Personal Training Trouble - Help!

[Showal]

I'm training for a big climb in May, here's my weekly routine:

Monday - Run for 60 min
Tuesday - Stairclimber with weighted pack (60 pounds) for 60 min
Wednesday - Run for 45 min to 60 min. Strength training.
Thursday - Stairclimber with weighted pack (60 pounds) for 60 min
Friday off
Saturday - Run for 45 min to 60 min. Strength training. (or a 90 min run)
Sunday - Two runs equaling about 75 min total.

The problem is this, for the last ten min of my stairclimbing on Tuesday and Thursdays, I have been getting some killer headaches the last 2 weeks. Never really been an issue before that. The only real change is that I increased my pack weight by about 5 pounds 2 weeks ago. I don't know if this is the cause, maybe though. Maybe dehydration? I try to drink about 4 L of water, minimum, a day, and about half to a full liter while climbing. Maybe overhydration?

Has anyone had this problem before towards the end of a workout? Any suggestions??

[Kuyuk]

I'm training for a big climb in May, here's my weekly routine:


Friday off


The problem is this

Any suggestions??



Dont take Friday off.

[Showal]

haha ouch

[Kuyuk]

I think you need to eat my truffles, I hear they help with headaches.

Just made four fillings yesterday, so they're fresh..

[AnticorRifling]

Drink more water. Check your vitals while you're doing your stairclimb if you can. Right after you finish check your BP and maybe tilts as well.

[waywardgs]

Could be heat exhaustion, dehydration... Also, are you on any supplements? Some of those can cause headaches too. Cut your sodium, caffeine intake, and get lots of rest, along with drinking good amounts of water. When you increased the weight, did your form change? That can add to it.

Oh, and it helps to drink at least 10 beers before your workout.

...one of these things is not like the other!

[Showal]

Could be heat exhaustion, dehydration... Also, are you on any supplements? Some of those can cause headaches too. Cut your sodium, caffeine intake, and get lots of rest, along with drinking good amounts of water. When you increased the weight, did your form change? That can add to it.

My form didn't change, but the heat exhaustion could be part of it. I didn't even think that sometimes I use the stair climber at my condo gym and sometimes I use it at my gym gym. The condo gym is kept warmer and isn't ventilated as well. This could be a good cause of it.

I'm on the following supplements:
Rhodiola rosea
Eleuthero Senticosus
Ginkgo biloba
Ashwagandha Somnifera
Reishi (ganoderma lucidum)
Astragalus membranaceus
Schisandra chinesis

Anticor, by tilts, do you mean one of those tilt BP tests? I don't really know how to check my BP either.

I think the heat exhaustion and dehydration might be the key. This is not the heaviest pack I've used, so it's not new to me, just the headache is. In the past I've used 70-80 lbs in a pack for the same purpose. I'll be moving up to 65 lbs (hopefully) in the next week or so.

I'm going to try going to my other gym and see if that fixes the heat issue. If it doesn't, I'll try drinking more water. If THAT doesn't help, I'll drop the supplements! I don't really need that shit anyways.

[AnticorRifling]

Those are supplements, that's hippy bullshit :)


Tilts would be resting heart rate laying down, sitting, standing and compare them.

[Geshron]

The hydration issue is a strange one because both dehydration and too much hydration can cause headaches. For different reasons of course.

[AnticorRifling]

Yeah but I don't think 4L a day would put him in the danger zone of hyponetremia(sp). Hell the only time I went down for that I was pushing 4G of water a day and it hit me on day 3 of the push. Maybe get some sodium to go with your water intake?

If the headaches aren't killing you I say push through them, I still feel a leg workout is awesome when it results in having to use the puke bucket.

[Showal]

Hyponatremia.

Oh I push through the headache. It's a pretty bad headache though and I'm kinda curious if it's dangerous for me just to push through it. I haven't died yet though.

I don't think 4 L would overhydrate me either but I do piss a ton of times throughout the day. It may be bit low now that I think about it. I'll just have to watch it the next few days.

Drinking almost a full liter over an hour of exercise shouldn't be too much either, from what I thought. I thought the human body could only really absorb 1 L/hour to begin with.

