Is sweat a good indicator that it's working?...or not?
Fatvaporizer
Posts: 139 Member
Hi, I'm kindof new here so please bear with my questions that come up occasionally. 
I appreciate the time and energy you take to read and answer them, thank you. 
So my question here is, is sweating a good indicator that your workout is actually burning calories/fat? I ask this because I go to the gym, and different machines produce different amounts of sweat for me. It's funny and I don't get it because like on the elliptical, it'll show that I've burned for example, 600 calories in about 40 minutes, but I'm not sweating nearly as much as I am on the stairclimber, where I'm literally dripping sweat onto the moving stairs, but the calorie indicator only shows 300 or so, in 30 minutes. This is why I'm wondering if sweating actually matters and if it tells you that you're having an effective workout. Would it be smart to stop doing a certain machine if you just don't sweat as much, even though it's showing a ton of calories being burned? Should I weigh all my workout sessions based on how much I sweated? Thanks!
I appreciate the time and energy you take to read and answer them, thank you. So my question here is, is sweating a good indicator that your workout is actually burning calories/fat? I ask this because I go to the gym, and different machines produce different amounts of sweat for me. It's funny and I don't get it because like on the elliptical, it'll show that I've burned for example, 600 calories in about 40 minutes, but I'm not sweating nearly as much as I am on the stairclimber, where I'm literally dripping sweat onto the moving stairs, but the calorie indicator only shows 300 or so, in 30 minutes. This is why I'm wondering if sweating actually matters and if it tells you that you're having an effective workout. Would it be smart to stop doing a certain machine if you just don't sweat as much, even though it's showing a ton of calories being burned? Should I weigh all my workout sessions based on how much I sweated? Thanks! 0
Replies
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Sweating is not indication at all.4
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No. Sweat is simply the way your body maintains its temperature. When it is hot people will sweat even if they are doing nothing at all. The good indication that something is working is the long term results. Just to be clear here, fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, that is eating less calories than your body burns in a day staying alive and doing your various activities. Exercise will increase the number of calories you burn because you are more active during that time. The difference in amount of sweat versus calories burned can be a result of many things. In this case it is likely the elliptical is over estimating the calories burned (something that many of them are not very accurate in doing) and the stair climber may be closer to the actual calories burned.6
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Unfortunately not. It just means you're sweaty3
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Well, yes and no. Sweat is an indicator of an elevated body temperature. Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that heat is created from you exerting yourself and, as a result, burning calories. This is why you sweat more running than walking or climbing an incline vs traveling level ground. It requires more energy which generates more heat. Now, as for closely sweating correlates to calories burned, all else being equal, I really have no idea.
As for gym equipment, I wouldn't put much faith in their calorie counts. They aren't known for being accurate.6 -
Fatvaporizer wrote: »So my question here is, is sweating a good indicator that your workout is actually burning calories/fat?
Nope.
I used to sweat buckets on a hot humid day in Winnipeg just standing there ... but once I got going on my bicycle, my perception was that I wasn't sweating nearly as much.
Sweat is just your body's way of cooling itself ... nothing to do with fat and calories other than the fact that warming up from exercise will trigger the body's cooling mechanism.
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I hope not, I'm not a sweater!0
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No. I barely sweat at all, yet my workouts are pretty effective, especially considering that I'm all shaky mid-way through them...not to mention the energy crashes afterwards (needing to sleep an hour). Still figuring that out. But yeah, this all while barely breaking a sweat in the gym.0
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No its not at all.
Its your body doing its job to regulate core body temperature. Also if you want to take it a step further, how much you sweat is also affected by how hot it is. Sweat can be used as an effective measure of the intensity of your workouts, but no calorie burning.
Because you can lose some water weight through sweating it is always to keep hydrated before, during and after exercise. Losing one pint of water through exercise equates to a one pound water weight loss on the scale, so drink up to replenish after a hard workout.2 -
Don't believe the calorie burns on machines! They tend to over estimate. A chest strap HR monitor can give you a good idea of intensity level.0
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Well, yes and no. Sweat is an indicator of an elevated body temperature. Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that heat is created from you exerting yourself and, as a result, burning calories. This is why you sweat more running than walking or climbing an incline vs traveling level ground. It requires more energy which generates more heat. Now, as for closely sweating correlates to calories burned, all else being equal, I really have no idea.
As for gym equipment, I wouldn't put much faith in their calorie counts. They aren't known for being accurate.
When I was in Cartagena, Colombia, it was abou 95* and 95% humidity...I just sat there doing nothing and buckets of sweat poured from my body all day and all night...it was a hell I wish never to return to.
Sweating isn't an indicator of anything from an exercise standpoint...some people sweat a lot doing not much...other people don't sweat much at all doing a lot. I sweat more in the summer on a 35 mile ride than I do in the winter on a 35 mile ride...I'm still riding 35 miles...the sweat is not an indicator of much.
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If it were, I'd be a deathly skinny person. I sweat all the time, even just sitting in a chair at work.
