Does increased rate of sweating means you are getting fitter?

[Kamikaze Pilot]

Does increased rate of sweating means you are getting fitter?

I’m relatively new to triathlon and to serious training. Over the past several months I’ve been making steady progress, and recently I’ve noticed that I’ve started sweating more. The conditions (temp and humidity) are about the same as they’ve been, but I’m sweating a lot more. Does that mean I’m getting more fit?

– Jackie Gallagher, training for my first Ironman!

Jackie,

The short answer to your question, assuming that the environmental conditions have been roughly constant, is yes. Improving fitness impacts the way your body works in a wide variety of ways, and your sweat response to exercise changes as you become more fit because you’re increasing the workload your body has to be able to handle.

Sweat is one of your body’s primary means of preventing your core temperature from rising to dangerous levels. During exercise, the majority of the calories you burn actually generate heat instead of powering forward motion (sorry, but that’s just the way it is). In fact, on the bike you are only about 20-25% efficient, meaning 75% of the energy you produce becomes heat. That heat has to be dissipated, so your body dilates blood vessels near the skin to carry some of that heat away from your core to areas where cooler air flowing over the skin can carry away some of the heat. Sweat makes the cooling process work even better, because as sweat evaporates off your skin it takes a lot of heat with it.

As you become more fit, you are able to work harder. You generate more power on the bike and maintain a faster pace on the run and in the water. But the ability to work harder also means you have the ability to generate a lot of heat in a very short period of time. You also have the endurance to sustain exercise longer, meaning you have the capacity to generate heat for a longer period of time. Your body has to adapt to these demands in order to keep your core temperature stable. Here are a couple of ways it does that:

1. You start sweating sooner: Your body’s sweat response gets quicker as you gain fitness. This means you’ll see sweat appearing on your skin sooner after you start exercising than you did when you were a novice. These days, when you start warming up your body knows what’s coming next, so it ramps up the cooling process more quickly to stay ahead of the rise in core temperature.
2. Your sweat volume increases: When the house is on fire, you open up the spigots and get as much water on it as you can. For the fire within, we don’t want to extinguish it but we need to control it, and the more sweat you get onto your skin the more likely you are to be able to keep core temperature from rising out of control. So your body becomes better at creating sweat.
3. You lose fewer electrolytes per unit volume: As your body is adapting to sweat more and sooner, it also changes the composition of sweat so that you retain more electrolytes than you used to. You’ll still need to replenish electrolytes during exercise, but this adaptation helps to keep the electrolyte requirement manageable.

Fit athletes sweat more because they need to. They generate more heat and have to produce more sweat in order to maximize their evaporative cooling capacity. That means fit athletes have to consume more fluid so you have more to contribute to sweat. But sometimes sweating isn’t enough, or sweat might be enough to keep you moving but you could optimize your performance by helping your body stay cool. That’s where hydration, apparel choices, ice socks/vests, cold sponges, etc. come into play. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Hydration is your source for sweat: The better you hydrate – during exercise as well as throughout the day – the more efficient your body will be when it comes to sweat production. Remember, when there’s not enough fluid to go around, your body starts an internal competition for resources, and all systems experience diminished performance. You don’t absorb and digest food as well, your muscles don’t function as well, and you don’t regulate core temperature as well.
2. Evaporative cooling works just as well whether it’s your sweat or bottled/tap water that’s evaporating off your skin. Even if you’re well hydrated, it’s a good idea to dump water over your head and body during training sessions and races in hot weather. You’ll make your body’s job a bit easier by slightly alleviating the demand for sweat. Ice socks work the same way; the ice absorbs heat from your body to melt the ice, and then the water carries away additional heat as it evaporates out of clothing or off your skin.
3. Electrolyte drinks or carbohydrate/electrolyte drinks should be a part of during-exercise nutrition strategy whenever your workouts are going to be longer than 1 hour. For workouts shorter than an hour, electrolyte drinks may still be somewhat helpful, but generally, you’ll start short workouts with enough carbohydrates and electrolytes on board to complete a high-quality one-hour session.

Does Sweating More Mean You're More Fit?

New athletes often notice they are sweating more than they did before they started exercising. Is this normal? Is it a good sign? Here's the answer.

trainright.com

- PRTP GWD

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

@Indos @jamahir

- PRTP GWD

 

[xyxmt]

you sweat a lot too when you have heart attack

 

[masterchief_mirza]

I don't agree with the original article.

