Light-headed during workout

[crazyqueet]

So for the past few days during my strength training workouts, I notice that I have been getting light headed a lot to where I would stop my workout early. Today was a little more than usual. Was light headed and nauseous. I feel like I haven't been putting in much effort towards my workouts this week. 

What could be the cause of this? Is it because I may not be eating enough before my workout? I've never had this happen before.

I've also started taking BCAA before my workout as well. Haven't gotten on a regular routine on taking it. Just a sample pack I bought to try on my strength training days. Could this be the cause??

[Konababe]

It can affect blood pressure in some individuals from one of the ingredients. Since this started happening when taking it, why not discontinue for a while and see if the light-headedness improves. It is also recommended that you increase your folates while taking this The folates help with iron production which also help with the blood cells and transmission of oxygen. Also, look at the amount of protein. Is it sufficient?

http://www.livestrong.com/article/172674-side-effects-of-amino-supplements/

[GershonSurge]

@crazyqueet,

I'd take a week off immediately. Not so much because I think you might die or anything, but if you do pass out and go to the emergency room, the bill could be horrendous.

On the fourth of June, I either passed out or was knocked out in a bathroom fall. I needed 14 stitches in a couple places. With all their tests and stuff, the bill was over $22,000. They didn't even give a diagnosis.  Fortunately, my insurance paid most of it. My sister is a retired pathologist, and she said I probably had a noro-virus.

I'll suggest some of the causes. Since we haven't had a conversation, I'll likely make some incorrect assumptions.

Assumption: You may be on some form of low-carb diet. It's impossible to design a diet with enough calories that doesn't have enough protein. Nobody needs supplements for protein. Yes, protein supplements can increase muscle growth. They also increase the multiplication rate of cancer cells. We all have cancer, so this is a big deal. Excess protein can damage virtually every organ in the body.

We need carbohydrates for energy. When I say carbs, I mean in potatoes, rice, whole grain bread, beans, oatmeal, etc. They are commonly called starches. Carbs give us energy. Without them, fainting spells are common. They used to call it hypoglycemia which is a fancy term for low blood sugar. It can cause a person to black out without warning.

When you increase the amount of protein in the diet, you decrease the amount of energy giving carbs.

Possibility: You have some bug you may not be aware of. The nausea is a good hint. Loose stools can be another hint. So can a general feeling of fatigue.

Possibility: You aren't taking enough rest between sets. Enough is defined by the intensity of each set. When you are feeling better, try taking a minute rest and decreasing the intensity.

"Solution:" The solution to any exercise problem is to reduce the amount of exercise. In this case, I'd take a whole week off and restart gradually.

Possibility: Eating a high fat diet. Fat causes the red blood cells to clump together like pennies in a roll. They can't carry as much oxygen and can't reach the small capillaries. This could result in a reduction of blood flow to parts of your brain. By high fat, I mean more than 20% at the absolute highest. 10% is better. This includes fat from vegetable diets.

Seeing a doctor -- someone is sure to suggest this. Personally, I put doctors several thousand feet below whale poop, lawyers and politicians. I have no use for them. They will take your money and not give a cure in most cases. Of course, there are obvious cases where I'm wrong.

[crazyqueet]

I've worked out before without eating and felt fine.

The other day, I didn't eat but I just had my BCAA drink before.

Today, I had oatmeal with apples and about 30 to 45 minutes later, I started drinking my BCAA.

**just a note if it helps, I make it according to instructions...10 to 12 oz of water and half packet of powder...i sip on that one drink before and during my workout ** 

[MoonstoneWolf]

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@crazyqueet wrote:

So for the past few days during my strength training workouts, I notice that I have been getting light headed a lot to where I would stop my workout early. Today was a little more than usual. Was light headed and nauseous. I feel like I haven't been putting in much effort towards my workouts this week. 

What could be the cause of this? Is it because I may not be eating enough before my workout? I've never had this happen before.

I've also started taking BCAA before my workout as well. Haven't gotten on a regular routine on taking it. Just a sample pack I bought to try on my strength training days. Could this be the cause??