[AnticorRifling]

Your size, weight, and conditioning all play a part in that. I can pound water like it's my job, I don't expect people who haven't been drinking 1-2+ gallons a day to do the same without working in to it, they'll get sick.

You might be on to something with the heat of one gym compared to the other, acclamation can play a big part in performance and endurance. Not to mention how much you'll sweat and how much you'll need to ingest to recover, as well as speed of absorption and speed of recovery.

I say pound more water and keep training. Maybe do some salt and sugar mixed in water (tastes like shit) BEFORE your workout (1hour before) so you're not scrambling to recover from a negative balance as you work your ass off.

[Drevihyin]

I would prefer not to blast my legs every day and would try to work in a swim. A headache of the type you describe is not normal and could be for any of the various reasons already mentioned. If they persisted after I junked the supplements, and I wasn't consuming huge amounts of caffeine prior to my workout, I would seek medical attention.

[phantasm]

Hyponatremia.

Oh I push through the headache. It's a pretty bad headache though and I'm kinda curious if it's dangerous for me just to push through it. I haven't died yet though.


If you do die, you cannot hold the PC responsible.

[AnticorRifling]

You could, but we'd just burn your house down.

[kookiegod]

I'm training for a big climb in May, here's my weekly routine:

Monday - Run for 60 min
Tuesday - Stairclimber with weighted pack (60 pounds) for 60 min
Wednesday - Run for 45 min to 60 min. Strength training.
Thursday - Stairclimber with weighted pack (60 pounds) for 60 min
Friday off
Saturday - Run for 45 min to 60 min. Strength training. (or a 90 min run)
Sunday - Two runs equaling about 75 min total.

The problem is this, for the last ten min of my stairclimbing on Tuesday and Thursdays, I have been getting some killer headaches the last 2 weeks. Never really been an issue before that. The only real change is that I increased my pack weight by about 5 pounds 2 weeks ago. I don't know if this is the cause, maybe though. Maybe dehydration? I try to drink about 4 L of water, minimum, a day, and about half to a full liter while climbing. Maybe overhydration?

Has anyone had this problem before towards the end of a workout? Any suggestions??

Man, I think your're overtraining. I'd kill the run on Wednesday and do upper body only for strength training and give the legs some rest.

~Paul

[kookiegod]

I still feel a leg workout is awesome when it results in having to use the puke bucket.

Hell yah, nothing like triple-drop squats for 5 sets and then yaking. Haven't lived till you do.

And walking the next day is completely optional.

~Paul

[AnticorRifling]

Yeah the day after, and more so the second day after, you walk around like you were being man raped in a van that got in an eight car pile up on the interstate.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

Yeah but I don't think 4L a day would put him in the danger zone of hyponetremia(sp). Hell the only time I went down for that I was pushing 4G of water a day and it hit me on day 3 of the push. Maybe get some sodium to go with your water intake?
^^^^^ this

Get something with electrolytes (salt + sugar, I make my own using POM to flavor it) and drink it like an hour before you work out.

[Latrinsorm]

Is all your running done indoors? It could be a vitamin D problem or crappy ventilation in your other gym too. Inexplicable headaches aren't really something to play around with for too long.

[AnticorRifling]

Screw drivers and running don't mix...and they ruin a camel back. Or so I've heard. Fuck you wanna talk about headaches and dehydration, brutal.

[Archigeek]

I would also watch the electrolytes, and also agree with what Paul said: I think you might be over training. Having said that though, if you are consulting the right people regarding your climb, you should have a very good idea of where you need to be, and we could be wrong, but smart training dictates rest periods. Make sure you have those. Whatever you do, keep the day off on Friday, and try to work a light day in there about halfway through the week.

I think the thing that hasn't been discussed that I would look at is muscle tension headaches. They are often missed because people think of other things, and if you've increased the weight on our stair climbs, that might be it. Muscle tension headaches can come on very suddenly and be severely painful. They tend to feel like they're wrapping around your head from front to back. I suggest you take two breaks part of the way through your stair climb, of say 3 minutes each. 60 minutes on the stair climber is absolutely brutal with NO weight, let alone the kind of weight you are carrying. And if it is muscle tension, get some massage, pain killers, and spend some time relaxing in the hot tub after your workouts.

