Hello Doctors
Yesterday, I got a headache doing squats. It came on suddenly on the second-to-last rep on the last set, on the ascending part of the squat. Pain was about 5 out of 10, located on the back of the head. I finished my set, sat down, and the headache got better rapidly, although a subtler headache (encompassing a larger area) persisted throughout the rest of the workout and the remainder of the evening. It’s still there now, more than 12h after onset, but it’s almost gone. After the workout yesterday, I also felt like I was on the verge of getting a cold, or a slight fever (hot head), but otherwise felt fine. That is gone today as well.
I then remembered that on my previous workout, the same thing happened on my last squat rep, only much less severely and there was no lingering headache. I remember chalking it up to a form error leading to a slight tweaking of a neck muscle. I felt a bit like getting sick then as well.
I remember faintly that about 15 years ago, when I was dabbling with strength training (no solid plan or coaching), I had the same problem, although I can’t remember anymore with what kind of exercise. I «solved» it by not doing any more strength training…
I drink enough and I also keep my torso and head in a straight line, so I don’t think it’s a hydration or form problem. A quick Google tells me that it might be an exertion headache caused by high blood pressure resulting from big compound movements.
Is that what this is, and if so, what can I do to solve this or train around it? Less reps? More HIIT?
Thank you!