Lightheaded after squats

[scootermaster]

I've noticed lately that after i a set of squats I get a little light headed. Lasts for maybe 20-30 seconds and then I get my equilibrium back and everything is fine. I've tried to make sure I'm breathing at the top of my reps, and I do the whole take a breath, hold it in, and blow it out about 65-75% the way back up.

Anyway, I just want to make sure this isn't anything to be worried about. Thanks.

 

[brikis98]

It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

 

[scootermaster]

I rarely lift on an empty stomach (it's hard enough to get motivated and not mental psyche yourself out when you're lifting heavy, it'd be impossible for me to do if I was hungry) so I doubt it's that.

I try to take a breath at the top/before every rep, but it's possible I'm rushing things, so perhaps I'll slow down and make sure to take a nice breath. As far as doing the Valsalva correctly, like I said, I take a [relatively shallow] breath, hold it, tighten my abs, ass and then squat. When I'm on my way out, I foribly blow it out about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up until I'm back at the top. Is there more to it than that?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
As far as doing the Valsalva correctly, like I said, I take a [relatively shallow] breath, hold it, tighten my abs, ass and then squat. When I'm on my way out, I foribly blow it out about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up until I'm back at the top. Is there more to it than that?

The idea of the VM is to fill your torso with a lot of air and then pressurize it. This gives you larger, tighter, and more rigid core, which in turn lets you lift more weight and keeps your back safe. So, taking a "relatively shallow" breath isn't really what you're looking for. Instead, you want to take a big breath and make sure that it's getting onto your core. If your stomach expands when you breath in, you are doing it right; if your shoulders rise, you are doing it wrong. General procedure I follow:

1. Put your back into full extension ("chest up" or whatever cue you need). In fact, when first practicing the VM, you can even slightly hyperextend the back (see step 3 for why).

2. Suck a big breath into your stomach.

3. Close your glottis (throat) and breath out against it. At the same time, brace your abs very hard. You should feel your whole body become very pressurized and your core become extremely tight. Moreover, bracing your abs will straighten your back slightly, so if it was hyperextended before, it's in a neutral arch now.

4. While still holding your breath and keeping your core very tight, begin your lift.

5. Allow your body to naturally make adjustments from here on out. For example, during o-lifts, you'll probably release a bunch of air (with a hissing noise) during the recovery. During the squat, you'll probably start breathing out half way out of the hole. Don't force any of these consciously: your body will adjust the pressure as necessary.

Note, all the above steps should take very little time. You don't want to be standing around while holding your breath: immediately after the air is in and your core is tight, start your lift. As soon as a rep is done, breathe as much as you need to prepare for the next rep.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: brikis98
It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

Do you know what is happening physiologically when this occurs? I've always wondered. Is my blood pressure off? Or what?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: brikis98
It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

Do you know what is happening physiologically when this occurs? I've always wondered. Is my blood pressure off? Or what?

Usually blood pressure spikes during the movement due to intense muscular contraction. After you've deloaded the weight, relaxation of the muscles cause your blood pressure to drop, resulting in dizziness.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: brikis98
It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

Do you know what is happening physiologically when this occurs? I've always wondered. Is my blood pressure off? Or what?

Usually blood pressure spikes during the movement due to intense muscular contraction. After you've deloaded the weight, relaxation of the muscles cause your blood pressure to drop, resulting in dizziness.

sustained dizziness/lightheadedness?

if I push myself hard enough fast enough I can get to this point sometimes.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: brikis98
It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

Do you know what is happening physiologically when this occurs? I've always wondered. Is my blood pressure off? Or what?

Usually blood pressure spikes during the movement due to intense muscular contraction. After you've deloaded the weight, relaxation of the muscles cause your blood pressure to drop, resulting in dizziness.

sustained dizziness/lightheadedness?

if I push myself hard enough fast enough I can get to this point sometimes.

How long is "sustained?" If the drop in BP is large, the individual can even pass out. The greater the drop in BP, the longer the duration of recovery (including dizziness). If you can prevent that, please do so. It usually means you're doing something wrong.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: brikis98
It's not unusual to occasionally be lightheaded after a set of a compound exercise that involves heavy weight, such as squats, deadlifts or cleans, but if it is happening every single time, that may be an indicator that something is wrong. Perhaps you're holding your breath too long or not getting enough oxygen between reps? Are you performing the Valsalva maneuver correctly? Are you eating enough before your workouts or are you lifting on an empty stomach?

Do you know what is happening physiologically when this occurs? I've always wondered. Is my blood pressure off? Or what?

Depends on what is causing it for you: if you are not using the VM properly, it could be from blood pressure changes. If you are not breathing correctly, it could be from lack of oxygen to the brain. If it's diet related, it could just be low blood sugar.

 

[Lamont Burns]

It happens to me if I forget a breath between reps on a heavy Squat or DL. Sometimes I don't even realize... I suck at remembering proper breathing once the weight is on my shoulders.

 

[conorvansmack]

Originally posted by: Lamont Burns
It happens to me if I forget a breath between reps on a heavy Squat or DL. Sometimes I don't even realize... I suck at remembering proper breathing once the weight is on my shoulders.

I had this problem for a while. I started focusing on doing each set as a set of 5 singles, one rep at a time. That gave me the time to focus on getting a deep breath and made sure that I wasn't rushing anything.

 

[LongTimePCUser]

Definitely check your blood pressure just before and just after the exercise.
In general, if your blood pressure is low, standing up rapidly causes the blood pressure to drop rapidly and results in dizziness. It may also be aggrivated by dehydration.

Once, I was doing aerobic exercises and did not drink any water during the exercise. Afterwards, I was stretching on the floor and doing sit-ups. I got up quickly, went to log out of the gym, got dizzy and collapsed. My blood pressure was 95/65 when checked a few minutes later. Dehydration.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

this happens to me if i haven't been lifting for awhile, couple of weeks. squats only.

 

[Maverick2002]

How many reps are you doing? I noticed that when I occasionally do widowmakers (20 rep squats) by then end I'm more out of breath than after a sprint. Lightheadedness is (sometimes) related to cardio conditioning.

 

[Pantlegz]

I get a little dizzy/lightheaded for a few seconds after each set of squats I do, always thought it was normal...