On deadlifts I nearly faint when I go down. I get that this happens a lot when you lift heavy, but I’m not lifting heavy. Not even relatively. It’s 65 pounds which is nothing to me. When I first started I didn’t get lightheaded, but now even with 65 for a warmup I’m dizzy. By the time I go to my main workout, I go to 75 or 80 and at this point I’m about to black out after like 2 reps. Again, not heavy but something is still wrong. I think my form is correct. Deep breath with belly expanding on inhale, brace, and squeeze glutes.
I also want to progress with chin ups, but I can do neither pull ups, chin ups, and even lat pull downs aren’t doing anything - the pull downs I feel in my upper back, and then my forearms get super sore even after leading with elbows. I’m doing a chin up grip on pull downs with ‘hooks’ (thumbs on the same side as other fingers). I tried negatives briefly, but the pull up bars are at an angle, and there were too many people at the squat rack which is the only place with straight horizontal bars.
Getting dizzy on 65 piund deadlifts is strange, if possible I think you should see a doctor (assuming you have made sure you're hydrated and what not)
Eh... I used to do lots of drugs and never experienced this. I don't know, do you feel like you're gonna pass out? Or just get dizzy
Very very strange. Don't do deadlifts until you figure this out. Have you tried kettlebell swings? They also target similar muscle groups, try some and see if they give you similar results as the deadlifts
Yeah, they are. But be careful, and I'd they have the free weight dumbbells maybe use those and use the hand holds. With flat dumbbells you could lose grip. Start at a low weight and work your way up
Negatives were the way for me tbh.
Dizziness is very weird, are you hydrated / electrolyted?
In case you are not on some 18h fast - dizziness is very weird/concerning. if you are - eat a banana like 2-3h before exercise.
Ah, can you hang for like 30-60 sec already? Pull ups are not exactly about arm strength, they are about tendons and core/spine as well. if you immediately drop do the rows/dips/pulldowns, until you can control negative in some way - like first third of a distance
hanging is important in any case, you can finish workout with it.
And proper negative is a weird saying. There is no proper form of getting there lol - you jump up/or lift your legs to be in the top position and then negative. It’s not pretty I mean.
If your strength is lacking you won’t be able to feel control in first third of arm movement, and you won’t get any benefit - you will just snap into bottom position without muscle engagement (which is dangerous as you can hurt something), so if that’s the case - do other arm exercises (row/pull downs is closest, as it’s pulling exercise) and hanging from a bar to get prepared.
Definitely worth seeing a doctor, getting dizzy easily is a bad sign. (Not a "you're about to die" sign so relax, but also there's no reason to be dizzy on a regular basis and it's probably fixable.)
Random things to check because people listen to internet comments instead of seeing a doctor for some reason:
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Do you do enough cardio? (ie: Are you just feeling faint because your muscles got bigger and now your tiny baby lungs can't support them?)
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Do you get enough salt?
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Does sitting on your floor and doing exercises also make you feel dizzy? (ie: Does your home have a layer of settled gas that's making you feel faint? Open a damn window.)
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Seconding what most people are saying, you need to discuss with your doctor. When is the last time you had bloodwork done? Could you possibly be anemic? Is your blood pressure normal?
Do you also nearly faint when changing posture outside of working out? Like when standing after sitting for a long time.
For pull ups a ton of the movement is neurological, I am completely unfit right now and walk with a cane sometimes but I can manage one or two reps. It's not really about sheer strength. Though I am very lightweight for my height/very low BMI so it's easier I guess. I'd recommend getting a resistance band and do assisted pull ups with that, to practice the movement. Also don't cheat and use momentum/kipping in pull ups, you'll only rob yourself.
Yeah it's normal to a most of the times for sure, it's only if you're heart rate goes up a ton while it's happening and stays super elevated that it becomes a concern. Though I can see how deadlifts can make it worse.
You definitely need to find some way to practice the pulling motion while making it easier so you can get the movement down, either bands of varying resistance so you can do assisted pull ups with them or a bar/rings with adjustable height so you can do jackknife pull-ups with your feet still in contact with the ground and the like.
Do you have a fitness tracker? It would be useful to know what your heart rate is like when this happens.
As for the pulling exercises, if you can afford it, resistance bands are good. You can do assisted pull-ups this way as you build strength. You can change to different color bands depending on how much assistance you need.
Are you using a diaphragmatic breathing technique / brace when lifting? The idea is to breathe in a bit, then hold it with your diaphragm (kinda like when you've gotta push hard to do a poo), and only then do the rep. This helps you keep blood flow consistent to your head. One hypothesis for why you're getting lightheaded is that you're putting pressure on your vagus nerve, something that can happen just be flexing your neck muscles really hard. You can actually make yourself pass out by squeezing your neck muscles too hard. Breathing technique will help prevent you from relying on your neck muscles too maintain posture when lifting.
Also be careful - I'd recommend having a strong partner to spot you if you do deadlift in the future just in case you do actually pass out. You don't want to hit your head on anything - your spotter could catch you.