Assuming one does the exact same routine at the exact same intensity and takes the exact same time, I would have thought that less energy would be consumed if your body is in a fitter (and thus, a more metabolically efficient) state. Think about it in terms of the body mass being shifted. If you're fitter, you will be shifting less body mass, hence you will expend less energy doing the same exercise routine as before. The heat generated from energy consumption is the feature that causes heat generation and consequent sweating to dissipate that heat.

You should sweat less as you get fitter, assuming your routine remains identical.

 

[khail007]

Dear better to consult your physician, whenever you notice/feel a change in your body behaviour.
May be the theory mentioned in your post OK - but be on more safer side.

 

[PDF]

Sweating can also be symptom of many conditions. Some Medications can also cause sweating as side-effects. So, it is not necessary and only after a check-up can you be sure if it's natural or due to something wrong.

 

[Imran Khan]

yehi hota hai jab ziada hath gari chalao to

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

I don't agree with the original article.

Assuming one does the exact same routine at the exact same intensity and takes the exact same time, I would have thought that less energy would be consumed if your body is in a fitter (and thus, a more metabolically efficient) state. Think about it in terms of the body mass being shifted. If you're fitter, you will be shifting less body mass, hence you will expend less energy doing the same exercise routine as before. The heat generated from energy consumption is the feature that causes heat generation and consequent sweating to dissipate that heat.

You should sweat less as you get fitter, assuming your routine remains identical.

So there are websites dedicated to spreading misinformation.

- PRTP GWD

 

[KhanBaba2]

So there are websites dedicated to spreading misinformation.

- PRTP GWD

Which is why you should come here.

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

I don't agree with the original article.

Assuming one does the exact same routine at the exact same intensity and takes the exact same time, I would have thought that less energy would be consumed if your body is in a fitter (and thus, a more metabolically efficient) state. Think about it in terms of the body mass being shifted. If you're fitter, you will be shifting less body mass, hence you will expend less energy doing the same exercise routine as before. The heat generated from energy consumption is the feature that causes heat generation and consequent sweating to dissipate that heat.

You should sweat less as you get fitter, assuming your routine remains identical.

Dear better to consult your physician, whenever you notice/feel a change in your body behaviour.
May be the theory mentioned in your post OK - but be on more safer side.

Which is why you should come here.

But another website - and a respected one at that - makes a similar claim.

Your Fitness Level May Determine How Much You Sweat

People in great shape can actually sweat more.

By
Paige Smith
05/24/2017 05:37pm EDT | Updated August 23, 2017

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re always drenched in sweat at the end of a boot camp class while your friend is barely glistening, fret not. Your heavy sweating could be a sign that you’re physically fit.

Research shows that fit individuals, especially those who train for endurance sports like running and cycling, sweat sooner and more profusely than people who rarely get physical.

The primary purpose of sweat is to cool the surface of the skin, which helps to regulate body temperature, explained Dr. Carolyn Dean of the Nutritional Magnesium Association.

“Sweat is one of the main ways of preventing your core temperature from climbing to dangerous or harmful levels,” she said.

The process goes like this: When you overheat, your body signals its sweat (eccrine) glands to start producing sweat on the surface of the skin. As the sweat droplets heat up, some of the sweat evaporates, effectively dissipating heat and leaving behind cooler liquid sweat.

As we move, the air around us works to cool the remaining water on our skin.

“When you’re fit, you’re able to work harder, generate more power, and sustain that power for longer time periods,” said Dean. “Most of this power output generates heat, [which] means you [can] generate a lot of heat in a very short period of time and for a longer duration.”

In other words, fit people sweat sooner and more because they develop a faster response that reduces their core body temperature as they heat up, said physical therapist and strength trainer William P. Kelley.

“Your body gets better at reacting to the increase in temperature, and [thus] begins cooling you sooner and more efficiently, so you can maintain a greater workload for a greater period of time,” he said.

People who have a low level of fitness, on the other hand, may stay drier during workouts than people with a higher level of fitness because they haven’t trained their bodies to recognize a high energy output and subsequently initiate the proper cooling response.

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, though: How much you sweat during any given workout depends on the amount of energy you’re exerting.

Regardless of your fitness level, if you’re exercising at an intense rate that pushes you close to your VO2 max (or maximal oxygen consumption), “the more heat you’ll create and the more you’ll sweat,” said Dean.

Therefore, someone who is less fit may start sweating sooner than a trained athlete when doing the same workout at the same pace (like running for 20 minutes at 10 minutes per mile). In effect, the less-fit person would have to exert more energy than a trained athlete would to complete the same exercise, and would thus reach their VO2 max much earlier, causing them to sweat more quickly.

