Stuffy ears from strength training

More than 90% of the ear tightness that occurs during strength training is a normal physiological reaction caused by the imbalance of internal and external pressure in the middle ear caused by holding your breath. The remaining less than 10% is related to abnormal Eustachian tube function and a transient increase in blood pressure. Most of them can be quickly relieved by adjusting breathing. Only a few cases accompanied by pain and hearing loss require medical intervention.

We who often go to the gym to train strength have probably encountered this situation - last month I tried to achieve a 180kg squat PR, squatted to the third position while carrying the bar, and the moment I stood up from the ground, my ears suddenly seemed to be covered with a soft plastic wrap, and my breathing was muffled. It felt like it was floating directly out of my chest. My partner next to me shouted to me, "Take your core and don't slump." I heard it as if there was a wall of water half a meter thick. I held my nose for half a minute and gently puffed out. I heard the crisp sound of the Eustachian tube with a "click", and finally returned to normal hearing.

To put it bluntly, this problem is all caused by the Eustachian tube, which is the thin tube between the ear and the nasopharynx. It is usually closed. It only opens a small slit when yawning, swallowing, or chewing to equalize the air pressure in the middle ear with the atmospheric pressure outside. When you do heavy deadlifts, squats, and presses, do you subconsciously hold your breath and tighten your core? This is Valve breathing. The pressure in the chest instantly rises, directly squeezing the opening of the Eustachian tube. The air in the middle ear cannot go out or enter. Over time, the pressure becomes lower than outside, and the eardrum is pressed inward, causing a stuffy feeling.

There is quite a difference in how this matter is handled in the bodybuilding and powerlifting circles. I talked to a bodybuilding coach before, and he said that the essence of ear congestion is that the breathing rhythm is wrong. There is no need to hold your breath to death all the way to lift the weight. You should inhale slowly during eccentricity and exhale in small mouths when pushing concentrically to the top. If you don’t put so much pressure on the Eustachian tube, you will naturally not be stuffy. When they teach newbies, they will even specifically ask not to hold their breath for the whole process, for fear that some people will feel dizzy and have tinnitus from holding in the weight. But friends who often do powerlifting must have heard another saying: PR tile breathing is a must when pressing heavy weights. The moment of ear tightness means that the core is tight enough and the weight is heavy enough. As long as there is no tingling or dizziness, don't worry about it at all. Take a drink of water and swallow it twice during the rest between sets, and it will clear up on your own. You can't make the mistake of lowering the weight to avoid ear stuffiness. I have been training myself for six years, and there is actually nothing wrong with either statement. It depends on what your training purpose is. If you focus on building muscle, you don't have to push the limit. Of course, it is better to adjust your breathing. If you are training for performance, it really doesn't matter if you are bored a few times now and then.

But not all ear stuffiness can be ignored. There was a guy in my gym last month who went to deadlift just two days after catching a cold. After lifting 200kg, his ears were stuffy for two days and still had a dull pain. He went to the hospital to check for Eustachian tubeitis. When he had a cold, his nasopharynx was severely swollen. When he held his breath, the Eustachian tube was blocked. He was prescribed medicine and it took him three days to get better. Friends who have high blood pressure should also pay attention. When you hold your breath with heavy weights, your blood pressure will spike temporarily, which can also cause ear stuffiness. In this case, don't push the weight hard, otherwise the gains will outweigh the losses.

Don’t panic when you encounter ear congestion. The most common method is to hold your nose and gently inflate, remember “gently”. I once had a second-rate friend who inflated so hard that he almost perforated the eardrum. I just applied a little force and felt the eardrum push outwards and then stopped. Most likely, the eardrum would open with a “click”. Don't just sit and check your phone during breaks between sets. Swallow more saliva or prepare chewing gum to chew twice to reduce the chance of feeling bored.

Anyway, after practicing for so many years, I can’t count the number of times I have stuffy ears. As long as there is no pain, no hearing loss, or dizziness, I basically don’t need to worry about it. If it doesn’t relieve after a long time, go directly to the otolaryngology department to register, don’t search for folk remedies on your own.