New Member...Head question..

[Call_Me_James]

Whats up guys? new member here, came over from the BB forums. My names James, I'm slowly getting back into boxing, I used to box when I was around 14, now 21, I stopped boxing and got into weight lifting. Now that I'm trying to get back in, I've got a slight problem.

Everytime I get punched in the face/head, I get a head pain that lasts up to 2 minutes if I settle down. I've asked some about the issue, could it be that I'm not used to the boxing world yet?. Do I just need more training?

[msagrain]

You could ask your doctor if it is effecting you that much.

[peewee1460]

It could be an involuntary muscle spasm, but I would speak to a doctor if it persists for more than two or three weeks.

[KostyaTszyu44]

hmm thats weird my head never hurts unless ive taken like 50 hard shots

but then again i was told i had a very good chin so i dunno maybe thats just me

[Domey]

I wouldn't spar anymore untill you talk to your doctor.

[RMAcero]

Definitely talk to your doctor, friend.

[fraidycat]

The two things you do not **** around with in this sport are headaches and hand pain.

See a doctor. Right now.

[Call_Me_James]

Well, I mean the headache jumps in once punched, then goes away in a bout a minute or two, so I'll definatly ask a doctor about it, but I'm sure all he'll say is "boxing is bad for you", same thing every doctor has told me before, lol.

Cliff notes about me:

weight lifting is my life, 5 days a week.
currently cutting, 2000 cals a day, standing at 6'0, 210 pounds.
NO aerobic cardio whatsoever in my regimen.

[Fernando Torres]

The two things you do not **** around with in this sport are headaches and hand pain.

See a doctor. Right now.

I dunno, hand pains are fairly standard! If it is not disabling I leave it or just give it some ice. Depends how serious an injury is. Obviously this guy has serious issues lasting 2 minutes.

hmm thats weird my head never hurts unless ive taken like 50 hard shots

but then again i was told i had a very good chin so i dunno maybe thats just me

Why on earth would anyone want to take 50 hard head shots? One word for you: defence.

[fraidycat]

Well, I mean the headache jumps in once punched, then goes away in a bout a minute or two, so I'll definatly ask a doctor about it, but I'm sure all he'll say is "boxing is bad for you", same thing every doctor has told me before, lol.

Cliff notes about me:

weight lifting is my life, 5 days a week.
currently cutting, 2000 cals a day, standing at 6'0, 210 pounds.
NO aerobic cardio whatsoever in my regimen.

On the bolded parts:

1.) You need to consult a sports medicine specialist. Not an orthopedist, not a GP. Find a D.O. if you can, and make sure his card or Yellow Pages listing says "Sports Medicine." I go to the guy who is the team doctor for our pro baseball team. If your town doesn't have pro sports, consult your local high school's football coach and find out who he sends his star players to. Hell, ask your boxing coach who he recommends. Somewhere in every town is a doctor for guys who do stupid **** and need to keep doing it.

2.) It is possible that your headache is at least partially caused by a low VO2 max. It may not necessarily be the blow to the head; you might be on the verge of blacking out and the punch to the head could be putting you just over the cliff. Especially if the symptom goes away after a few minutes. I'm just spitballing, here, but stick with me: when you get hit hard, you tense up. That's just physiology. When you tense up, you need even more oxygen; you're trying to feed every muscle in your body -- in your case, you're probably carrying 150 lbs. of muscle -- at the same time.

Whether your doc detemines that it's head-related or lung-related, you need to get your ass on a treadmill or a stairclimber; even start going for long walks in the mornings and work in some sprints. You have a physique that's going to take a staggering amount of oxygen to keep going in the ring. I'm 170, fight at 164, and the difference for me just in losing 10 lbs. (used to be 180 fighting at 175) was considerable in the ring. I have breezed through my fights at middleweight -- from a cardio standpoint, anyway. A competitive boxer needs to be able to oxgenate like a triathlete; my analogy is, boxing three rounds is like running up a mile of stairs with a pair of Dobermans chasing you. I know lots of good boxers who don't have a bodybuilder's physique, but they can all run flat-out for longer than you'd believe. At our gym, we train to outwork our opponents above all.