Headaches when working out. What could be wrong

[phishers]

Whenever im pushing myself during working out, whether its a set of push ups or lifting weights at the end of the set when im really pushing like when my face will get red, i will get a pretty bad headache pretty much forcing me to discontinue the workout.  Just has started happening the last week, but it always seems to happen. Do I have a brain tumor or something, whats wrong? =(  

Thanks
Zach

[presson]

follow up post. mri came back negative. now doctor wants me to see a neurologist. appointment is in two months. in the mean time, here is what ive learned over the last couple of weeks, since this thing started. i can run intervals without issue.

breathing and hydration are suddenly very important. i can work out at the gym so long as i watch my breathing and do not exert myself to the point of holding my breath. i can't bench press. but i can do push-ups and pull ups to a pump but being carefull not to strain. i can work on my hamstrings. also, during back and arm exercises i must breath deeply and frequently.

when the tension builds in the back of my neck during any pushing exercise, i get a slight painful pulsing sensation in my temples. i stop until it passes and i continue training so my workouts now take longer. if i don;t stop, my head explodes. the search for what ails continues.

[jameysnow]

alright guys.. there are a hundred posts on here about the initial pain which we've all had... lets start with some feedback on what does and does not help.. my headaches are caused by heavy lifting days predominantly chest and back.. whatever stresses my upper back seems to cause the headaches along with squats mainly due to the pressure of the bar on my upper back.. time off helps.. but i feel this is a temp solution. these have become more frequent so (after negative mri and brainscan) i've started  trying trigger point injections.. no real difference. and my concern is that if this is a tendon tear issue or blood vessel issue, if the nerve blocks do help, they may allow me to make the condition more dangerous w/out knowing it. ive seen a few posts recommending chiropractic or osteo work to help release a pinched nerve. this seems to be the most sound suggestion ive read. please someone discuss successful and unsuccessful treatments..
correct form is crucial. and breathing and rest help, but these are  coping mechanisms for this issue which seems to be either thunderclap headaches, cervicogenic headache, occipital neuralgia, exertion headaches, possibly Arterial Venous Malformation etc... what works?? what doesnt? can we get a chiropractor to chime in?

[presson]

last post july 23. thank you Budfrog. i saw a doctor last week. asked me a bunch of questions and took blood and stuff. he wants to schedule me for a cat scan but we need permission from health insurance. it's been four days...i could be dead.

i did nothing all week. on friday i went to the park and ran some sprints, but not too fast. just enough to get very winded. then i did body squats. towards the end of my set i started to feel pressure in the back of my neck and my temples. i stopped working out and it didn;t hit me full force. i looked in the car mirror and the vein on the side of my head looked like it was going to burst. so i said heck with it and headed to happy hour.

today i went to the gym. tried doing tricep push downs but the pressure started again so i stopped after the first set. walked on the treadmill instead until i broke out in sweat. i guess i have to sit tight until i hear from the doctor. i can't begin to share how frustrating this is.

[Nerevarine]

dude! I had EXACTLY the same thing man. It's literally just where you don't breathe correctly and thereby straining yourself. If you try and have sex (or masturbate) but keep your breathing light and relaxed (I realise this isn't easy) then you will find that you can have sex (or masturbate) without any pain at all. Just take it easy for a few weeks and you'll be fine m8.

[Budfrog]

Good luck and I hope the problem is a minor one which is sorted out quickly. I am slightly older than you and the thing that i have learnt since having this problem is to take things a little slower.

[presson]

i'm fifty years old. i used to get migraines but i changed my diet and they went away. i've never had a problem working out.

last week, i was bench pressing 185 pounds when i felt pressure where neck meets skull. i ignored it and finished off with 30 push-ups with my feet raised on the bench. on the last rep, my head exploded. the pain brought me to my knees. but it passed and i finished my routine. i also learned that sex is out of the question until i figure out what is going on.

on monday, i ran sprints and did body squats and my head felt fuzzy but did not explode. the rest of the week went without incident so long as i didn;t work out. on friday i saw a chiropractor and he cracked my neck. it sounded like a machine gun.

today, 7-23-11, i went to the gym feeling strong. on my third set of bench presses, i felt the pain. i rested and tried another set with 165 pounds and my head exploded on rep number 10. i had to leave the gym thinking i would pass out or throw up. currently, i'm sitting on my sofa with a headache waiting for it to pass. i plan on seeing a doctor. more to follow.