Firstly, don't give up. Squats are one of the best exercises around. Along with deadlifts, they increase testosterone and other muscle building hormones.
What is the cause and what can you do to make sure everything is OK? There are a variety of possible reasons why this could happen. See our list below to find what best suits you according to your personal situation.
Why power lifts can make you dizzy
1. Core pressure (The Valsalva maneuver)
You could be light-headed because of the pressure that is placed on your core when doing squats and dead lifts. Strengthening of the core is always essential for doing powerful lifts like the squat. Additionally, the way you breathe will have a massive impact on allowing your core to cope with the pressure placed on it during these lifts. The core is placed under a lot of pressure as it is the connection between your legs pushing against the floor and the bar you are pushing up.
DO NOT inhale during the concentric (standing up during the squat) part of the movement because this opens up the core and massively decreases its ability to cope with pressure. By exhaling whilst restricting the amount of air that exits through your mouth, you force your core to tighten. When the core is tightened, it can withstand more pressure when you lift the weight further away from the ground. Breathe in as normal when you go down and exhale whilst restricting the amount of air leaving your mouth to tighten your core when returning to a normal, standing position. Don't worry about focusing on your breathing throughout your entire set, just focus on tightening your core by exhaling forcefully when you straighten your legs during the squat or dead lift. It is recommended NOT to block airflow entirely with your mouth during the movement, as studies have shown that this will dramatically increase your blood pressure momentarily.
This helps most people with their light-headed feeling from squatting.
2. The bar is on your neck
If you do back squats with the bar resting on your shoulders, then there is also a big chance that the pressure between the bar and your neck could be restricting blood flow to your brain. This could explain why the light-headed feeling only comes once you have place the bar back on the rack and off your neck, allowing blood flow to eventually get to your head.
As a solution, you could replace back squats with front squats, which will be harder to master at first, but will be beneficial for other reasons, like the fact that front squats minimize lumbar spine flexion, and stabilize the core better.
Additionally, if you are going to do back squats then you should ease the pressure between your neck and the bar mid-set, either by lifting the bar off your neck with your hands if the weight is not too heavy or by racking the bar and spacing it from your neck for a few seconds to allow for some blood flow before finishing your set. I push up against the bar with my hands during my set. I don't lift it off my shoulders at all, but it decreases the weight placed on my shoulders.
3. Lack of oxygen
The light-headed feeling could also be from a lack of oxygen in your blood - for two reasons. Firstly, you could not be breathing enough during the lift thus allowing less oxygen to enter your system. Secondly, the massive stress placed on your whole body during the squat forces your muscles to burn up more oxygen at a faster rate to cope with the load. Since there are so many muscles being used at the same time during the squat, oxygen is used up a lot quicker throughout your body. You could feel light headed after the squat as oxygen levels return to normal.
Remember to breathe during your set and don't hold your breath. See Point 1 above to make sure that you are breathing properly during each rep.
If you think that temporary lack of oxygen is the problem, try doing some HIIT or skipping (link shows how skipping is great for bodybuilders) to increase your body's oxygen efficiency.
If you think that temporary lack of oxygen is the problem, try doing some HIIT or skipping (link shows how skipping is great for bodybuilders) to increase your body's oxygen efficiency.
4. You are pushing too hard
Don't push your squats through the dizziness. Many people pass out because they try to push through it. Others puke (we've all seen those videos online). The risk of sustaining serious injury if you pass out with the bar on top of you is very real. If you start feeling light-headed during your lift, make sure to place the bar back on the rack and sit on the ground so that you don't fall over and hurt yourself if you pass out. Most likely, you will start to return to normal after a few seconds. Rather safe than sorry! If this is the case, regular practice will ease your body into this high-intensity action.
5. Blood pressure
Both people with low high and low blood pressure have experienced light headed symptoms during squats. The best way to help with this is make sure you don't hold your breath during the movement and to make sure that you are always breathing properly - again.
6. The exercise intensity
The sheer intensity of the exercise could be placing your body under a level of pressure that it is not used to. This is because so many muscles are recruited to work under a very heavy load all at once. The light-headed feeling could be similar to the feeling you would get if you were an amateur runner who just ran a marathon. The difference is that the intensity is not brought onto the body over time, but all at once. If this is the case, take it easy. Reduce the weight or rest longer in between sets until your body gets used to the movement and the weight. If you keep at it, your body will adapt and be able to perform the workload without feeling so faint afterwards.
If the intensity is too high, use a lighter weight with higher reps to ease into the extreme pressure. High reps can also drastically increase muscle growth.
If the intensity is too high, use a lighter weight with higher reps to ease into the extreme pressure. High reps can also drastically increase muscle growth.
7. Blood circulation
During the squat, a large portion of the muscles in your body contract, forcing blood out of them, like squeezing a wet sponge and the water runs out. Once you finish squatting, the muscles relax, allowing lots of blood to run back into your muscles. Since a lot of blood runs back into the muscles (think of how large your leg muscles are), there is less blood momentarily available for your lungs and heart to send oxygen to your brain, causing the light-headed feeling your feel afterwards.
The countermeasure for this is to remain standing under the bar once you place it back on the rack. This way, your leg muscles don't relax fully like with sitting, so that your body gets a chance to return to normal instead of moving from one extreme to another (max intensity of squats to low intensity of siting down). Hold onto the bar above you once you have placed it on the rack so that if you pass out you have something to grab on and stop the fall.
Drinking more water during exercise can ease symptoms associated with blood circulation (and yes, it is actually possible to drink too much water).
Drinking more water during exercise can ease symptoms associated with blood circulation (and yes, it is actually possible to drink too much water).
Always make sure that you do squats properly. Try these causes and cures to see which one works best for you. Stay Strong!
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