Problem lifting: not making it through my workout due to dizziness and nausea

[cycosis]

I'd say I'm novice when it comes to lifting. Been on and off for years.I have made some decent gains in terms of strength this year though.

My diet is fairly stable, consisting of fruit in the morning, then a bag of mixed veggies such as carrots/cherry tomatoes/cucumber, small serving of almonds, a meat portion and an apple for lunch, followed by varying good healthy dinners (meat+veg).

I have 2 coffees during the day and stay relatively hydrated.

When I am working out, I go through about 2 full water bottles.

My routine is basic with Mondays being chest/back, thursday arms/shoulders, and legs are weekends.

I have been having a lot of difficulty getting through my Monday routine without getting nausea and dizziness. I have to quit mid workout frequently. I am breathing slowly (no hyperventilation), my lifts are slow and controlled, and I take adequate breaks between sets. Sets consist of 10 reps x 3 sets. I'm only doing 3 chest exercises and 3 back exercises so its not like I'm trying to over exert myself.

Any ideas how I can get this to stop? I really find it hits me when I do lat pull downs but it happens with other portions as well and its getting very annoying.

[jdmXSI]

Hows your breathing? I remember hear that breathing is especially important when lifting over your head. Ie: slow and controlled exhale on mucle contraction and inhale on release.

I hope you get it sorted. Personally I cant drink caffeine within a few hours and work out without feeling strange...

[Redlined_8000]

Cut out all your caffeine and if it keeps happening I think you should see a doctor.

[heavyfuel]

Caffeine isn't the problem here, and don't run to your doctor quite yet. It sounds like an inadequate meal plan to me. If you're gonna lift even somewhat seriously you have to throw that 3 meal a day with a snack routine out the window. You need 4-6 smaller meals/day. Go for 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight to start.

Pre-workout, try this. Blend 1/2 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup water or ice, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, a banana and 1/2 cup raw steel cut oats. Use the unsweetened soy milk with the green lid at Superstore and don't skimp out on peanut butter, use the Adams kind. Red bananas are pretty tasty too I've found.

But what do I know.

[Redlined_8000]

Do you get symptoms on leg day also?

Diet might help but if you get dizzy to the point you can't finish a workout of simple lat pull down and bench or chest press something is going on.

[jdmXSI]

Going to the doctor isn't a bad idea at all... a few months ago my girlfriend's arms and face was constantly tingly and went to the doctor, got a blood test and it showed she was very low on vitamin D (get your mind outta the gutter folks... :p ). Once she started taking 1000mg a day, all her symptoms went away.

Also a friend of mine got really light headed, passed out and it turned out his q or s waves (I forget which one it was) during his ecg were outta wack because he was low in electrolytes.

None of which were bad but they figured it out right away and that way you dont have to stress about figuring it out by guessing yourself.

Good luck!

[zipdoa]

Get enough cals, make sure you take a solid multi, and hit the Dr to make sure you don't have some random health issue.

What is your age/height/weight/approximate bf?

Do you know what are you average Systolic and Diastolic BP reading is? Resting HR?

edit:

Are you eating any carbs aside fruit? Get some rice in you!

[mr2mike]

Had similar issues years ago. Got tests done and turned out I had a mild case of Mono. Glands weren't swollen and was already tired from school exams so I didn't really notice.
Dr called me stupid for still lifting when tired like that and with Mono, your spleen swells and was told I could rupture it if I kept this up.

[cycosis]

29, 6'5", 215 lbs, don;t know what my BF, ive got a small beer gut though.

I do not do any over head lifts (I should but I dont :).)

My food intake is paced throughout the day. I dont take a lunch at work so I'm constantly snacking at my desk. I am on a multi vitamin and I have a protein shake post workout.

I am also not lifting to get huge, just to keep healthy and tone up a bit. So at no point am I going red in the face and grunting.

Don't get dizzy doing anything else such as skiing/bike or arm/shoulder day.

[botox]

Go see your dr, then a nutritionist to review your diet. Everyone is different no matter how "similar" their problems are to you. Could be as simple as drinking more water or early signs of something more serious which I hope is not the case. At 6'5", 215 that seems a bit on the light side, but I'm not a doctor so go get the opinion of a real one.

[BavarianBeast]

get some blood work done yo

maybe your blood sugars are low

[GQBalla]

How much water are you drinking throughout the day? Dehydrated? 2 bottles of water? are you talking about the 500 ml bottles? 1 liter bottles?

Personally i would go to the doctor. Also get your meals checked out, how many calories is that?

[sputnik]

You are probably not eating enough.

I know you probably want to be as cut as possible but you still need some carbohydrates.

Try incorporating oatmeal, brown rice or other whole grains in your diet. Adding full-fat dairy (whole milk, greek yogurt, sour cream etc.) might also be a good idea.

Going full blown ketosis and just starting out lifting is going to be a pretty rough go. You should really be counting your calories and make sure you are getting enough to sustain you through your workouts.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Could be a dozen different things at play. Medical is free in Canada, why would you hesitate for a minute in getting a medical opinion? I had a coworker who was late for work one day, she said her vision went black for 15 minutes while on the train. I told her to get to a doctor right away. She went to a doctor a few days later (really... she waited... the idiot), turns out a small tumour in her brain. She should have posted on Beyond?

Why the delay in seeking medical attention?

[chathamf]

Split your chest and back days into separate days. Hitting two major muscle groups at once is going to gas you out. And besides if you split them up you can hit them both harder and get more gains, bro! Haha. Doing shoulders and arms as there separate day seems kind of silly. Go chest tris back bis and legs/shoulders.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
Could be a dozen different things at play. Medical is free in Canada, why would you hesitate for a minute in getting a medical opinion? I had a coworker who was late for work one day, she said her vision went black for 15 minutes while on the train. I told her to get to a doctor right away. She went to a doctor a few days later (really... she waited... the idiot), turns out a small tumour in her brain. She should have posted on Beyond?

Why the delay in seeking medical attention?

This.

You've been doing fine without issue and now have nausea and dizziness?

For 1, fruits for breakfast doesn't cut it. You need more carbs and/or protein for breakfast.

For 2, Get a full physical exam.

[ddduke]

I'm almost certain that you're just not eating enough. You eat way too little for someone your size. If you're that worried about losing weight just carb cycle for your workout days and increase you food intake.

You should also completely change your diet, someone your size should not be eating that little, even if you're trying to trim down. In the last 4 months I've cut down just over 30lbs and I eat full meals every 90 mins.

If you want a super basic meal plan to give you energy, gains and still help you cut fat then PM me and I'll send you one.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by ddduke
If you want a super basic meal plan to give you energy, gains and still help you cut fat then PM me and I'll send you one.

Post it up.

I would be interested in seeing it as I am looking to cut about 20 lbs after adding about 15 lbs of muscle recently.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by sputnik


Post it up.

I would be interested in seeing it as I am looking to cut about 20 lbs after adding about 15 lbs of muscle recently.

You added 15lbs of muscle and 20lbs of fat? Or am I reading this wrong?

[heavyfuel]

This thread has potential...

[sputnik]

Originally posted by zipdoa


You added 15lbs of muscle and 20lbs of fat? Or am I reading this wrong?

Fat was there all along (around the belly/neck/face).

Just started lifting again and now want to get leaner.

[scboss]

original poster

Whats your resting heartrate and blood pressure at?