If, on the other hand, a fit person and an unfit person are each working out to their individual VO2 max (let’s say that means 8 minutes per mile for the fit person and 10 minutes per mile for the less-fit person), logic follows that the fit person would sweat sooner because their body is more efficient at lowering their core temp.

Another factor that influences sweating is body mass. Someone with a higher body mass has to work harder to perform the same task as someone with a lower body mass, Kelley explains. The greater energy exertion effectively raises that person’s body temperature and causes them to sweat more.

Dean also said overweight individuals can produce a lot of sweat from very low activity levels, like climbing a flight of stairs or taking a short walk.

“The core temperature of obese people is higher because fat acts as an insulator, so they sweat more to try to cool down,” she said.

Environmental factors also contribute to your sweat level ― anyone who has gone jogging in a humid climate can attest to that.

“The higher the humidity, the greater the water vapor density already in the air, so more sweating needs to occur in order to get an adequate amount of evaporation for body cooling,” said Kelley.

High temperatures only contribute to the problem, he added, since hot air can’t cool the sweat on your skin as quickly as chilly air can.

A dip in blood sugar level can also lead to greater sweat levels, according to Dean.

“When blood sugar levels drop below normal, your adrenaline and norepinephrine kick in (fight or flight response), which causes sweating while exercising or at rest,” she said.

Fitness, body type and environmental reasons aside, there are myriad other factors that drive sweat rates. Dean says sweating can be a reaction to drinking alcohol or coffee, wearing restrictive synthetic clothing, or taking certain medications that affect your ability to tolerate heat. Other factors might include dehydration, menopausal hot flashes, an overactive thyroid gland, genetics, nerve issues or disorders, and skin diseases.

“[How much you sweat] is an important characteristic to learn about yourself to optimize physical performance and prevent heat illness,” said Dr. Robert Sallis, co-director of the Kaiser Permanente Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Fontana Medical Center.

The important thing to remember? Replace sweat with water and electrolytes.

You can roughly calculate your sweat rate by weighing yourself before and after you workout (aim for 30 minutes to one hour of high-intensity exercise). A good rule of thumb is to drink 16 ounces of fluid for every hour you exercise if you lose about a pound after a gym session.

If you plan to exercise in hot or humid conditions, Sallis said, you need to know how much water to drink to avoid dehydration. If you can, break your fluid intake into smaller segments (like four ounces every 15 minutes) to stay hydrated early on, advised Sallis.

Your Fitness Level May Determine How Much You Sweat

People in great shape can actually sweat more.

www.google.com

- PRTP GWD

 

[masterchief_mirza]

When you’re fit, you’re able to work harder

I thInk this is the point. Your routine may be changing I.e. you may be working harder, shifting additional weights, sprinting faster, or undergoing a more enhanced routine. My original point assumed the routine stayed the same. If you enhance the routine or do it quicker, you will sweat more - no doubt about that.

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

Why You Sweat More as You Get Stronger

Jake Boly On January 21, 2017, 11:19 am

If you find yourself frustrated on a daily basis due to sweat, you’re not alone. It seems like the stronger and fitter you get, the more you’re actually sweating during your day. Even if it’s 15 degrees outside and you’re physically cold, there still tends to be sweat dripping down the back of your shirt.

There tends to be two assumptions when it comes to sweat and fitness level. First, people assume as they get more fit, then they’ll sweat less. Second, people say, as you get more fit you actually sweat more.

Both of the above assumptions are correct in their own respects. The goal of sweating is to create an efficient means of cooling off the body and lowering the temperature. Metabolic heat is always a correlation of how much work we’re performing (no matter fitness level), so the more our body works, the more sweat we produce.

There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Both of these glands are regulated by the nervous system. Eccrine glands cover all of the skin and are responsible for the release of sweat over the whole body. Apocrine glands are found predominately in the underarm and groin areas. These glands produce oily fluids that work to breakdown sweat, which results in body odor (hence why we only wear deodorant under our arms).

While fitness does have an impact on the amount we sweat, there are also other factors that come into play and should be considered.

Factors to Consider
1. Muscle

How much muscle does someone have on their body? Muscle is frequently using energy to contract, so when someone has increased muscle mass, then they require more energy to move (more heat production). This in theory, will then increase the body’s temperature faster than someone with less muscle.

2. Environment


This seems like a no brainer, but environment plays a large role in the amount we sweat. Hot and humid environments will cause the body to sweat at an increased rate, regardless of fitness level or activity.

