Sweating during exercise

Lizzybop

I have a question for all the exercise experts out there.

When exercising, if you sweat a lot is this a good sign? Does it indicate you are working out hard? OR Is it a sign that you aren't very fit?

When I go to the gym for a cardio workout I sweat a lot. I alternate between cardio and weights & resistance workouts. I do puff a bit with weights, but don't sweat so much.

I push myself quite hard - well I think so - but wonder if I'm still just not very fit. I do go on the treadmill, and sometimes running outside, but I'm struggling to get any better at it. I'm not sure how to get better. Do I just keep trying, maybe building it up bit by bit. I would like to be a bit quicker - I know I'm a bit slow.

I have lost quite a bit of weight - nearly 6 stone - and am liking the new and improved shape, and extra energy etc.. However I feel I still have further to go.

Any ideas?

cherryblossomzel

I had heard that the more used you get to exercise, the quicker you start sweating, as your body knows what's coming and gets better at regulating your temperature. I don't know if it's true, but it does make a certain kind of intuitive sense.

However, the amount you sweat does not indicate how hard you are working or how fit/not fit you are. I think genetics and ambient temperature play important roles.

Re the running: I'm not an expert (I hate running), but I do know that people have different types of muscle fibres (fast vs slow twitch). How many you have relative to each other influences whether you are better at fast, explosive movements, or slower and steadier movements. I think you might be able to change that ratio with practice, but don't know how much. Maybe try one of the dedicated running forums or website (runnersworld is probably a good place to start).

jenniewb

Sweating I'm afraid is not an indicator of anything other than that your body is a bit too warm. It can happen because your heart is racing and body warming up, but it can also happen if the room your in is too warm or if your feeling self conscious or if your hormones are playing up (time of the month, the menopause, even things you have eaten can mess with your hormones).


A more realistic way to monitor your fitness level is to see what exercises you used to do and how much faster or for how much longer you can do them for. If your at a gym a gym trainer can help you monitor things and even chart them for you so you can see the improvements visually.


Just remember, you exercise to live and not live to exercise, it can be easy to get yourself into a system where you feel you have to exercise and be the best or push yourself to cause pain in order to see any benefits, but actually, aside from this destroying the fun and well-being side of exercise, it's not about pushing yourself, it's about developing a way to exercise which aids any weight loss and keeps it in check, the last thin you want is to set yourself up with an unrealistic exercise regime only to get to your goal weight and realise that to maintain any weight loss, you would still need to exercise at the same rate to stay at your goal weight. Try to make sure any exercise, diet or lifestyle changes are sustainable if you want to make the effects of those changes stick.

Honeythief

Some people get hot quickly. Some people get sweaty quickly. Sorry, but it's not an indicator of how hard you are working!

It sounds like you have done great work already towards a fitter and healthier you. You don't need sweat to know if you have worked hard or not. You'll feel it!

pinkmami

I run (3-4 times a week average 7-10 miles each run) and I look bloody awful when I finish! Red in the face & a right sweaty betty and its embarrassing!!!

But I feel damn good after it!

There_Goes_Trouble

Sweating varies from person to person. I run with a friend who is a similar pace/standard to me, she sweats buckets and I hardly sweat at all. In 'normal' life if we are in the same environment she gets hot much quicker than I do. I am well known for 'always being cold'.

thor

I concur about sweating not being an indicator of how hard you are exercising. I sweat quite a lot even when just walking at a moderate pace but the rate of sweating does not increase that much even if I run at a much faster speed. Also when resting I find that I do not sweat at all at high temperatures until it hits 30 degrees Celsius.

eleanor73

I used top sweat like mad and now as I'm fitter it is only moderately better. I wouldn't worry about it. My Mum is very fit and she sweats very heavily and so does my brother. I hate running (well jogging) and genuinely don't think I would get better even if I made a concerted effort to- however I love sprinting and walking so tend to do that.

heartbreak_star

I rarely sweat buckets but do go incredibly red - I think it just varies from person to person.

HBS x

surfsister

at my gym they said that sweating is good as it removes toxins with it as long as you refuel with lots of water. well done on the 6 stone weight loss an example to us all!!

Lilly12

I think it is mostly a personal thing. I know many people at my gym who barely break a sweat whenever they are exercising hard and I know that I can look at the treadmill and start sweating. I have grown to accept it, despite the fact that I thought it was frustrating and even a bit embarrassing at first. I do drink an awful lot of water, and I guess that it might have something to do with proper (if not excess) hydration.