Sweat

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AnsiStar
AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This might be tmi for some people, I dunno but how much are you supposed to sweat during a workout?

I go to the gym 3x a week, I start with some interval training on the treadmill or the cross trainer for about 10-15 minutes (not including warm up) and then hit the weights for the next 40-60 minutes.

People keep telling me I'm not working hard enough because I'm not sweating. My skin goes warm and a little clammy but aside from little underarm patches I'm not sweaty. I drink plenty when I work out and I feel tired so I know I'm working but it's concerning me that no matter how hard I go I'm not sweating.

My mum says she's the same - she only sweats when it's really hot out and she's trimming the huge hedges we have in the garden.

Is this normal or do I really need to up my game?


Extra info - in recovery from an ED, eating about 1200 a day now and aiming for more
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Replies

  • fxgs
    fxgs Posts: 41 Member
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    Everyone's physiology is different..................some sweat alot , some don't, it's really not based on the effort you are expending.
    Personally when I work out, I am dripping after about 10 minutes.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    People are different. I don't think sweat is always a good measure of how hard someone is working.

    For example, I come from a relatively sweat-less people. Back in Feb I was doing Insanity and it took about 35 minutes into any of those videos for me to start to sweat, not glisten but actually sweat. No matter how hard I work I cannot get a sweat spot on my shirts, I'm fine with that.

    Fast forward to June and I am doing C25K, cycling and StrongLifts 5x5 and find I am sweating a lot more. Still not getting spots on my shirts but sometimes it looks like I had a bucket of water dumped over my head. So I guess you could say the fitter I get the more I sweat.
  • skasis_paradigm
    skasis_paradigm Posts: 15
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    I tend to sweat more during Cardio then I do weights. Then again, I really push myself when it comes to cardiovascular endeavors because that's where I was severely lacking. I'm hoping that soon I can do the full 20-10 Tabata split at a dead sprint, which for me is about 9-10, on a 15 incline. Right now I can only do 10-10 because my legs almost give out by the 9th-10th second.

    As far as the lifting goes, certain exercises get me sweating at different points in the routine. During shoulders and arms, I'm sweating right away because I begin with the Seated DB Shoulder Press. On Chest and Tri days I'm sweating by the Decline DB Press and on Legs and Back it takes me until Leg Curls to work up a really good sweat.

    That being said, my perspective is it all comes down to the individual in question whether or not you sweat more so, or less than you feel you should.
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
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    This might be tmi for some people, I dunno but how much are you supposed to sweat during a workout?

    I go to the gym 3x a week, I start with some interval training on the treadmill or the cross trainer for about 10-15 minutes (not including warm up) and then hit the weights for the next 40-60 minutes.

    People keep telling me I'm not working hard enough because I'm not sweating. My skin goes warm and a little clammy but aside from little underarm patches I'm not sweaty. I drink plenty when I work out and I feel tired so I know I'm working but it's concerning me that no matter how hard I go I'm not sweating.

    My mum says she's the same - she only sweats when it's really hot out and she's trimming the huge hedges we have in the garden.

    Is this normal or do I really need to up my game?


    Extra info - in recovery from an ED, eating about 1200 a day now and aiming for more


    Don't gauge the intensity of your workout by the amount you sweat. I can break a sweat walking across a parking lot depending on what I'm carrying, etc. That doesn't mean that I'm doing something very intense.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    I sweat while sleeping, does not mean I'm getting a workout. I hardly sweat while working out...but I know I'm doing great. Sweat is not an indication of anything. I sweat in the heat, I'm not doing anything.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
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    That's really good to hear ^_^ Thanks everyone!

    Thinking about it I've never sweat that much. The most I ever sweat is during the night. I must have really intense dreams or something :/
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    This might be tmi for some people, I dunno but how much are you supposed to sweat during a workout?

    I go to the gym 3x a week, I start with some interval training on the treadmill or the cross trainer for about 10-15 minutes (not including warm up) and then hit the weights for the next 40-60 minutes.

    People keep telling me I'm not working hard enough because I'm not sweating. My skin goes warm and a little clammy but aside from little underarm patches I'm not sweaty. I drink plenty when I work out and I feel tired so I know I'm working but it's concerning me that no matter how hard I go I'm not sweating.

    My mum says she's the same - she only sweats when it's really hot out and she's trimming the huge hedges we have in the garden.

    Is this normal or do I really need to up my game?


    Extra info - in recovery from an ED, eating about 1200 a day now and aiming for more

    Everyone else is right - we are all different. but MAN do I wish I had your problem. lol I sweat like a freakin man - sometimes when I do nothing. Ugh.
  • JusticeGirl25
    JusticeGirl25 Posts: 703 Member
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    It's good to sweat. I sweat like a pig when I workout. I can tell those people that don't sweat much don't drink enough water.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
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    It's good to sweat. I sweat like a pig when I workout. I can tell those people that don't sweat much don't drink enough water.

