Extreme Headaches During Training

I have been training for a few years now off and on, and been going at it pretty hard lately. About a week ago I started to get extremely bad headaches when lifting. It usually happens right in the middle of a set of real hard work. I’ve been breathing good and the headache seems to build throughout the set. I have never had a history of migraines or headaches of any kind and they only show up during this time. I know I should be going to a doctor, I was just wondering if anyone here had any suggestions as to what it could be.

That used to happen to me, especially during leg training. My guess is that it’s caused by elevated blood pressure during heavy lifting, but don’t quote me.
I hear it’s a pretty common phenomenon among weight trainers and bodybuilders. But definitely check with your doctor to be sure that’s all it is.

Hard to comment without more info, but blood pressure is definetly a concern. In
a worst case scenerio, this could lead to stroke or cerebral hemmorage. Do yourself a favor and get it checked out ASAP. Also, let your doc know what meds and supplements you take.

Run a search here at T-Nation for “exertional headaches.” I’ve actually dealt with these in the past myself, and we had a pretty good discussion on them a while back.