Hi Dr. Baraki and Dr. Feigenbaum. I have noticed in the last few months I am getting small red dots on upper body and face after training. They seem to stay only for about 24-48 hours, and are gone after that. After doing a little research I am fairly certain this is from holding my breath/straining when lifting heavy. What is strange to me is that this only started happening fairly recently, and the weight I am lifting is not drastically heavier than before. I did change my breathing style for the bench from breathing every time to one or two breaths held across the set. This seemed to make the situation worse, so I went back. Can diet effect this? I have read that fish oil can thin the blood, and I have been taking that in doses of 2G-3G per day for maybe the past two years. Other supplements I take are Vitamin D and creatine monohydrate. I also sometimes experience headaches, pressure in the sinuses, and very rarely get a little lightheaded after a heavy work set on some lifts. Am I possibly breathing incorrectly? Is this something to worry about? Who do I see to best get this looked at? What have your experiences been with this? Thank you very much for your time and input.
If these are mild petechiae that only occur in the context of training (i.e., no spontaneous rashes or bruising elsewhere), they’re very common and not particularly concerning. You might be bracing incorrectly - make sure you’re bracing your abs into your belt, and keeping the pressure “down low” in your abdomen/trunk. Your supplements are unlikely to be contributing.
Yes, the petechiae occurs most prominently on the top of my shoulders, but it is painless and only comes with training. As for bracing with/without belt, I always thought the correct method was to take a deep breath into the stomach and then contract the abs IN, even with a belt, as opposed to pushing out into the belt. At least I thought this was what Rippetoe suggested. Maybe this correction will help my problem?
Sucking the abs in is not the correct way to brace.
Quoted from Rip’s article on the website, The Belt and the Deadlift - “Once it’s tight, take a great big breath, crunch down on everything isometrically, forget the belt is there, and do the rep. I disagree with the recommendation to push out against the belt because, strictly followed, this motion will usually produce some degree of lumbar flexion. Better to rely on the correct belt tension and the Valsalva to allow your trunk muscles to do their job better with the feedback about contractile intensity provided by the belt.”
Now I’m not trying to argue or anything, I’m just trying to see if I’m interpreting this correctly. I’ve always tried to follow his advice and squeeze everything down and in, not just sucking the abs/stomach in softly but crunching down as he says, and bracing down/in tightly as if someone was to punch you in the gut. This is incorrect? Thanks again for your input.
This is an isometric abdominal contraction- not drawing the abs in.