P90X Round 3 – Time to Bring It!

I started the workout feeling great. I was full of energy, feeling strong and ready to push myself to the brink. I started off strong, busting out 40 push-ups. Then it was time for “wide front pull-ups”. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5……10, 11, 12….16, 17, POP! What was that!? Something just stabbed me in my neck and now it’s stabbing me in my head. What’s going on?!  No, my wife didn’t decide to attack me and no, there was no one in my home who was attacking me.

Exercise Headache During P90X… No Fun.

I have had my first experience with “Exercise Headaches“. Exercise headaches, as the name suggests, occur during or after sustained, strenuous exercise. The activities most commonly associated with these types of headaches are running, rowing, tennis, swimming and weightlifting. The most common cause for exercise headaches is improper breathing.

This is exactly what happened to me. I was pushing myself so hard that I forgot to breathe. I wanted so badly to get to 20 pull-ups that I forgot about everything else.

After the headache came on I was immediately paralyzed. My head hurt, my neck hurt and I couldn’t exert myself anymore. I have to admit, I was a little scared. I wasn’t sure if I was have a brain aneurysm, popped a vessel, I had no idea. I quickly went online and Googled what happened and found that “exercise headaches” are actually quite common – especially when lifting weights.

Listen to Tony and the Tip of the Day

So, from personal experience, when Tony says “Tip of the day… Don’t hold your breath” – don’t hold your breath!