Sweat is about cooling down a body. When I lived in desert heat, the sweat evaporated right off me regardless of whether I was moving or sitting. When I went to Hawaii (humid tropical) I didn't realize I was hot because my sweat cooled me down in the trade winds.
I sweat buckets on the elliptical and in yoga, lifting weights and walking my dog. Some people just sweat a lot. Some don't. It's genetic. It's not an indication of anything other than needing a shower in the near future.0 -
Nope and I wouldn't trust any machine that says I'm burning 600 calories in only 40 minutes or 300 in only 30 minutes! Neither sounds at all accurate.1
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All other things being equal and you don't normally sweat, yes sweating is an indication that you are getting your body temp up, but as others have stated, that can be very misleading in hot climates. I used to sweat playing hockey, at zero degrees, when I was 12 years old and was wearing slim clothing, but I also skated 2 out of 3 shifts and was on the power play and penalty kill. It was definitely an indication that I was working, but it was also an indication that I naturally sweat easily. Kids don't normally sweat at 12 that much1
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Nope and I wouldn't trust any machine that says I'm burning 600 calories in only 40 minutes or 300 in only 30 minutes! Neither sounds at all accurate.
Well, my apple watch is measuring about 500 calories in 45 minutes on my workouts in a treadmill. it is measuring my heartbeat constantly so i'd say it's more accurate than a machine.1 -
If sweat was an indicator of calorie burn people sitting on their butts in a sauna would be melting off the pounds.
Which they're not. 2 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Nope and I wouldn't trust any machine that says I'm burning 600 calories in only 40 minutes or 300 in only 30 minutes! Neither sounds at all accurate.
While those burns may indeed be inflated, bear in mind that if the person to whom you are comparing burns is much taller and heavier they will get many more calories for the same exercise.
The OP here is 26 yo and male.0 -
It's pretty inconsistent for me. I think there are just some activities that make me sweat more than others, but they don't necessarily correspond to the activities that burn the most calories. For instance, I used to take a group yoga class. I sweated so much that I would see drips falling on my yoga mat. I was a little embarrassed by it and my yoga teacher was so kind, she said "It's a great gift to have good circulation."
Meanwhile, I can do the stationary bike at a high resistance, and I know I'm burning more calories than the yoga class - it's SO much harder - and I barely sweat at all.1 -
No its not at all.
Its your body doing its job to regulate core body temperature. Also if you want to take it a step further, how much you sweat is also affected by how hot it is. Sweat can be used as an effective measure of the intensity of your workouts, but no calorie burning.
Because you can lose some water weight through sweating it is always to keep hydrated before, during and after exercise. Losing one pint of water through exercise equates to a one pound water weight loss on the scale, so drink up to replenish after a hard workout.
I agree that sweating or not sweating doesn't determine calories burned, but doesn't intensity determine calories burned? So, if you are sweating because your intensity is higher, aren't you burning more calories because of higher intensity as well? I'm just curious what you think.0 -
I sweat a ton.
I am not skinny.0 -
Shadowmf023 wrote: »No. I barely sweat at all, yet my workouts are pretty effective, especially considering that I'm all shaky mid-way through them...not to mention the energy crashes afterwards (needing to sleep an hour). Still figuring that out. But yeah, this all while barely breaking a sweat in the gym.
^This. Except for the naps.
I just don't tend to sweat much, or never did.
I only recently started sweating the teeniest bit once my running distance got longer, but it's still nothing significant.
I don't even sweat significantly in hot weather.
All my other markers of workout effectiveness like heart rate and my body fat percentage are good. I'll go by those instead of sweating.0 -
Great replies, everyone! 0
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I run long distances. When it's mid January and I'm on a 10 mile run, I don't break a sweat! Still a good workout0
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So, based on the majority of the answers on this thread - No, sweat is not an indicator of effectiveness of your workout.1
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Fatvaporizer wrote: »So, based on the majority of the answers on this thread - No, sweat is not an indicator of effectiveness of your workout.
Yup.0 -
Fatvaporizer wrote: »So, based on the majority of the answers on this thread - No, sweat is not an indicator of effectiveness of your workout.
Correct. Sweat is an indication that you are hot and your body is trying to cool off. Unless you have a medical condition, in which case sweat could be a sign of hypoglycemia or any number of other conditions.2 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »Fatvaporizer wrote: »So, based on the majority of the answers on this thread - No, sweat is not an indicator of effectiveness of your workout.
Correct. Sweat is an indication that you are hot and your body is trying to cool off. Unless you have a medical condition, in which case sweat could be a sign of hypoglycemia or any number of other conditions.
Great point. When I had horrible gastritis last year, a symptom was breaking out into horrible hot flashes to where I was profusely sweating. Glad that has been resolved.0 -
Fatvaporizer wrote: »So, based on the majority of the answers on this thread - No, sweat is not an indicator of effectiveness of your workout.
You got it!0 -
No.0
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