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blacking out

Goosey

Goosey

.
i nearly blacked out during my set of leg extensions, but went straight to the leg press and was ok.

Got me thinking about it.

from the time i started lifting weights i wondered bicep exercises were more exhausting than tricep...why chin-ups more exhausting than dips, i thought chin-ups involved more peripheral work than dips.

i think thats wrong, seeing that the bodys circulatory system is sort of like a closed hydrolic system, the raising of the systems pressure as a whole is not really an issue, the blacking-out, or the elevated blood pressure is caused by the gripping exercises, often you see someone deadlift only to black-out momentarily.

I think you must somehow relieve blood pressure by momentarily realesing grip to restore circulation to the brain.
 
I come close after squats sometimes. Never on deadlift, very occasionally on standing press.
For me I think it's probably more to do with breathing/oxygen deficit though.
 
Darkoz said:
I don't know Andy, these past 3 weeks I've been close to blacking out after the Leg Press
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haha

I started blacking out on the leg extension and realised i was gripping the handles, really tight.
once i loosened off, my arms felt weird but i persisted and fininshed the set.

i think "gripping" has a lot to do with this, and why i find myself and others struggle on chin-ups and all pulling movements.
 
Not sure about the gripping. I've blacked out while Squatting 200kg, woke up on the garage floor. Was in the morning just before work. No real warm up sets or anything. Suspect it was the sudden increase in blood pressure or something.
 
El Stiffy said:
Not sure about the gripping. I've blacked out while Squatting 200kg, woke up on the garage floor. Was in the morning just before work. No real warm up sets or anything. Suspect it was the sudden increase in blood pressure or something.
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I'm not sure either, but I make sure I'm breating right, I think I'm doing it right, breathing that is.
Rows, curls legpress, all the exercises where i find I'm holding a pair of handles seems to add to the fatigue.
 
Silverback said:
I'm not sure either, but I make sure I'm breating right, I think I'm doing it right, breathing that is.
Rows, curls legpress, all the exercises where i find I'm holding a pair of handles seems to add to the fatigue.
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Come to think of it, the last time I almost blacked out was a few months ago, doing Chins. I was concentrating on the contraction. I had to lean against the wall afterwards. I put it down to my previous use of Pre Workout stims causing blood pressure issues.
 
I sometimes brown-out when I push too hard. Always do a number 2 before training or number 2 comes to you.
 
I see stars (more like white dots) around my vision when I do EZ bar curls, thought I was holding my breath, but focused on breathing next set and it still happened.
The grip may the the answer here.
 
I've come close to blacking out doing 90% 1RM squats on extremely hot days in a very humid, hot gym, blood pressure goes through the roof! Same with deadlifts of similar percentage and conditions. Blood pressure goes cray cray and feels are bad.
 
The very first rep of a heavy military press always has me seeing stars and there has been a few close calls in this regard. I am not sure how to prevent this because it is very disconcerting.
 
Jungman said:
The very first rep of a heavy military press always has me seeing stars and there has been a few close calls in this regard. I am not sure how to prevent this because it is very disconcerting.
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Cant imagine it on press, only been close on squat and deadlift . I'd say it's your breathing pattern?
 
Unless is doing a clean where the bar lands too high on your neck and cuts off blood supply I found I had issues with rack pulls and overhead press.

From what I read it was when you do a max lift your blood pressure goes through the roof. Your body tries to lower it and then you finish the rep and your blood pressure rapidly drops and can overshoots past normal levels and you black out.

I was blacking out a lot when I got back into rack pulls always just as I finished the rep. Eventually the body adapts and it stopped happening.
 
Welcome to my world. It all comes down to blood pressure. Not high pressure, low pressure. You black out as an automatic emergency procedure to get blood back into the brain. If you are lying down, blood can get into the brain a lot easier than when standing, so you black out.

What causes this is another matter. That's where high blood pressure comes in. You get yourself all worked up, gripping whatever very hard, which fires up your nervous system, then take a deep breath. That all causes your blood pressure to skyrocket. You will not blackout with high blood pressure. It's when you release the pressure that you black out as you rebound back past normal into low pressure territory. That's why people generally black out after a lift, not during.

Olympic lifters will get blackouts while loaded as the bar can block blood flow when it's resting on the neck during a clean and jerk.

First off, go get your blood pressure checked. You can do that for free in many clinics and some pharmacies. I recently bought an omron bp machine of ebay. Half the price. I think it was about $85 plus shipping then I had to get a large cuff (dem guns brah, dem guns) as well. Or just go to your doc. If your BP is high, then you are more likely to black out or get close to that.

Second, it's not just grip, it's also breathing. In fact, a lot of it is breathing. Or, to be more accurate, not breathing. Holding your breath. In powerlifiting, that's pretty much what we do on every rep, so you gotta be smart about it.

Third, take a knee. If you are deadlifting, don't bounce up and get all air punchy after a max lift. Stay down on one knee while still holding the bar and take a few deep breaths. Your body will be kinda folded up in that position so that slows down the blood flow through your body, reducing the rapid drop in pressure. Squatting down does the same thing after squats. On bench press, just lay there for a few seconds before getting up. It helps if your spotter is a girl in a short skirt.

Tensing your abs and thighs will also help, but you usually have to be in a standing position, a la bodybuilder style, to do that.

Yelling after a max deadlift or squat will also drain that last bit of oxygen and aid you on to na na land, so keep it real. I have passed out twice in comps, both times after a big yell. Last time I punched my lower teeth through my bottom lip and ended up getting stitches in hospital then was held for observation until 5am. Literally. I was pissed off. But I have found out what works for me (see above) and, while I get dizzy spells, I have not blacked out again.

If all else fails, wear a helmet.


cartman_special_olympics_icon.png
 
Silverback said:
haha

I started blacking out on the leg extension and realised i was gripping the handles, really tight.
once i loosened off, my arms felt weird but i persisted and fininshed the set.

i think "gripping" has a lot to do with this, and why i find myself and others struggle on chin-ups and all pulling movements.
Click to expand...
Andy, it's not so much "gripping" that is the issue here, as is the application of static contraction. Yes gripping can fall under this category, so does pushing against an immovable object. Now that will cause your blood pressure to sore, not to mention leave you breathless. Even though I mentioned pushing/pulling against an immovable object, at times, we witness bodybuilders on stage huffing and puffing through the "mere" action of a held muscle contractions.
 
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Yeah, thanks all, and I understand the concept, my breathing has always been quite good through exercise, I personally notice a difference if I relax my grip at times throughout the set of a particular exercise.
 
gotten a bit light headed after deadlifts but never passed out.

The exercise that always gets me is standing ab wheel rollouts. Have to hold my breath and it seems that anytime you do that with a tough load and arms above head there is issues. See stars and hear a gong type noise. Just like getting choked out (in BJJ).
 
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