A common (and unwanted) side effect of bodybuilding people experience from time to time is a feeling of light headedness, dizziness and nausea. Usually, this can happen during the workout, but may also happen afterwards.
Light headedness during workouts can be an indicator that one isn’t breathing correctly during lifts. For some, breathing comes naturally, and others have a tendency to hold their breath. Of course, rapidly burning the oxygen in your system by lifting weights without replenishing it with breathing can leave your brain starved of oxygen, making you feel very light headed. Lack of breathing is a prime reason why many people pass out whilst lifting very heavily.
The effects of improper breathing can be felt for a while afterwards, also – and a headache may develop.
Another reason why people feel light headed during and after lifting is their blood sugar levels have dropped. Having this happen midway through lifting is a sure fire sign that you haven’t eaten enough carbohydrates and protein before lifting to keep your blood sugars up.
If you’ve ever missed a meal after your workout for one reason or another, and didn’t eat for quite a while afterwards, you may also develop light headedness. Your body is crying out for you to get some food into your system to bring the blood sugar levels back up.
It’s also vital that you drink plenty of water before, during, and after your training sessions. By not drinking enough water, you risk having your blood pressure drop. When your blood pressure drops, this basically means your blood isn’t going through your body as quickly as it should, which means less oxygen and nutrients are reaching not only your muscles (leaving you having a lousy workout) but also where it counts the most – in your brain. Less oxygen to the brain creates a feeling of light headedness and nausea.
I hope you’ve learnt something important in this article. The last thing you want to happen is to pass out while under a great deal of weight – so be smart and train safe.