T Nation

Deadlifts Make Me Nauseous

Bodybuilding
#1

It seems that lately when I’ve been preforming deadlifts during my workout for some reason I start to feel extremely nauseous.This happens right after my warm up set, making really difficult to keep on going.

At first I was thinking it might be related to using too much weight though I am able to lift them just fine with good form and it feels pretty light considering it’s only my warmup set. I lowered the weights one day and there was no change in the way that I felt.

Then I thought it must be something that I was eating but the only I take is Metabolic Drive Complete about an hour before I go to the gym and it doesn’t bother me on my other gym days.

If anyone could provide me with a possible explanation that would be great because it’s starting to get a little frustrating being held back because of feeling sick.

#2

Are you new to lifting?

A deadlift is a huge movement, and makes your body release extreme amounts of different horomones. That might have something to do with it. I get it, I just drink a lot of cold water.

#3

I get nauseous on deadlift/squat days if I don’t eat enough starches prior to lifting. It’s merely anecdotal, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

#4

Eat plenty, but eat a couple hours before your workout. The shake an hour before should be fine as well. You want your stomach settled before lifting. Eat plenty the entire day before your workout as well. The nausea is usually from either low blood sugar or too much shit still in your upper digestive tract.

The thing is, you say you get it right after your warmup set. The likelyhood of it being one of those two possibilities is slim as you would not have sufficiently lowered your blood sugar yet or upset your digestion with lifting. I’m guessing you’re either out of shape, or you are one of those guys that will always get this feeling from large compound lifts.

#5

I used to get the same feeling with both squats and deadlifts. I found that leaving closer to 2 hours between eating and lifting helped me.

Also, how many reps are you doing on your warm-up? Maybe it’s too many.

#6

Are you drinking enough water?

#7

[quote]machiajelly wrote:
I get nauseous on deadlift/squat days if I don’t eat enough starches prior to lifting. It’s merely anecdotal, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.[/quote]

Same.

If I dont have enough carbs I run out of gas sometimes.

Also eat an hour before, and take your PWO drink 30 minutes before.

Make sure theres atleast 30-45 minutes between you putting anything in your stomach and you squatting or deading.

They are ruff on your body and you dont want too much in your stomach when your going.

#8

Don’t hold your breath when you lift - freakin’ breathe.

#9

Majin,

I don’t know if that’s a great idea, since if you want a big bench press, deadlift, or squat, you must hold your breath for nearly all of the concentric part of the lift. Ask any serious powerlifter about this and they will agree with me. Read Dave Tate’s articles on form for those three lifts. If you release your air too soon, your body will cave in during the lift.

When I went to a Sebastian Burns (a man born to bench) bench press work shop - seminar, he kept telling people “stop screaming at the mid point of the lift - you need that air still! Hold it!” Same thing when I went to an Elite FTS seminar with Jim Wendler.

The nausea may occur from eating too soon before a session. Personally, I can eat, get changed, drive to the gym, and start lifting with no ill effects.

However, I SIP on a peri-workout shake during the workout. I once, long ago, drank a shake ENTIRELY before a workout and completely emitted (BARFED) it after a heavy set of squats. I can’t have all that water swooshing around my stomach during lifting. So, now I sip it.