It’s important to note that while they sound severe, they are quite mild and usually present no long-term damage. The only symptoms are the immediate pain at the onset of the headache, and the duller, longer-lasting pressure/ache afterwards. Once you get them for the first time, you’ll tend to get them frequently, unless you take steps to prevent them (listed below). As you can imagine, this can run counter to a beneficial strength training program.

Fortunately, while no one is sure how exactly these headaches occur, getting rid of them is fairly simple.

1. Overbreathe – Rather than use the “exhale when you exert, inhale when you relax” standard, breathe with a steady repeating pattern, increasing your rate of breathing as the effort increases. At the end of the set when you’re giving your best efforts, your breathing should almost resemble Lamaze or hyperventilating.

The reason this helps is because it’s instinctive to hold your breath when straining. By not holding your breath, it keeps blood pressure down and minimizes tension in your neck. Incidentally, this one thing seems to help the MOST.

2. Maintain neutral and relaxed head/neck – Neutral head/neck means to keep your neck straight, i.e., don’t whip your head around, or twist the neck. Maintaining a straight neck position (think holding a large egg under your chin) will also help to minimize head/neck tension.

3. Keep face relaxed – Keeping a relaxed face (as best as you can) even when giving your best efforts helps to minimize neck tension.

Your son may feel silly breathing like he’s hyperventilating but it prevents EIH in nearly 100% of the trainees I’ve supervised who’ve experienced it. The last thing he should do is “work through it” without involving these interventions. This may entail a decrease in the difficulty of his exercise for the short-term, until he gets the hang of the breathing and his headaches disappear before he starts working hard again.

Hope this helps him and best of luck to him.