[AnticorRifling]

Spring from the happy ending.

[Showal]

I'm taking tonight off and dropping all the supplements. Going to try to restart the system.

I might be overtraining a little bit. I have worked up to this point, so it's not as though I started at this level. I have a plan set for six months prior to my climb ... I am about a month ahead though.

[Asrial]

One question I haven't seen asked that could be important in determining a cause is.. when does the headache go away?

[Showal]

About 30 min after stopping.

[Asrial]

Maybe you're just pushing yourself too hard. Regardless, if it's something that truly concerns you.. I'd go see a doctor about it. You're liable to wind up dead listening to us experts :P

[kookiegod]

I'm taking tonight off and dropping all the supplements. Going to try to restart the system.

I might be overtraining a little bit. I have worked up to this point, so it's not as though I started at this level. I have a plan set for six months prior to my climb ... I am about a month ahead though.

I think your workouts are rockin' by the way. I do the arc trainer for normal cardio 45-75 minutes 5x/week with a 21 lb x-vest (i got 40 lbs) and adding a 1 lb every week to acclimate to the load bearing.

Thats in addition to the normal lifting 4-5x a week, and yah Anticor, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is either the best or worst feeling in the world (know you trained hard, and getting up off the throne REALLY hurts)...

~Paul

[kookiegod]

Spring from the happy ending.

Heh, but yah, add a sports massage as you can to your mix. I try to get one monthly of the deep tissue variety. Hurts during, but it breaks up the connective tissue and flushes the muscles with blood.

~Paul

[Showal]

haha well, i got a week to recover now. I got a NASTY infection in my hand last night, went to the emergency room for some IV antibiotics. I might need to go back again tonight. Doctor said no gym for a week!

I've got the best luck.

[AnticorRifling]

haha well, i got a week to recover now. I got a NASTY infection in my hand last night, went to the emergency room for some IV antibiotics. I might need to go back again tonight. Doctor said no gym for a week!

I've got the best luck.
This is why you don't run one out in a public shower, lesson learned.

[Showal]

This information, Anticor, is literally one day too late. Thanks for nothing.

[Showal]

I returned to the gym last night. Stairclimber, pack, the cooler gym, some electrolytes in my water, stopped the supplements ... no headache.

I didn't feel any worse off without the supplements either, so they're gone.

I'm thinking it was a combination of the heat and dehydration.

[Archigeek]

In my experience, dehydration headaches don't come on suddenly, they hit you kind of slowly. That's why I suggested muscle tension, with all that weight you're adding while doing a monster session on the stair climber. But better is better, so congrats. Just don't forget that your body does need rest.

[Killer Kitten]

When you're working out keep 2 water bottles handy. Fill one with water and the other with Gatorade. Drink equally from both.

I did a charity bike ride once, NY to Boston, and had killer issues with dehydration even though I was swilling water like mad. The med tech that finally rehydrated me explained that while water was all well and good it wasn't replacing my electrolytes and that led to me having a nice sit-down in the medical trailer.

For the rest of the ride I made sure to alternate water and Gatorade and that solved the problem nicely.

[Paradii]

What climb are you planning on attempting?

[Showal]

Denali

[AnticorRifling]

Why are you training so hard for that? I mean that SUV is only like 6.5ft tall. Maybe a bit more with a body/suspension lift...

[Paradii]

Denali

That's what I was assuming.

You are training too hard. Unless you are in terrible shape right now, take it down a notch.

[Archigeek]

Denali is one of the most underestimated climbs there is. It's good that you're training your ass off.

[Showal]

That's what I was assuming.

You are training too hard. Unless you are in terrible shape right now, take it down a notch.

Training too hard? Even underestimating Denali, is there such a thing?

Being in better shape increases the amount of enjoyment you have on ANY climb.

When I'm climbing up the main headwall, on the fixed ropes, with 65 pounds on my back and 50 in a sled, I'll be happy I overtrained!