - you likely either had your head bent forward or your head pressed back against the pad, right? Literally everyone does. It's not wrong to do, BUT it constricts blood flow up to your head, which momentarily - you guessed it - ****es your blood pressure. Now, when you couple this with a vasovagal response (nerve in your brain that reacts to BP/heart rate) you get a sudden DROP in blood pressure, which results in a headache and a fluctuating pulse.

I'm not a neuroscientist or anything, this just used to happen to me.

Now, that's just one possibility. But, it is something to watch and consider. If it persists despite being careful, etc - go to the doctor. Don't mess around with your head.

Good luck.

[boxingsmash69]

Water may be the answer.

I put a big glass of water on my table before bed, then when I wake up, the first thing I do is drink it.

It's a healthy morning habit, give it a shot.


And definitely drink more water throughout the day, especially on days you work out.

[Jack3d]

if you are working out regularly you should be drinking 6-10 big glasses of water each day.

This is actually wrong. That is the recommended daily water intake for the average person who doesn't even workout. Dehydration is extremely common. There aren't very many people who drink as much water as they should and it's very hard to tell when and if you're dehydrated until it's too late (ie cramps)

If this "headache" only lasts for about a minute, then it has nothing to do with your water intake.

It's combination of blood flow issues and improper breathing during the exercise. Plus if you are doing max effort lifts it's very common to get brief "headrushes" and dizziness. Especially if you aren't breathing correctly.

[New England]

This is actually wrong. That is the recommended daily water intake for the average person who doesn't even workout. Dehydration is extremely common. There aren't very many people who drink as much water as they should and it's very hard to tell when and if you're dehydrated until it's too late (ie cramps)

If this "headache" only lasts for about a minute, then it has nothing to do with your water intake.

It's combination of blood flow issues and improper breathing during the exercise. Plus if you are doing max effort lifts it's very common to get brief "headrushes" and dizziness. Especially if you aren't breathing correctly.

did you read the rest of what i told him lol?
to be fair i probably should have said "at least."

i think he's 18

unless he's a big guy and they're tiny little girly glasses 6-10 is probably a good start (especially if he's only "taking a sip at the water fountain and drinking some coffee")


not everybody can blast through huge amounts of water if they aren't used to it.

me, i'm like a horse. lemme dunk my head in the stuff and drink it that way. its faster and boss.

like i said, when i was into lifting weights i'd say i drank at least a gallon of water each day (though i wasn't keep track, and usually a hell of a lot more if it was hot out



and TS
you should be drinking enough water to have urine that is mostly clear
that's usually a good indicator of how well hydrated you are.

[jaded]

Headaches could be caused by a lot of things...but my guess is not enough electrolytes . When you are dehydrated from sweating and you drink water you actually flush more electrolytes out of your body (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, hydrogen phosphate, and hydrogen carbonate). Headache is a common reaction. The electrolytes conduct electricity and allow the nerve impulses to jump from the synapses (which don't actually touch each other and depend on electrolytes to facilitate the impulse...think of when a spark archs when charged wires are about to touch). Not enough of them can cause a stroke in extreme cases and death. To little of them may also cause loss of impulse resulting in a loss of strength...mental fatigue and headache...muscle cramping...and compromise overall athleticism. If you diet isn't adequate in the electrolytes a sports drink is a good idea...water alone has no electrolytes and as I said will dilute and flush those that you do have out. Gatorade contains a little to much sugar...and sugar free likely contains aspertain which is a known carcinogen. Low sugar sport drinks tends to be more pricy. Do some searches on sports drinks...find one in your budget without to much sugar and see if that solves your problem. Also...check your diet and maybe make some adjustments...most people get plenty of salt...it's the other things which they lack.

*just a side note...the reason people get headaches with hangovers is because the more you drink the more you urinate and flush out your electrolytes...the result is a wicked headache.

[Voz de Mando]

u mad soff

[mark1993]

if you are working out regularly you should be drinking 6-10 big glasses of water each day.


when i was into weightlifting i used to drink about a gallon and a half including what i mixed into my supplements and shakes (i was not and have never been a small man, so you might be ok with a bit less than a gallon. no gatoraide. no juice. not soda. water. drink lots and lots of water)



my guess would be that you are dehydrated. that's usually the most common cause of headaches in athletes.

don't drink coffee either before a workout, if at all possible.
especially if you take pre-workout supplements (most of them contain gobs of caffeine anyway. if you see the word guarana on a product that means there's serious caffeine in there)


its amazing how little water gets consumed by young people these days
a bottle of gatoraide has almost as much sugar as a bottle of soda.
lots of salt in there too. tons of salt, actually. if you concentrate you can actually taste it when you drink the stuff.


if you are an athlete or want to be fit like one you should be drinking amounts of water that will probably seem ridiculous to you at first. but they shouldn't. it's only natural to drink lots of water when you are very active.



water is THE key ingredient for building muscle. your muscles are more water than they are anything else.
you break muscles down and fill them with blood when you work out.

they get fed all that good stuff you're eating from the increased blood flow they will be experiencing for the rest of the day and also during your pump when you are lifting. and when they are sore your blood flowing through them will feed them and help them to recover.
all of these processes are based on the flow of blood and water


so yeah, young man
drink up on that dihydrogen monoxide

AKA pure water.

Dehydration doesn't quite seem the answer to me as ive been working out for more than a year and haven't experienced this pain before even if the last thing ive drunk was a glass of water before i left my house (it takes me about 40mins to get to the gym).

also i've read in ****zines like mens fitness and other forums that drinking coffee before a workout will increase your performance and coffee (not so sure about instant coffee) is good for you.

I dont drink any gatorade or much fizzy drinks but i do drink juice. i try to keep it to a minimum of one per day. But i've been told its important to have some drinks like lucazade to replace the lost nutrients in your body like the salt.

but thanks ill try to drink more water

[mark1993]

Headaches could be caused by a lot of things...but my guess is not enough electrolytes . When you are dehydrated from sweating and you drink water you actually flush more electrolytes out of your body (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, hydrogen phosphate, and hydrogen carbonate). Headache is a common reaction. The electrolytes conduct electricity and allow the nerve impulses to jump from the synapses (which don't actually touch each other and depend on electrolytes to facilitate the impulse...think of when a spark archs when charged wires are about to touch). Not enough of them can cause a stroke in extreme cases and death. To little of them may also cause loss of impulse resulting in a loss of strength...mental fatigue and headache...muscle cramping...and compromise overall athleticism. If you diet isn't adequate in the electrolytes a sports drink is a good idea...water alone has no electrolytes and as I said will dilute and flush those that you do have out. Gatorade contains a little to much sugar...and sugar free likely contains aspertain which is a known carcinogen. Low sugar sport drinks tends to be more pricy. Do some searches on sports drinks...find one in your budget without to much sugar and see if that solves your problem. Also...check your diet and maybe make some adjustments...most people get plenty of salt...it's the other things which they lack.

*just a side note...the reason people get headaches with hangovers is because the more you drink the more you urinate and flush out your electrolytes...the result is a wicked headache.

Thanks makes some sense. But if water flushes and dilutes the electrolytes, wouldn't people who keep well hydrated in the gym experience this headache quite often?
Even when I was doing boxing, I drank a large amount of water when I was gasping for it and it made me feel better. It didnt make me have a headache or any other problems.
But then again could be my diet