Can someone please tell me how to breath on the deadlift.

[DerickVonD]

I feel kind of stupid asking this and yes I have looked up online how to breath during the deadlift and no it doesnt matter the amount of weight. Everytime I deadlift I get a headache. I tried doing what I read, breathing out as you lift the weight up, but it doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have any techniques they use to know how to breath? I don't have this problem on any other lift.

 

[CopyCat]

From personal experience I tighten/flex my midsection and breathe out in a controlled, but forceful manner using more my diaphragm than just my lungs and finish breathing out at the top of the lift. It would my guess that the headaches you get are due to a spike in blood pressure from the lift. This is not to say it's a stable rise in pressure and if you were to walk over and check your B/P it would be scary high, but rather just a sudden spike with each lift and probably settles back down in between. This could cause a headache after a bit. Not sure how one would prevent this outside of the usual... ensure proper form, breath well, and any other means that that would reduce B/P overall.

Sorry I don't have a cure all answer, hope you find a way through this.

 

[DerickVonD]

From personal experience I tighten/flex my midsection and breathe out in a controlled, but forceful manner using more my diaphragm than just my lungs and finish breathing out at the top of the lift. It would my guess that the headaches you get are due to a spike in blood pressure from the lift. This is not to say it's a stable rise in pressure and if you were to walk over and check your B/P it would be scary high, but rather just a sudden spike with each lift and probably settles back down in between. This could cause a headache after a bit. Not sure how one would prevent this outside of the usual... ensure proper form, breath well, and any other means that that would reduce B/P overall.

Sorry I don't have a cure all answer, hope you find a way through this.

Thanks and yeah it does go down between sets and completely goes away about 5 minutes after the lift. Sometimes the headaches arnt bad sometimes they are. It sucks because this makes deadlifting a pain.

 

[spogiderbaer]

Hey Derick,

it could be due to not breathing out and getting pressure on your head. I would suggest to try out some small weight to get to know if it still happens then.

greetings Spogi

 

[DerickVonD]

Hey Derick,

it could be due to not breathing out and getting pressure on your head. I would suggest to try out some small weight to get to know if it still happens then.

greetings Spogi

I increased my rep range and decreased weight. I still get slight headaches but not real strong ones like before.

 

[EasyEJL]

Not totally related, but i've been deadlifting 225 for 3-4 sets of 12, and although my breathing is fine, I start getting some core cramps, sort of like when you do some fast running.

 

[CopyCat]

Not totally related, but i've been deadlifting 225 for 3-4 sets of 12, and although my breathing is fine, I start getting some core cramps, sort of like when you do some fast running.

Core cramps as in when running are your intercostle muscles (muscles that connect between your ribs) being taxed. Perhaps it's the same deal.

 

[GeekPoop]

I take a deep breathe.... PULL... and than set down and while im setting it down i release my breathe.

 

[swollen87]

I take a deep breathe.... PULL... and than set down and while im setting it down i release my breathe.

^ thats how you do it.....

 

[EasyEJL]

Core cramps as in when running are your intercostle muscles (muscles that connect between your ribs) being taxed. Perhaps it's the same deal.

yeah, it never happened before, even doing as high as 335 for sets of 5-6. but the sets of 12 kill me.

 

[Chubbinmuffin]

How's your blood pressure? DLs used to give me headaches. Hopped on some Cycle Assist and it took care of that.

 

[DerickVonD]

How's your blood pressure? DLs used to give me headaches. Hopped on some Cycle Assist and it took care of that.

My blood pressure is fine it was just checked yesterday and everytime it's checked it's fine. I can't remember the numbers but all I remember was 110 over something last time I saw my blood pressure. I'm not even sure how to read blood pressure.

 

[Torobestia]

Ignore this if you're repping 600+ on the deadlift, as it may be something else.

I started having problems one day earlier in the Winter after squatting with headaches. It happened on a 20 repper when I wasn't breathing out, trying to just finish the set as fast as I could. Then after that, any time I worked out I would get an absolutely debilitating headache, like I was out of commission for a good 2 minutes trying to get my s$#* together. I thought I had a brain aneurysm or something. I tried to focus on the breathing, but that wouldn't help afterwards.

I never did find out the problem, but I decided to try out wearing a hat during my workouts (like a beanie or a hoodie with the hood up), thinking it was definitely related to blood pressure and that the extra warmth around my head would dialate my blood vessels, relieving some of the pressure. Now, I don't know if that's what happened, but me doing that saved my life and my workouts. Never had a headache problem after so long as I remembered my beanie. A month or 2 later, I stopped wearing one, and I noticed the problem was gone. Maybe try that out now? I realize you only have problems during the deadlift, but it could still help. As for breathing, definitely keep the air in until the top, and I recommend exhaling only enough to relieve pressure but not enough that you lose your form. I've seen some dudes squat 800 at my gym without letting much air out the gauge and not have headache problems, but then one day they experienced what I did during a deload. Go figure