---

I am not a doctor but what helps me is adding a bit of pink himalayan salt to my water.  I wonder if you're losing electrolytes which is common during a workout.  

[GershonSurge]

@crazyqueet,

Take a look at the ingredients in BCAA. It's a laundry list of chemicals. It only has 34 calories of which 12 of them are carbs. It has zero fat, so it has 22 calories of protein. This is about 2 1/2 grams of protein. All the protein and energy supplements are ways to take your money while neglecting the essential ingredients of real food. I recommend not taking BCAA. It's impossible to design a diet with sufficient calories to sustain a healthy life that is protein deficient.

You can get the same amount of protein in a small handful of peanuts. Add a handful of raisins and you have GORP (Good old raisins and peanuts) favored by many backpackers for a boost in energy. A handful of raisins can bring almost immediate relief for dizziness if the cause is low blood sugar. I recommend eating a bagel or some other bread product shortly after as the effect doesn't last long

Oatmeal and an apple is a perfect breakfast. I have oatmeal and a banana for my first breakfast almost every morning.

Let me state the obvious.

First, you added BCAA and then had dizzy spells. Take away the BCAA and the dizzy spells might disappear.

Second, the dizzy spells come while strength training. Take away the strength training for a couple weeks and see what happens. You won't lose strength during this time. A two week break every so often is good for muscle growth and recovery.

If the dizzy spells disappear, I'd restart strength training with lower weights, fewer reps, and fewer sets. Work slowly back to your starting point.

[crazyqueet]

@GershonSurge

I also have a cup of coffee too, so I don't know if that would play an effect as well. I doubt it because the other day, it was about 2 hours after I had drunk it when I worked out and got light headed. 

I've never had any issues before. I'll see how I do next week without the BCAA as I think that may be the issue as I worked out yesterday but I only did cardio but didn't take any BCAA and felt fine. 

I feel it may be hard to get all my nutrients in my meals so was looking toward supplements as I want something to help as I try to build muscle. I know to build muscle, you have to eat at a caloric surplus which I struggle just trying to get the minimum b/c most of the time, I'm not hungry. 

[WavyDavey]

I would ditch the BCAAs, as that particular supplement has quality control issues IMO.

If you eat meat or take a protein supplement, you're already getting plenty of amino acids and BCAAs, and it will add some calories to your diet. You're totally correct that to build muscle you need a caloric surplus. Unless you're body fat is above 20%, in which case you'll get some energy from the recomposition process.

With due respect to @GershonSurge's personal feelings towards doctors, I would see one if the symptoms persist. If it's hypoglycemia, you'd want to be tested, or the issue could cost you greatly. I don't think that's it, but better safe than sorry. I've suffered from hypoglycemia (long story), and you don't want to experience it.

@crazyqueet, could you let us know which strength program you're doing? Exercises, sets reps?

[crazyqueet]

I have a whey protein powder but don't use that much because of the chalky taste. I believe I am over 20% body fat so do I still need to eat at a surplus to build muscle? 

As far as strength, this is my routine :

Monday - chest and triceps

Wednesday - back and biceps

Friday- shoulders and legs

Saturday- abs and glutes (I don't usually do this day but going to try to start incorporating it in) 

I can't do too heavy as I don't have a spotter so most is usually up to 20 lbs for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps on arms. I'll try just a couple reps, like 3, with 30 lbs sometimes.  Legs...umm, not for sure on weight. I think I only did like up to 70 today. I know I can do more than that but I didn't. 

@WavyDavey

[WavyDavey]

If your bodyfat is fairly high, I would aim for maintenance calories instead of a surplus. The important thing is to not have a calorie deficit, or strength and progress will stall, at least in my experience.

Workout looks fine, nice that you have rest days in between the workouts. For Saturday, you play the flute?

[crazyqueet]

@WavyDavey sorry... Stupid auto correct on my phone...

Saturday was meant to say abs and glutes lol

[WavyDavey]

@crazyqueet,

OK that makes sense. I was going to post that I doubt playing the flute would burn many calories or give you strength gains, haha.

