Splitting headaches after squats?

[rainstony]

Here lately, only after my squats, I jiat get this insane headache. It starts in my neck right above the bar and just climbs up and wraps around my whole skull. Almost brings me to my knees.

Is anyone else getting anything like this? Literally no other exercise but squats.

 

[bg65]

Deads don't do it? Leg press? (I can/did read you said only squats but just checking)

 

[rainstony]

Deads don't do it? Leg press? (I can/did read you said only squats but just checking)

No I'm actually not a dead lifter. And my leg presses more lighter weight super high volume. Squats is the only thing where I really Push it on up there.

I figured it was blood pressure spikes, but at some point that s***'s gotta have somewhere to go or I feel like I'm gonna pass out.

 

[Fleezy]

Maybe having the bar weighing on your shoulders is causing some sort of nerve compression/issue with your discs

Do hack squats have the same effect? Or is it just barbell back squats?

 

[bg65]

Maybe having the bar weighing on your shoulders is causing some sort of nerve compression/issue with your discs

Do hack squats have the same effect? Or is it just barbell back squats?

That's what i was getting at. Maybe load up your normal working weight and just unrack it and stand there loaded up for a time. Re-rack, maybe repeat a few times. If it reproduces your symptoms i think that'd be a little reassuring but if squats are your hardest valsalva move and you're consistently having those symptoms i would def figure it out. You don't want a Kris Dim situation on your hands and i mean that w respect to Dim. I actually would see him and his brother at the gym around the time he suffered the aortic dissection. I'm pretty sure it was a leg day as well. As an aside, his brother always told me Kris was natural haha when i never had asked. He had a pretty amazing body

 

[alfresco]

Try front squats.

 

[Fa Seeshus]

Safety squat bar or manta ray squat pad might help. I was getting cervical spine compression from the bar.

 

[Dave Perez]

Back in 85 I was squatting 405...I pushed the set too hard....I immediately felt a horrible pain in my head, passed out and came to a few seconds later... somehow I was able to rack the weight...it felt like someone hit my head with a hammer...to this day I believe I had an aneurysm...

 

[Golden]

I’m assuming you are already monitoring BP?

 

[TrippplePPP]

Where do you rest the bar on your back? I would place the bar just above the scapular spine. If you are placing it much higher I could see it putting a lot of stress on your cervical spine and creating the issue.

 

[IronM]

Blood pressure

 

[Flex500]

Here lately, only after my squats, I jiat get this insane headache. It starts in my neck right above the bar and just climbs up and wraps around my whole skull. Almost brings me to my knees.

Is anyone else getting anything like this? Literally no other exercise but squats.

I'm betting it's an exertional headache. They come on fast, almost in a burst and can last minutes or sometimes hours. This is often due to extreme exertion for prolonged periods and is increased if you are not breathing enough. I actually went to the hospital for this once it was so bad. I can tell you as an athletic trainer (not personal trainer) many athletes get these. It's often on leg press or something of that nature and they are not breathing enough and they feel like a bomb just went off in their head.

There is usually almost no underlying serious condition but in athletes, bodybuilders, etc. it's often the combo of extreme exertion (beyond anything that's remotely normal or happens during normal exercise) combined with not breathing enough.

Lots of info on it online as well if you google exercise induced exertional headache. I know you mean though...they are not normal headaches...it feels like you are about to die.

 

[cage99]

I love this apparatus for during front squats! Saves my shoulders!

https://www.titan.fitness/strongman/carry/other-carry-1/front-squat-harness/409018.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAr4GgBhBFEiwAgwORrdIT259Is58Z-g_yd39oy0CyGzHbD2deUGi3iSseF6TU1s_14boNdRoC4LEQAvD_BwE

Cage

 

[powerphil]

I’ve totally had that after pushing one more rep on squats. Pain is in the base of my head in the back where the neck muscles connect. It literally brings me to my knees

 

[headtrainer]

Here lately, only after my squats, I jiat get this insane headache. It starts in my neck right above the bar and just climbs up and wraps around my whole skull. Almost brings me to my knees.

Is anyone else getting anything like this? Literally no other exercise but squats.

I’d recommend belt squats. I’d also recommend that you back off on the intensity while performing that exercise. Your body is trying to tell you something!

 

[UnholyAlliance]

Safety squat bar or manta ray squat pad might help. I was getting cervical spine compression from the bar.

This.

I have had a broken neck years ago and it still gives issues so a Manta Ray or a sissy pad I use for squats.

 

[BigNJ]

It could be related to high arterial pressure affecting the medulla oblengata when squatting, your bp Will cause arterial dilation.
If it's happening all the time, an MRI scan on the head can tell you 100% if that's the issue. Make sure you do the MRI with a dye.

It also could be neurological as well.
My guess would be the first case since it only happens while squatting. I'm assuming you're squatting heavy.

 

[stackdizzy]

I'm betting it's an exertional headache. They come on fast, almost in a burst and can last minutes or sometimes hours. This is often due to extreme exertion for prolonged periods and is increased if you are not breathing enough. I actually went to the hospital for this once it was so bad. I can tell you as an athletic trainer (not personal trainer) many athletes get these. It's often on leg press or something of that nature and they are not breathing enough and they feel like a bomb just went off in their head.

There is usually almost no underlying serious condition but in athletes, bodybuilders, etc. it's often the combo of extreme exertion (beyond anything that's remotely normal or happens during normal exercise) combined with not breathing enough.

Lots of info on it online as well if you google exercise induced exertional headache. I know you mean though...they are not normal headaches...it feels like you are about to die.

I have had this once before in my life and I had to take the intensity down for a couple weeks before I didn't notice it anymore. I had the bomb feeling going off in my head and man that was the worst feeling in my head ever.