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Recently, I've started getting headaches mainly after leg-pressing on the machine. They used to be pretty short and only last a few minutes, but they got worse and now they last for the full work-out + a few hours after I leave the gym. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there anything I can do about it?

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Are you hydrated and fed when you work out? – Dave Liepmann Apr 17 '12 at 21:36
I think so. I try to eat and drink about 2 hours before going to the gym and during the workout I drink around 1.5l of water – Maciek Apr 17 '12 at 21:42
@freefrag sometimes it happens to me after spending the whole day coding a tough and stressful task. I get exhausted and when i go workout i get a headache. Maybe you are working lots of hours? – chadi cortbaoui Apr 17 '12 at 22:32
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You might want to have your blood pressure measured. – Mischa Arefiev Apr 18 '12 at 8:24
@shadesco I doubt it's that, I'm a student and I don't usually overwork myself. – Maciek Apr 19 '12 at 0:33
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3 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Like squats, leg press is one of those exercises where you may see stars if your blood circulation is bad, you are dehydrated, or you are not breathing correctly. If it is none of that, it could just be benign exertion headaches.

Whatever it is, I would see a doctor immediately. Not to scare you, but if you have an underlying condition then doing leg presses is just asking for an aneurysm. Better to get an MRI then be sorry.

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I think you mean "better to get an MRI than be sorry". The system won't let me edit it... – hippietrail Apr 8 at 7:09
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Are you taking protein shakes before you start training? You might be allergic to whey (milk) which causes headaches for me.

Otherwise its likely that you are simply dehydrated.

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in addition to what was said already, try drinking more water. not freezing cold ice water, but cool or room temperature. dehydration is what starts the headaches, and hydrating should make it feel better.

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