[crazyqueet]

@WavyDavey Haha I know right.

Guess right now I need to figure out what my maintenance calories are. Going to be hard to try not to be in a deficit as most of the time I'm not hungry. I do strength train on those days and others I do just cardio unless it's a strict rest day. I want to lose some of this body fat down to a reasonable amount and gain strength and muscle/definition. 

[WavyDavey]

@crazyqueet,

It can be difficult to determine maintenance calories. What I did was log foods in the web dashboard for a month or two. Then I compared that to my calories burned. It's not an exact science, but after a while I got a sense.

During the period where you're gaining muscle AND losing fat, it's pretty common for your weight to just stay the same. You're adding muscle and reducing fat at the same time. So don't be discouraged if the scale doesn't budge at first. But eventually it will taper off, and that's when you can go for a slight surplus.

Eating even a slight surplus can be hard, as you know. I would go for calorie-rich foods like peanut butter. A couple tablespoons is a quick 200 calories. But just let the body recomposition happen, and worry about the surplus later. Best of luck!

[GershonSurge · Accepted solution]

@crazyqueet,

There may be another simpler explanation. It sounds like you are coming close to your limits on the weights you are lifting.

Digression to establish authority: I used to be an instructor pilot in an Air Force jet trainer. In some of our missions, we routinely pulled over six g's for an extended period. We didn't have G-suits, so it was the equivalent of 8 or 9 g's with  G-suit.

We were taught tighten the calf muscles, then the thigh muscles, then the stomach, and then exhale against a partially closed glottis. When we inhaled, we were taught to inhale sharply. Then we exhaled slowly.  If you've ever had a difficult bowel movement, you know what I mean on the breathing.

One of the errors was closing off the airway completely instead of partially closing it. This can cause gray out (partial vision loss) , black out (loss of vision) or unconsciousness without warning. There is actually a non-scientific term for this my sister told me about. She is a retired doctor. It's called grand poop syndrome.

As I gained experience, I learned how to sustain over 6 g's for several minutes while carrying on a conversation. We only did this during formation flying with other instructors while flying three feet away from another jet. The maneuver was a 10,000 foot descending spiral. Heavy breathing isn't required.

It's possible you are exhaling against a closed glottis or breathing too heavily. The first could cause dizzy spells because of oxygen starvation. The second could cause dizzy spells due to hyperventilation.

When I go to Planet Fitness, I seldom see anyone doing any heavy breathing. Technically, it's against the rules there, but they are lenient on that rule. There is one woman who does long work outs with 50-70 lb. dumbbells, and she never does any heavy breathing.

[VF31AE3]

[WavyDavey]

I don't think it's a mistake at all to hold the breath.  The Valsalva maneuver (its formal name) is important with maximal lifts. Everyone at my gym who squats or deadlifts with at least their bodyweight on the bar, uses it, because it increases abdominal pressure, making it less likely you'll fold over like a taco.

The problem with inhaling at the bottom of a bench press is it's the least advantaged position, with the chest tightly contracted. Not where you want to try and take a breath. The problem with exhaling during the lift is, sometimes the weighit feels heavier than we expected during the left. It's not uncommon for the last half of a press to take more time than expected, and exhaling while lifting, if the breath runs out, will probably results in a missed rep. Or worse.

The Valsalva maneuver is used a lot in squats to keep upright and tight, especially at the bottom and coming out of the bottom. If one exhales on the way up, it's easy on a heavy squat to stall on the way up (grinder rep). Again, as the lift comes up, less and less air is in the body, which makes things very difficult to support the body.

It may or may be relevantt to the OP.'s situation If you're benching or squatting in a smith machine at planet fitness, it probably doesn't matter. But with free weights under a heavy load, inhaling or exhaling during the lift just isn't a good idea for integrity's sake. There's a reason why all Olympic lifters use this technique.

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant. It's an interesting topic. I don't want to get too much into armchair diagnosis with the original topic. Hopefully it will either pass or the OP will seek a medical opinion.

[VF31AE3]

[yuke]

Hello, can you please update how it continued with thelightheadedness or what you did ? Thank you