I have intermittent headaches when weightlifting. I'm stuck.

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A. Superman

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Over the past year or so, I've been going to the gym on and off, with no specific plan in mind but to get on the machines and weights as much as I can and see if my muscle mass develops a bit. I have progressed from being able to do 95 lbs. on the bench press, I can now do 150 regularly, and my max is probably around 180.

Unfortunately for me, I've been stuck in the 135-150 range (just taking the bench press as an example) for several months now, and it's not simply because of my muscles getting used to what I'm doing. I'm intermittently getting these splitting, migraine-like headaches. These headaches come on one day while I'm in the middle of a workout and either lifting something or using a weight machine, and get worse with each rep until I'm in enough pain that I'll stop for the day. A few hours later, I'm left with only a dull ache that goes away after I sleep, but the headache returns in full force if I work out again within the next few days. Then, over the course of a week or three, the headaches decrease in severity until they disappear completely one day. Meanwhile, I've not been going to the gym much and pushing myself as hard as I would be able to, and my muscles have weakened. I'm left with a period of no headaches, during which I build the muscles back up again a bit, before the headaches hit again and I'm back to where I started. 150.

I asked a personal trainer who said that my blood sugar level was dropping too low and bringing on the headaches, and he suggested eating an energy bar or a fruit during the workout. This doesn't explain why I can go weeks at a time without problems.

What might the problem be? If it has any relevance to the situation, I am 15 years old and usually go to the gym every other day.
 
welllll

welllll puberty does funny things. i kno because every year there are at least two sophmore or freshman on my highschool lax team who say they simply cant run as fast. They feel that there legs just dont bend the way they used to. This is because they are growing so much that weird things happen. Now, this isnt specific to u, im saying that puberty triggers odd things.

I would recommend u see a doctor, actually if i were ur parents i would drag u there whether u wanted to or not. When something like this happens for so long...u should seek help.

I would recommend drinking plenty of water and gatorade, not just before, but on a regular meal basis (u could be very dehydrated). Be sure to exhale when u press the weight up and inhale when u bring the weight down. U could bust a vein or get a hernia (spelling). Be sure to eat a good amount of protein, calories and carbs. Your a growing teenager and u need all the engergy u can get. Also, dont push it so hard, ur still growing and growing alone puts an incredible amount of strain on ur body.

Most important bit of advice tho is to see a doctor and a chiropractor. Because ur so young u could have thrown something in ur back out of alignment which has caused these headaches.
 
headach problem?

Sometimes you will get headachs if your not breathing properly or not breathing at all. Case in point, I use to get headachs when I would hold my breath during squat on the way up.
 
Exactly, a number of people get headaches when working out due to improper breathing. The Valsalva maneuver is the technical term for holding your breath and blocking airways during workout. Also, maxing out at your age can be very risky!
 
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