Faintness during certain lifts

[LoneSilver]

Do you know if there is any evidence that this could cause nerve damage? If so I'd really like to know.

LoneSilver

Another thing with the whole breathing issue...You can seriously damage your eyes if you don't breathe while doing heavy lifts. The eyes are a weak point, pressure wise, in the body and are the first to give out if internal pressure is too great...

Breathe deep when working out.

 

[stronglifts]

Another thing with the whole breathing issue...You can seriously damage your eyes if you don't breathe while doing heavy lifts. The eyes are a weak point, pressure wise, in the body and are the first to give out if internal pressure is too great...

Breathe deep when working out.

Eye damage lol.

I'll give you the reason why you must hold your breath during the lift.

Try squatting with twice your bodyweight. Release the pressure (by breathing) while you lift the weight up. What will happen you think?

You'll colapse.

Breathing or bracing the abs like it's called, is used to have a firm base. Look at the pyramids: the base is large.

That's why you should keep your breath during the lift.

Breathe before/breathe after the lift, but not the few seconds during.

This is basic technique btw & the secret to lifting big weights.


Wanna pump the biceps? breathe. Wanna lift big: hold your breath.

 

[Omen]

how far into your workouts is this happening? when was your last meal/nutrition? are you taking any nutrition during your workouts?

also, pay attention to your breathing. exaggerate it for a while. holding your breath on the concentric portion is tempting as you go up in poundage, but you need a complete breath for each rep. typical advice is to exhale during the concentric phase, and inhale on the eccentric phase, though some powerlifters hold their breath during the concentric phase and breathe between reps. failing to breathe properly raises b.p. and builds up pressure in all the wrong places.

HUGE, HUGE, HUGE for people.

There is a maneuver called the Valslva (it has its place though) and you would be surprised at how many people in the gym do this without even knowing. I am always telling people BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE.

Here is what it is......

1. Initial pressure rise: On application of expiratory force, pressure rises inside the chest forcing blood out of the pulmonary circulation into the left atrium. This causes a mild rise in blood pressure.

2. Reduced venous return and compensation: Return of blood to the heart is impeded by the pressure inside the chest. The output of the heart is reduced, the blood pressure falls. This occurs from 5 to about 14 seconds in the illustration. The fall in blood pressure reflexly causes blood vessels to constrict with some rise in pressure (15 to 20 seconds). This compensation can be quite marked with pressure returning to near or even above normal, but the cardiac output and blood flow to the body remains low. During this time the pulse rate increases.

3. Pressure release: The pressure on the chest is released, allowing the pulmonary vessels and the aorta to re-expand causing a further initial slight fall in pressure (20 to 23 seconds) due to decreased left ventricular return and increased aortic volume, respectively. Venous blood can once more enter the chest and the heart, cardiac output begins to increase.

4. Return of cardiac output: Blood return to the heart is enhanced by the effect of entry of blood which had been dammed back, causing a rapid increase in cardiac output and of blood pressure (24 seconds on). The pressure usually rises above normal before returning to a normal level. With return of blood pressure, the pulse rate returns towards normal.

So be careful as to not do this. Sometimes this can cause people to get dizzy and faint if they aren't aware they are doing it.

And if you aren't doing it, at least it is some extra information that they teach you if you specialize or have a degree in an exercise related field.

 

[BluEyes]

Originally posted by stronglifts
Eye damage lol.

I'll give you the reason why you must hold your breath during the lift.

Try squatting with twice your bodyweight. Release the pressure (by breathing) while you lift the weight up. What will happen you think?

You'll colapse.

Breathing or bracing the abs like it's called, is used to have a firm base. Look at the pyramids: the base is large.

That's why you should keep your breath during the lift.

Breathe before/breathe after the lift, but not the few seconds during.

This is basic technique btw & the secret to lifting big weights.


Wanna pump the biceps? breathe. Wanna lift big: hold your breath.

Did you seriously just say that?

Dude, don't preach dangerous advice.

And the eye problem you can develop is glaucoma(sp?), along with nerve damage.

I honestly can't believe you're telling people to hold their breath while lifting. Are you dumb?

edit: links to back up my point...Show me one reference that tells you to hold your breath during high-pressure lifts.

1) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=51707
2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5334116.stm
3) http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=64057
4) http://www.hon.ch/News/HSN/534872.html

and Omen got his **** from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver

 

[BluEyes]

And here's a link that an intellectually challenged person like yourself might want to read.

http://thesoko.com/thesoko/article1097.html

 

[Throttle]

And here's a link that an intellectually challenged person like yourself might want to read.

no need for the ad hominem attacks.

clearly the starting point for all lifters should be breathing out as you push or pull, and taking in another breath as you come back to the starting position.

there's a lot of room for either partially or fully holding your breath as you lift if you are fully aware of your breathing. the point in this thread is that lewis wasn't paying any attention, and now he is. he'll figure out how to keep his core tight w/o his eyes exploding. this is much ado about nothing.

