Strong throb at base of skull

Mid-fifties woman in good shape and good health. I’ve been working
out for 6 mos but this has just started the other day. Midway between the
bottom of my ear and base of skull on both sides is a dull but strong
throb/ache. If I lower my head to my chest it gets stronger and throbs. Look
up straight forward again and it lessens. Push-ups are horrible as well as
pull-ups on rings but sit-ups don’t bother me at all. Makes no sense, any
ideas?

Yup – stop poking your chin out when you try really hard, like push ups.

Sits ups are OK because they don’t involve your arms, but the others do which means that it’s all linked to having a stiff thoracic spine (arm movement and thoracic mobility go hand in hand)

Get some mobility through your stiff thoracic spine and control your head on neck movement. Stronger arms and chest will absolutely help, but not at the detriment of putting your head and neck in the wrong position.

Good luck

The Guru