Punchbag without boxing gloves, getting a headache

Question

I was using the punchbag at the gym early on Saturday morning, just jab-straight combinations and trying to work on power for the second punch. What I experienced was a pain in my head when I hit the bag full force each time. It was early but I don't think I was dehydrated, and I was just using weightlifting gloves rather than boxing gloves. I wasn't whipping back the second punch, trying to follow through instead with my body weight going forwards.

I was wondering if anybody else has experienced anything similar to this. Am I absorbing some of the impact somehow, like a recoil? Would boxing gloves be a more sensible idea for me?

UPDATE: No issues this weekend. I would say it was down to dehydration that morning. Exhaling as the punch lands, as suggested, worked great. I'm pretty sure I was doing that previously, so it must have been dehydration.

Thanks again!

Answer 1

Standard comment when people complain about pain when performing their exercise, especially when it involves your head or chest, schedule an appointment with your doctor to be sure it's not a health problem.

That said, the idea of recoil is a decent guess. If this is a one-time thing, it's possible that you had a headache that was only becoming evident when you got some shock into your system. Outside of that, are you breathing correctly, either breathing normally or exhaling sharply with the hits? My experience is that many people either hold their breath or try to release it at a constant rate through the punching. That can raise your blood pressure and heart rate, which can cause headaches. Usually, you'll also get a bit more of a flush to your face from the strain.