 

[BluEyes]

Originally posted by Throttle
there's a lot of room for either partially or fully holding your breath as you lift if you are fully aware of your breathing.

There should never be a moment in your life when you are "fully holding your breath." not even underwater, get what I'm saying?

In these activites, pressure is released
a) windpipe instrument = excess pressure goes out mouth
b) snorkeling = obviously through snorkel
c) scuba diving = through bca. They teach you that if you don't breathe, you die.
d) weightlifting = THROUGH MOUTH
e) weightlifting with closed windpipe(not breathing) = THROUGH EYES

So, tell me how being "fully aware" of your breathing prevents pressure buildup.
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I contributed my knowledge earlier, and he essentially laughed it off and told people not to breathe when lifting weights. Im not in the business of attacking anybody, but when safety & technique is scorned in favour of stupidity, it makes you wonder, doesn't it?

 

[stronglifts]

1) http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=51707
2) http://www.news-medical.net/?id=20053
3) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5334116.stm
4) http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=64057
5) http://www.hon.ch/News/HSN/534872.html

Did you read the articles or only the titles?

You're giving me 5 times the same article, with no case that there was eye damaged caused by weightlifiting, but only a probability.

If you want cases of eye damage: look at athetes who have trained for +20, +30 years & used the valsava manoever. Ask them if they have any eye damage.

 

[stronglifts]

There should never be a moment in your life when you are "fully holding your breath." not even underwater, get what I'm saying?

In these activites, pressure is released
a) windpipe instrument = excess pressure goes out mouth
b) snorkeling = obviously through snorkel
c) scuba diving = through bca. They teach you that if you don't breathe, you die.
d) weightlifting = THROUGH MOUTH
e) weightlifting with closed windpipe(not breathing) = THROUGH EYES

So, tell me how being "fully aware" of your breathing prevents pressure buildup.

Your car runs out of gas in an intersection, and you have to push it out of the way or get killed, you open your car door, put your shoulder on the doorframe, take a big breath and push the car. You will probably not exhale except to take another quick breath until the car and you are out of the way.

This is from starting strength by Mark Rippetoe.

The valsave manoeuver is something all of us will use anyway. it's a natural thing to do. Until "professionals" interefere with studies that it might cause eye damage.

Your lower back supports the weight from the back. By holding your breath, you add support on the front (abs). Not using the valsava manoever is putting all the weight on the back.

The valsave manoeuver will prevent real problems like lower back injuries. I prefer avoiding real lower bak injuries than possible eye damage injuries.

You should too.

 

[Throttle]

There should never be a moment in your life when you are "fully holding your breath." not even underwater, get what I'm saying?

So, tell me how being "fully aware" of your breathing prevents pressure buildup.

actually, just a few moments ago, i was fully holding my breath, waiting for my point to catch up with you. yet another moment of me living dangerously, no doubt.

of course awareness in and of itself does not do anything to your breathing. but you cannot adjust your breathing without being aware of it.

quite to the contrary of your overstatement to the above, we naturally inhale and hold in all sorts of situations, especially those involving a fight or flight response or requiring a great deal of exertion. it is precisely b/c we naturally hold our breath in certain circumstances that not doing so first requires awareness.

none of your examples, strangely, involve breathing through the nose. you may be primarily a mouth breather, but it is quite possible to be essentially holding ones breath while letting out a slow stream of air through the nostrils. BUT noticing the difference between that and holding one's breath requires a great deal of awareness.

my point remains that awareness is a precondition for proper breathing, and from there it is up to the individual to explore what does & does not work, both in theory & practice. to lay down a blanket "don't hold your breath, your eyes might explode" is a recipe for getting ignored, b/c most of us have lots of experience holding our breath, if only for seconds at a time. the reality is much more complicated and interesting, as omen began to outline above.

 

[6-heads lewis]

stronglifts, you beat me to it.

I actually read my copy of Starting Strength last night looking over his explanation of the clean and breathing suggestions, and I came across that same excerpt. I logged on to share it... too slow.

 

[6-heads lewis]

this is much ado about nothing.

agreed.

 

[BluEyes]

I merely stated that holding one's breath while weightlifting can cause nerve damage in your eyes. Funnily enough, several medical articles and studies have been made on it.

Originally posted by stronglifts
Your lower back supports the weight from the back. By holding your breath, you add support on the front

Buddy, thats what your abdominal muscles are for.

Originally posted by stronglifts
Your car runs out of gas in an intersection, and you have to push it out of the way or get killed, you open your car door, put your shoulder on the doorframe, take a big breath and push the car. You will probably not exhale except to take another quick breath until the car and you are out of the way.

So, because you don't suddenly go blind doing it once, it MUST be perfectly safe to do right? Nice logic, this is starting to sound like a debate about the effects of smoking.

By the way, if you're pushing your car out of intersections as often as you work out, i'd suggest getting it checked.

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Whatever, I'm not here to argue, or influence clearly closed minds.

good luck