Passing out after lifting

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yocan

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Saw a guy pass out after a DL today, made one step after and dropped. He was up in under a minute but a discussion ensued. Is lifting so heavy you pass out killing large number of brain cells? (Though I'll admit from reading on this forum blacking out at circa 500lbs is kinda silly but hey its more than I can DL)

Basically is it unhealthy to push that hard. Many times lifting I've had to sit down cause the peripherals of my vision start going black. Actually happened once today.

I get that it shows dedication and such but is it actually beneficial. The Marines say the same for throwing up, and I would naturally think its bad for you, but many Olympians are said to throw up multiple times in a week in practice......

So while I'm at it, is going to the point of throwing up bad for you as well?

I've seen it intermixed in threads here before... will many varying opinions from lots of people I've learned from. So while I appreciate input if you could cite a source I would appreciate it more.
 
I always start to black out during a max deadlift.
 
It's probably not killing brain cells, but is clearly an indicator of a serious underlying problem, possibly with blood pressure. That lifter would be insane to continue lifting without some very thorough medical exams.
 
RamlebNeral said:
He was probally holding his breath... gotta remember to exhale!
Click to expand...

I want you to try that next time you deadlift.

Passing out, headaches etc are never good. Warm up properly.
 
Black Out

This makes sense, as all of my training is at weights that are much less than my max.
 
I exhale at lockout and then take a new breath of air before decent. I would probably pass out if I didn't do this.
 
rckvl said:
Black Out

This makes sense, as all of my training is at weights that are much less than my max.
Click to expand...

Notice, holding his breath, then screams, then face plant into dumbells!

I may need to elaborate on my previous post. Exhale slowly during the lift, not a full exhale, but as the guy says in the article "you will hiss air out from between your teeth or produce a guttural sound from your throat" sorry for the confusion on that.

not saying you have to, but I've never passed out while lifting and I used to push some heavy weight.
 
Well I'm sure throwing up, blacking out, and completely passing out are not beneficial in any aspect. Now that doesn't mean if these things happen you have to completely eliminate the lift or program because you don't like that. This happens in weight lifting your body is working very hard, it's all about knowing your body and working in percentages up to a maximum to prep the body for the hard lift.

I've experienced some dizziness and slight blackening of my vision on squats and dead lifts. I've now learned how far I can push my body and know at a certain point I can continue going, but I also know when to stop. It's a balancing act in my opinion, warming up lots, and working with reps and progressive weights is usually a smart route.
 
I've passed out after deadlifting; held my breath too long, now I exhale at lockout, or even just before, otherwise I feel myself getting too light-headed.
 
Cratos said:
You don't exhale while performing a deadlift. Or squat. Or bench press. Over over head press. Or......
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I wish my fiancee were here to read this, because we fight about it all the time. Eventually, I just tell her to shut up because I'm the coach and she's the trainee. :icon_lol:
 
TwoFour Lowkick said:
?????

I thought you were supposed to. Why wouldn't you? (I'm new at this)
Click to expand...

My hunch is that the "inhale during the eccentric, exhale during the concentric" dictum was developed by trainers/lifters who were focusing on sets of 10 or more reps.

That takes some time and the poundages involved aren't super heavy, so core stability isn't such an issue. I can see how it might be logical (maybe even useful) to breathe that way during a long, light set.

But for heavy lifting -- let's say anything you can move for just 1, 2 or 3 reps -- you need to hold your breath during the full execution of the lift, eccentric and concentric. If needed, it's okay to take a breath at lockout but you need to make sure to tighten up again if you're gonna go for another rep or set the bar down.

However, if you try to hold your breath throughout a set of 10 deads or squats, you're not likely to make it.

Maybe we should start a separate thread on this issue.
 
I've never passed out, but I've been very close on Push Press. I make sure I hold a big breath on most lifts, but what gets me on Push Press is the re-rack on my shoulders. If I still have my breath held and it hits my windpipe, I see dots.
 
Cratos said:
You don't exhale while performing a deadlift. Or squat. Or bench press. Over over head press. Or......
Click to expand...




You do if the alternative is unconsciousness. Letting just the slightest bit of air out slowly can make all the difference without taking away much of your core stability. I'm not talking about emptying your lungs - just letting a tiny bit of air escape slowly. I'd prefer to be able to just hold my breath 100%, but if I did I'd have to sit down and wait for my vision to return after half my reps at 85+% of 5rm. Some people seem to be far more prone to dizzyness, vision loss, etc. after holding their breath under this kind of stress.
 
Mumrik said:
You do if the alternative is unconsciousness. Letting just the slightest bit of air out slowly can make all the difference without taking away much of your core stability. I'm not talking about emptying your lungs - just letting a tiny bit of air escape slowly. I'd prefer to be able to just hold my breath 100%, but if I did I'd have to sit down and wait for my vision to return after half my reps at 85+% of 5rm. Some people seem to be far more prone to dizzyness, vision loss, etc. after holding their breath under this kind of stress.
Click to expand...

This is true. That 70's big link I posted discusses this. As I said I almost always start to black out during max deadlift attempts. I suspected that this was because all of my training is done with weights far less than my max, so my body wasn't used to the stress when I max out to see where I am. This is why a few weeks ago I changed my assistance so I am doing rack pulls with decently heavy weights, so I get more used to the feel of heavy weights. Also my lockout needed work.

But yeah, weights that used to cause me to start blacking out no longer do so now that I am stronger. I have never lost consciousness from lifting before, but have come close. It never worried me, I just accept it as part of getting stronger.
 
Good to know the breathing thing. I've always tried to inhale/exhale... Maybe this knowledge will benefit my numbers :icon_twis
 
rckvl said:
But yeah, weights that used to cause me to start blacking out no longer do so now that I am stronger.
Click to expand...

That's because they are now proportionally/percentage of 1RM wise lighter...
 
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