heavy deadlift = panic attacks

DOB

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can I have one reply pls?
I have huge problem,when I do heavy deadlift I start to feel stinging pain in my heart and I feel like loosing consciousness,it feels like I got heart attack and I have only few seconds left before I die,this is extreme terror for me and triggers severe panic attacks my heart beat 180bpm just resting becose I feel overwhelming terror of death

deadlift is my favorite excersise but this completly ruins it for me,cant it be stretching of the heart due to massive bloodpressure spike from doing max weight? cant I get that enlarged heart natty just from that heavy heavy weight?

today I hit my new PR and I got worst panic attack ever,I felt like leaving this world no joke,this was first time I asked for help,the staff was bussy and little pissed that I bother them but I just cant continue like this,I want to have good time I love deadlift,but this death fear heart pain passing out,dying is horrible and even trough I live I get same feeling and its worst feeling I ever felt
 
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I get a bit dizzy if I try and max out on DL, but typically it's after I've already put the bar back down. For me, timing of meals is everything when it comes to hardcore powerlifting. I need to find the perfect balance of not too full that I will puke and not too hungry that I feel dizzy.

Also, being properly trained not only on the lifts, but also how to quickly abandon the lifts if things go wrong will calm the mind a bit.
 
I get a bit dizzy if I try and max out on DL, but typically it's after I've already put the bar back down. For me, timing of meals is everything when it comes to hardcore powerlifting. I need to find the perfect balance of not too full that I will puke and not too hungry that I feel dizzy.

Also, being properly trained not only on the lifts, but also how to quickly abandon the lifts if things go wrong will calm the mind a bit.

I am ok with the dizziness but the stinging heart pain is what send me over edge into omg I am dying mode
 
Might be a blood pressure issue or you may have an arrhythmia. Could also be stress on the chest itself from the weight you're pulling (stretching muscles out) and not your heart directly.
 
Does it also happen on other compound movements?

Go see a doctor about it, preferably a doctor who works with athletes.

I dont squat and I dont do heavy benchpress.... deadlift is only excersise I do in HEAVY weight,by that I mean something I can rep 2-3 times max
 
yea dude. Its funny, i have the same thing right now. I googled it and it took me here. I usually only have that heart feeling on a leg day. I incorporate deads with my legs as well. Its like that feeling you get your first highschool varsity tryout. Lungs feel like there collapsing etc. I hate it but it only happens when i heavy left. I think that since deadlift is a whole body movement, it stresses everything as well as the lungs. While its so advantageous to be doing deadlifts, it comes with a price. I look at it that way. I also suffer from anxiety and i know that feeling your talking about. It feels like doom and your about to start seeing stars. Deep breaths and keep sipping on a water bottle to keep your head off it. It usually subsides within 20-30 minutes for me. Youl be fine dude. Keep lifting.
 
Anybody elses jaw feel stressed sometimes? I only get it when doing heavy deadlifts, sometimes squats.
 
Do you normally suffer from panic attacks? It sounds like it's probably because deadlifting is spiking your heart rate and your body is confusing that with panic. Best to see a doctor to be sure tho because you shouldn't feel like you're going to die after you deadlift. Also, why don't you squat?
 
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Do you normally suffer from panic attacks? It sounds like it's probably because deadlifting is spiking your heart rate and your body is confusing that with panic. Best to see a doctor to be sure tho because you shouldn't feel like you're going to die after you deadlift. Also, why don't you squat?

Because he wants chicken legs :)
 
To me it doesn't make sense to deadlift and not squat because both lifts are going to carryover. The op states that the deadlift is the only lift he lifts heavy so I think it's quite possible he's just not conditioned his body to lifting heavy weights resulting in the drastic spike in heart rate. We also have no idea how the form is, but if his legs are weak there's a good chance it's less than perfect. All of this is just speculation of course and shouldn't be taken in place of professional medical advice.
 
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