I had an old boyfriend who said, the fitter you were, the more you sweat.

Any ideas if this is true? I know it's hot, but I seem to be breaking out in a sweat after an easy warm-up. I know I'm a lot fitter than I was this time last year (and I sweat more in the same temps) so do you think this is the reason? Anyone know for sure?

That's what I've always heard, Frus, and it's happened to me. I get positively drenched now when I'm doing cardio and often break a sweat while lifting, which never used to happen. It's a good thing, I guess!

Problem is that I have to change my shirt if I want to stop in the grocery store on the way home from the gym!

Ah glad I'm in the same boat as you athletes

I was thingking about this he other day too. I had heard that, and I started thinking maybe its true because I sweat till im drenched now. Last ear no mattr how hard I worked I didnt seem to break a sweat.

I exercise in my air conditioned apartment now and still get soaked. Its yucky but I know Im working hard at least.

Yahoo! I too have noticed that I sweat more, even running in AC. I'm with Frus, "glad I'm in the same boat with you athletes".

I had never heard that about fit=more sweat, but it makes sweating seem better now!

I just wanted to say that no it's not true. Sweating is just a way for your body to cool itself down. Maybe you are working out harder so your body is heating up more. I have a medical condition where I can't sweat. I have been working out for years (see a trainer) and am in pretty good shape. Yet, I don't sweat.

Denise85 - I think your situation is unique. In general, it is true. The fitter you get, the more efficient your body becomes at cooling itself through sweating. Thus, more fit = more sweat.

On days when I train out in the mid-day Florida summer heat....talk about SWEAT!!!!! Some days I have a hard time seeing because I have so much sweat running into my eyes. Yuck!

An athlete who has adapted to keep the body core cool during exercise will shunt blood to the skin’s surface more quickly and release heat from the body. At the same time, the sweat glands increase their output and thus cool the body during sweat evaporation. While fit people produce more sweat than sedentary folks, they lose less sodium, because more of it is reabsorbed by the body. The result is a more efficient cooler. - About website

Sweating may or may not be a good measure of athletic performance. Research shows that when you increase stamina and conditioning, your begin to sweat "more efficiently", or at a lower body temperature than previously. Sweating earlier in a workout helps the body better regulate core temperature in all climates and at all activity levels. - Personal Best Fitness website

Sweat rate is also influenced by your fitness level: the sweat glands in a fit body enlarge and increase in number, so you sweat more. All these bodily adjustments create more efficient cooling while you run. - The Ultimate Handbook

On the other hand, profuse sweating can also be a sign of being relatively fit, since one of the adaptations to consistent exercise training is that individuals will sweat more and sweat sooner so that their bodies don't store extra heat.

Source: Bryant, Cedric X. 101 Frequently Asked Questions about "Health & Fitness" and "Nutrition & Weight Control". Sagamore Publishing, 1999.


So maybe it is true, maybe it isn't

I've been noticing that, too. I'm absolutely drenched most times when I'm done. Before I atributed it to the summer heat, since last summer the only working out I did was swimming and it's a little hard to gauge sweat in the water :P

arggg i sweat disgustingly like everywhere, it looks like I "potty" on myself sometimes. I hope this will only go into effect when exercizing. Because when i was younger i use to always have embarrassing sweat marks on my back.

Ahhh, so that explains why I'm always soaked when I leave Curves. LOL

I don't know...I've always been a sweater, even when I wasn't in that great of shape. I can't wear shoes without socks because my feet sweat so much. My underwear is always damp. At the gym, my so-called "moisture-wicking" gym clothes are always soaked. I have total flop sweats and I absolutely have to have a towel to wipe my face or I can't see for all the sweat getting in my eyes. I'd like to think all this sweat is because I am in better shape, but sadly, I've always been like this.

My SO, on the other hand, simply doesn't sweat. We can both be doing the same activity and sweat will literally be dripping off me in sheets and he won't be sweating at all. It's remarkably annoying! He can also eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound (in fact, it would be good if he could put on a few pounds).

At this point, I am in better shape than him. But the sweating the was same even when I was in worse shape than him. I do sweat more when it is hot, so the last few days at the gym have been particularly bad. I don't expect I'll ever sweat less when I am working out, but I keep hoping that as I get in better shape and normal, everyday activities require less exertion, I'll sweat less during my day-to-day routine. So far, I can't say that I've noticed a difference, though.

- Barbara

Does that mean my face will still go bright red when I'm fitter as well? I was hoping that I would stop looking like a beetroot (literally) at the slightest sign of exercise. I don't mind sweating if I stay a more normal colour!

I'm still a beetroot - just fewer people take the proverbial now I exercise with adults!