    I drink about 3 litres a day.
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
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    As long as there isn't a crotch print on the seat when I go to use it, other people's sweat has never been of much interest to me. (WHY? WHY? Just towel the damn machine off, it takes two seconds)

    You sweat depending upon how much your body needs to cool down, which is separate to how hard you work or how much water you drink. My gym has good aircon, so I don't sweat a huge amount. When it's being serviced or somebody working there has forgotten their fleece jacket, so turns it down because they're feeling cold, I sweat more. Plus, if you're wearing clothes that sick the sweat away, you'll think you don't sweat as much as when you're wearing say, a cotton T shirt that holds the sweat against your skin. Even when it's exactly the same amount.

    If you know you're exerting yourself, then that's good enough.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
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    Perhaps that's it then? My body's usually very VERY cold. My fingernails are often blue-ish grey because my circulation sucks
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I come from a long line of people that can make anything look like hard work (we have very efficient cooling systems) , some of the members of my tri club can go through a killer indoor cycling class and look like they're ready to go on a date after (and I know how hard they're working). We all have different sweat rates.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Really, everyone is different. Sweat is a terrible indicator for effort.
  • javajunco
    javajunco Posts: 81
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    It's funny you should bring this up! I have lost 15 pounds on the way to my 34 pound goal, and I'm happy about it, but I'm actually MUCH more excited about my new-found ability to sweat! I used to never sweat. I could sit in the Sauna for 20 minutes or more and not get so much as a bead of sweat on my skin. I lived in Tucson, AZ for 3 years with no air conditioner, and I didn't sweat! At the same time, I've always been more susceptible to skin rashes, including heat rash, than anyone else I know. I have been doing about 70 minutes of cardio for 5 or 6 days a week, it's been for about 2.5 months now. After about 6 weeks, I started to sweat! And the other day, someone in the locker room asked me if I had just come in from outside (because it was pouring out there)! I was beside myself I was so thrilled! So I agree with what everyone has said, everyone's body is different. But! I learned how to sweat! :)
  • MsStang02
    MsStang02 Posts: 147 Member
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    As long as there isn't a crotch print on the seat when I go to use it, other people's sweat has never been of much interest to me. (WHY? WHY? Just towel the damn machine off, it takes two seconds)

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Omgosh that's great

    And as others have said, it varies person to person, and what your doing. When I run I am panting and out of breath and working hard, but don't really sweat much. Just hot and clammy. Strength training, again just hot and clammy.
    I started insanity this week, and sweat buckets. My hands even sweat. So it does depend.
  • SwimBikeRunMama
    SwimBikeRunMama Posts: 32
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    I would go more by your heart rate and perceived effort. Have you ever checked your heart rate while working out?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,695 Member
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    This might be tmi for some people, I dunno but how much are you supposed to sweat during a workout?

    I go to the gym 3x a week, I start with some interval training on the treadmill or the cross trainer for about 10-15 minutes (not including warm up) and then hit the weights for the next 40-60 minutes.

    People keep telling me I'm not working hard enough because I'm not sweating. My skin goes warm and a little clammy but aside from little underarm patches I'm not sweaty. I drink plenty when I work out and I feel tired so I know I'm working but it's concerning me that no matter how hard I go I'm not sweating.

    My mum says she's the same - she only sweats when it's really hot out and she's trimming the huge hedges we have in the garden.

    Is this normal or do I really need to up my game?


    Extra info - in recovery from an ED, eating about 1200 a day now and aiming for more
    I don't sweat much either. Lot of it has to do with genetics.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    It varies a lot depending on individual genetics and the specific exercise/environment. I sweat an absurd amount during my workouts, but it isn't necessarily related to how hard I'm working. Trust your body. If you walk away feeling drained but accomplished, you probably had a good workout. I can always tell when I have had a particularly good or bad workout just by how I feel afterwards.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
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    I would go more by your heart rate and perceived effort. Have you ever checked your heart rate while working out?

    I'm saving to get a sports watch with one in, but those HR checkers on cardio machines always have very crazy readings for me. Literally swinging sporadically from 60-140. I have low blood pressure though so I don't think it can get a proper reading from me. I have the same problem with those electric bodyfat readers. They like to tell me I'm either <20% or as high as 35%. It's really frustrating.
  • kimbtaylor1
    kimbtaylor1 Posts: 210 Member
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    Durring the winter months I could do an hours worth of intense cardio with no sweat. I also wouldn't sweat doing my resistance training. However once it got warmer thats when I would sweat. You meantioned that you are cold natured and maybe that's the cause. I am also very cold natured. I live in Gerogia with average Summer temps from 80-95 degrees with high humidity but if you ever get into my car you will notice that I rarely use the A/C. Honestly the heat is normally on with the seat warmer when I'm headed home from work in the mornings when the temps are already pushing 80.
    So maybe it just takes our bodies a longer time to warm up to the point that we need to sweat. I too drink enough water to prevent dehydration.

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