Skip to content
Why Do I Sweat So Much When I Workout?
A good workout can prompt some of the best feelings in the world but can also bring discomfort. Being coated in a layer of sweat after exercising can instantly kill that endorphin high.
It’s natural to wonder how to sweat less, but in reality, the best course of action to manage sweat may be to accept it. Sweating has a practical purpose that can’t be avoided. But that doesn’t mean it has to take over your life.
Let’s look at why you might sweat a lot while exercising and what you can do to manage it.
Why Do I Sweat So Much When I Workout?
You sweat a lot when you exercise because you’re raising your body’s internal temperature. As your heart rate spikes and your body moves, you begin to produce heat energy that warms you up. To keep your body temperature at a safe level, your body begins to produce sweat.
How Workout Sweat Keeps You Cool
Believe it or not, sweating is pretty good for you – without sweat, human bodies would be unable to survive. Once you’ve heated your body up, sweat begins to make its way to your skin’s surface.
As it’s exposed to the air around you, your sweat evaporates, taking some of that excess body heat with it. This process effectively cools down your skin and, as a result, the rest of your body.
Your sweat actually needs heat to evaporate in the first place. Thankfully, post-workout skin has plenty to offer. In this way, sweat is literally designed to cool you off. Sweat can be smelly and unpleasant, but it’s a sign that your body is working as it should.
Different types of sweat, different function
Not all sweat is created equal. Our bodies are home to two main types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine.
The most common type are eccrine glands, which can be found all over the body. These glands secrete sweat made mostly of water and salt; only trace amounts of other electrolytes are found here.
Apocrine glands, on the other hand, produce the thicker, stinkier sweat many of us have come to dread. These glands are found in areas dense with hair follicles, including the groin and underarms.
The sweat apocrine glands produce includes proteins and fatty acids, which act as a prime food source for bacteria that live on the skin’s surface. This process of bacteria feasting on sweat proteins and fats creates the unpleasant scent this type of sweat is known for.
Are There Benefits of Sweating A Lot During Workouts?
Aside from knowing your body has the fluids and nutrients it needs to function properly, other benefits of sweating a lot might include:
- Exfoliation: As sweat pushes its way through your hair follicles and to the surface of your skin, it carries built-up gunk and grime with it. Heavy sweating is a form of exfoliation – as you sweat, you purge your skin of dead cells, excess oil, and dirt that could result in breakouts.
- Tracking Progress: The harder you work, the more you sweat. If you tend to sweat heavily during workouts, you can use your sweat as a way to measure difficulty. When a workout regimen fails to make you drip with perspiration the way it used to, it may be time to pick up the pace.
Is it bad if I don’t sweat when I workout?
While not sweating during workouts isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it might indicate that you’re dehydrated. It also might mean you’re not working out hard enough to overload your body.
There are other reasons a person might not sweat when exercising, but most instances of this phenomenon can be chalked up to too little fluid. Undersweating is a common sign of dehydration. And because everyone has different hydration needs, knowing how much you need to drink can be tricky.
If you’re not breaking a sweat, your regimen may be to blame. As you get more fit, you’ll need to work harder and harder to reach the same point of physical overexertion. Pushing your body past its limits is a necessary part of growth when it comes to strength and endurance.
Try using heavier weights, performing more reps, or adding some resistance to your workout to see what happens. Mixing things up with new activities can also help you get over an exercise plateau.
How to Work With Your Sweat
If you sweat hard and often, you’re not alone. We created OffCourt to design workout-friendly skin and hygiene products that work with sweat, not against it. There’s nothing wrong with a good sweat, after all!
To help keep your skin hydrated and healthy even during the most rigorous exercises, look no further than our Lightweight Facial Hydrator.
Light-Weight Facial Hydrator
Its easy-to-use formula absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t leave behind a greasy residue, making it an ideal option before or after a workout.
When it comes time to eliminate odors, our Performance Body Spray has your back.
Performance Body Spray - Fig Leaves + White Musk
This aluminum-free deodorant body spray masks unwanted smells with our amazing-smell, classic fragrances. Whether you need a refresh or are hitting the gym locker room, this spray is your new best friend.
To further embrace your sweat, try wearing breathable, lightweight clothing that facilitates easy evaporation. A microfiber towel can help you dab away extra sweat while you move so you can stay comfortable.
Final Thoughts
To sweat or not to sweat – that is the question, and the answer is definitely the former. Sweating may not always be fun, but it’s necessary. There’s no need to be embarrassed or ashamed of your sweat. Own it like the sign of good health and hard work that it is! You can always count on OffCourt to deliver products that will help you feel confident as you get the job done.