do you guys ever cry while working out?

it's definitely mental. could be depression. do you eat enough to have energy to workout? blood tests are normal not anemic?

Yes. I cried a bit today. I was so thoroughly exhausted with the week. Didn't get to bed early enough, school stress, work stress, 5th day of gym in a row. It overcame me. But... I figured crying cause the workout was brutal was better than any other reason. I didn't feel better after but at least it got done.

I second what everyone else has said, with a couple additional caveats/suggestions. One, what do you eat before you work out and have you talked to a doctor about this? If you are on a low-carb diet, your body might be experiencing a sugar crash when you exercise and that exacerbates feelings of sadness, lethargy and depression like no one's business.

Two, have you talked to your therapist about what thoughts are coming up for you while you do this? Many therapists are supportive, which is great but you need a cognitive-behavioral therapist to help you probe those thoughts for the "root cause" of your worsening depression and self-criticism at the gym. Not all therapists are equally good at dealing with all problems, unfortunately. You can try recording your thoughts on your own to see if there's a trend - as you mentioned the self-consciousness, I'd bet it has to do with how you think others are looking at you. Learning to challenge those thoughts can be difficult, and in the meantime trying a workout at home (or even outside in the dark, if you have a safe space for that and your schedule works) might help you parse out whether it's truly exercise that's the cause, or whether it's more to do with other factors you can potentially work on separately.

Good luck!!

I don't think exercise is the issue...there are other deep seeded issues going on here that need to be dealt with.

also, if it helps, people aren't looking at you in the gym...people are working out. I'm barely aware of the people around me when I'm working out because I'm focused on my work...most gym junkies are the same.

Sometimes I cry after a super intense HIIT session.. just because my body is at it's absolute max, kind of an emotional response. But it doesn't sound like the same issue in your case.. maybe speaking to someone might help. Good luck

I do not have that issue

But I notice when it comes to working out, you mention the gym. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much a gym rat and love my classes. It doesn't have to all be the gym. It can be a walk/run, alone or with friends, swimming, yoga. Just think of any number of things you like to do and see if you can't get moving doing one of them

Not to dismiss any underlying psychological issues. Either way I wish you the best figuring this out

I think exercise can definitely induce a pretty intense catharsis -- I've experienced it too. But I often find that if I embrace it and keep going, once I ride it out and work through it, I feel immensely better. In my case, though, it's usually tied to something specific that I'm struggling with and not a general sense of anxiety or sadness, which could certainly make a difference.

As others have said, if it's not serving you, or if you feel there's more to it than that, I'd keep pursuing the dialogue with therapists, etc. If you hate the gym and the act of going in itself causes anxiety or depression, that's certainly not the only place you can get a good workout -- and if just the act of working out is a problem for you right now, then you don't even need to do that if losing weight is your goal. A caloric deficit is all you need. I wish you all the best, whatever you do.

ETA: It's not something I experience regularly, and it sounds like you do, so again -- ultimately I think you'll have to sort out the root cause. Best to you.

I don't think it's the exercising doing this, it's definitely your mental state. You need to stop worrying about others and focus on yourself. A good way describe what your doing is "how do you know if someone is staring at you if you're not staring at them?".

Sometimes I used to get a bit tearful on the treadmill, crosstrainer or during any long bits of cardio. It wasn't that I was particularly sad, I just would suddenly get quite emotional and then tear up. It was a bit bizzare, but not connected to any insecurity or feelings of worthlessness.

It sounds like you are not happy in other areas of your life, and this is being magnified by exercise. Exercise should ultimately be a positive and empowering experience, not something that makes you feel ashamed or sad. This unhealthy relationship with exercise could lead down a dangerous road.

Have you considered writing down your thoughts just like you have hear and taking these to a counsellor? It isn't so much that you're crying during a workout, but that you're feeling very low during fitness.