3. Clothing & Equipment

What we’re wearing or have on our body has a direct impact on our sweat levels. Heavy clothing, equipment, and other pieces of external wear will increase body temperature, which can cause sweat.

4. Activity

The activity you’re performing also has an impact on sweat levels. If the activity is demanding on the body as a whole, then you’ll produce more sweat. Easy activities that require less total body work will produce less sweat.

5. Fitness History

The efficiency in how we move can also play a role in sweat production. Someone who’s new to an activity will have to work harder, thus making them sweat more. For example, think of someone squatting 135lbs for their first time, as opposed to someone doing it for 15-reps.

6. Sex

Bros I’m sorry, but we tend to sweat more than the ladies. Science suggests males have more active sweat glands, which results in an increase in the amount we sweat for the work we’re producing.

7. Genetics & Sweat Gland Distribution

The way and rates we sweat are also dictated by our genetics. This is why some athletes begin sweating more in different areas than others. Also, everyone has different sweat gland distribution (we average 2-5 million glands) across the body.

Science, Sweating, and Fitness Level
Studies are conflicted when it comes to fitness level and the amount someone sweats. For example, this study from 1983 (an older study), compared a sedentary, fit, and very fit individuals sweat levels and lactate concentration (byproduct of anaerobic metabolism). They put them under three conditions which were, heat exposure, a bicycle exercise, and bicycle exercise with increase workloads. Researchers found that the fit and very fit individuals produced sweat faster when exercising, than the sedentary individual.




They suggested that the sweat output in the fit and very fit individual were higher due to higher blood lactate and adrenergic stimulation. The sedentary individual would have less blood lactate compared to someone who partakes in regular exercise. This being said, someone who’s constantly working out will have a body that is readily prepped to produce sweat quicker at the sign of work (or in hot conditions).

A study published in 2011, offers conflicting views when it comes to fitness levels and sweating. This study compared males working out on bikes with varied Vo2 maxes, metabolic heat production, body mass, and body surface area. They found that Vo2 maxes (fitness level) didn’t play as large of a role in sweat production as metabolic heat production, mass, and body surface area. Fitter individuals (higher Vo2 maxes) actually maintained a lower body temperature at the onset of exercise. Thus, suggesting that factors besides fitness level play a larger role in the onset of sweat production.

What Does It All Mean?
From the research examined, it’s hard to give a definitive answer in regards to sweating and fitness level. It appears that other factors carry much more weight when determining onset of sweat, sweat production, and why others sweat more. Although, there are a few suggestions that have been made as to why fitter individuals may feel like they sweat more…

A fitter individual’s body may mistake increased body temperature as the onset of exercise, thus making their body sweat more.
Increased muscle mass and blood lactate may stimulate adrenergic neurotransmitters faster in fitter individuals, causing sweat glands to be more active.
Conditioning. The better our bodies are conditioned, the better we can handle workloads without busting into a sweat, or vice versa.
In a lot of instances, there’s not a lot we can do when it comes to how much we sweat. There are so many factors out of our control such as genetics, sex, and muscle mass, but we can control a few. These include wearing clothing that hides/limits sweat, being aware of our environments, and paying attention the amount of work we’re performing when watching our sweat levels.

Instead of getting annoyed and angered by your sweat, try to see the positive side. Sweat is the body’s natural ability to regulate heat. If you’re sweating regularly, chances are, your body is functioning in a healthy manner. It may also suggest you’re fitter than your peers.

BarBend - Strength Training, Nutrition, News, & Reviews

Your resource for all things strength, with articles and videos on training, nutrition, and news in CrossFit®, weightlifting, powerlifting, and beyond!

www.google.com

- PRTP GWD

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

But another website - and a respected one at that - makes a similar claim.

Yet another respected website making a similar claim or am I misunderstanding the website's status and/or the article?

Anyways, I will quote only the part that I liked:

A 2010 study from Japan examined how fit men and women sweat in response to exercise, and compared their sweating rates to those of unfit people. Fit people not only perspire more, but they also start sweating sooner during exercise, says study coauthor Dr. Yoshimitsu Inoue of Osaka International University. Men also tend to sweat more than women, Inoue says.

Crandall says the differences between fit and unfit people has to do with each person’s capacity for heat generation. “A high fitness level allows you to exercise at a higher workload, which generates more heat, which in turn leads to more sweat,” he explains.

You Asked: Is It Healthy to Sweat A Lot?

If you’re hot, perspiration is normal—even lots of it. But there are other times when excessive sweating could be cause for concern.

time.com

- PRTP GWD