I sweat a lot during a hard training session or race. As a result my performance suffers near the end of longer bouts due to all the fluid loss. What are people using to reduce sweating if anything and what products have you found help more than others. I know some of this is subjective, but I am sure there are certain products that do better than others.
I have heard that about 3% of the population suffer from what is termed hyperhidrosis, essentially excess sweating.
It’s sort of crazy. I can go on a run with my girlfriend in 90-100 degree heat (Live in Austin) for a 5 mile relatively easy run and I am sweating like crazy and she has barely broke a sweat.
Now of course the danger for me is the potential of Hyponatremia or low concentration of sodium in the blood. I try to avoid this by taking some type of sodium based drink or salt tablet.
I notice that when I go on hard runs of say 7 miles and it is really hot, my voice changes after I am done. I get sort of horse. It takes a few hours of taking in fluid before it comes back.
I’m a heavy sweater as well. The only thing I’ve found that makes a difference is lower temperatures and humidities. I’ve recorded a bunch of data, and it ends up being an extremely consistent curve mapping from temperature to sweat rate. Wind doesn’t seem to help (rates are about the same for cycling vs running). Fitness doesn’t seem to make a difference, as it’s been like this since I was a young fat kid at 14. Weight doesn’t make a big difference, as I’m 10lbs lighter this year than last (173 vs 183 @ 6’1") and still sweat the same rate.
At a humidex of 40C, I lose about 2.5L/hr. At 5C, it’s about 700mL/hr.
I did a HIM last summer: drank 8.5L, didn’t pee once, and still bonked on the run and ended up 6lbs under my starting weight.
So AFAIK, it’s hopeless. Hope someone else can give input.
Certainly nutrition during the race is crucial. But also consider hydration strategy during the days leading up to a big event. V8, sports drinks, and other foods/beverages high in sodium should be considered. May feel a bit bloaded come race day, but then your body will have all that much more to lose before getting into the red zone where dehydration will become a threat.
Im a salty/heavy sweater, and after spending a lot of time dialing it in here is what works for me on hot day (95 or above) and what I did on the Boulder 70.3.
40oz water an hour
1000mg of sodium an hour
300cal an hour
I stay hydrated and dont bonk. We are obviously all different so it will take time to dial your numbers but a good way to start (recommended to me from other STers) is to do a sweat test. make sure you are hydrated, weigh yourself completely naked before a run, run for 1hr at tempo pace, dry off and weigh yourself again. There are some formulas online that will help you with a starting point regarding water and sodium based on how much weight you loose.
I’ve got the same thing (and also live in Austin ironically.). It’s hereditary (grandfather had it, dad did, and I believe my kids do as well.). It has to do with an imbalance in your endocrine system and it means that your body more easily goes into fight or flight mode than the general population. Nothing you’re going to take will stop you from sweating but you need to be diligent on getting your electrolytes and fluids replenished. Monitor your sweat rate in training and learn how much you need to replenish your needs without overdoing it and risking hyponatremia. In “Nutrition for Endurance Athletes” there’s a lot on learning what your particular body needs and when / how to replenish it. I’ve also had good experiences with thermolytes salt pills.
I did my first IM last year and did fine. You just need to know your body better than most. I have a buddy who is diabetic and has to do tons of blood testing over the course of a race… I’m glad I don’t have what he does.
I What are people using to reduce sweating if anything and what products have you found help more than others. I know some of this is subjective, but I am sure there are certain products that do better than others.
I have heard that about 3% of the population suffer from what is termed hyperhidrosis, essentially excess sweating.
Reducing your sweating is probably not going to happen and a bad idea at that. You’re just going to have to find out what hydration plan works best for you with supplemental salt tabs or whatever. I have had pretty serious hyperhydrosis for many years now (hands and feet sweat when I THINK about working out or get into stressful situations) and when I trained for my first IM my clothes would be caked on with salt. Good luck to you.
I’m another one. I can’t go for a casual bike ride without dripping. If I am commuting by bike I get wet, if it rains there is no sense in putting on any kind of jacket as I just get soaked from sweat. In winter I’m sweating by the time I hit the ski lift and at -20C have to leave my jacket open for at least half the tide up to cool off.
If I’m running, I’m sweating. Indoors on the trainer, with the fan on I have to change sweat bands within 50 minutes because I’ve soaked it through (and that’s after rotating it). In fact I now refer to my workouts as a “2 sweatband workout” or however many I used.
When I bike, I start dripping at about the 45 minute mark on a cool day. Sweatbands, halos etc. just delay things a bit.
During your training runs do you carry liquid? How are you consuming your sodium (liquid or tablets?). I hate to carry liquid on training runs and I try to avoid it if possible.
The most I ever lost was when a did Florida one year. I think I lost around 16lbs, needless to say I was in sad condition at the end. It was hard to take anything in. Oh I did puke a lot at the end, so that certainly helped empty the tank even more. Sucked up 3 IVs and felt much better of course.
I think for me sticking to the shorter races pays off better. In the longer races, I am always battling my sweat loss. I figure if I had a normal sweat rate, I could probably take about an 30 to an hour off my IM times. Those races I feel more like I am surviving them than actually racing them.
One funny observation was when I did Leadville one year. I didn’t loose any weight. I was going much slower than marathon pace of course and ate like crazy on the course. I thought surely I would have lost weight, but didn’t.
I will have to give the “weigh myself” method a try. I am sure my GF would love it.
I tend to sweat out lots of salt and have found that scratch alone isn’t enough for me on hard and hot days. I’ll add in a few salt stick tablets, but I find that I don’t need to take as many as I used to before using skratch.
Usually I carry a water bottle on any run over an hour, I dont really like carrying it but I need the water. If I am doing a long run and think I will be out for more than 2hrs I plan the run around places I can quickly refill. The bike is obviously easier as I can carry more bottles and also use refill stations. During races I usually find the aid stations to be sufficient on the bike and run but I have had to carry a bottle on some run courses! As for the sodium on the bike I always use salt stick pills in 15min increments, in a 70.3 I can get away without taking sodium on the run if I get enough in on the bike. Sodium on a long run I usually add an elixir to my first water bottle and supplement with salt stick pills as needed. I dont usually worry about sodium on anything under 2.5hours though, on my long days (5-6hrs) I use my race day nutrition/water/sodium plan.
It gets to be a pain taking the junk with you, especially on a run but you will eventually get used to it!
On another note I do require a little more water when I eat solids for my calories so on the bike during long days or longer races I use Carbo Pro as I am getting nutrition and water at the same time and I keep the gels to a minimum.
Don’t overthink it. If you’re not sweating when running and its 90-100 degrees, there would be something really wrong with you.
The two best ways to reduce sweat rate are to lose weight (get rid of the insulating fat and muscle underneath your skin) and to wear less clothing (get rid of an insulating layer on top of your skin.) Both methods work toward keeping your body temperature cooler.
The best & only way to not get dehydrated from sweating is to replace the fluid. For a 7-mile run, just drink water. If your body gets too watered down (before you even get close to hypernatremic), it will crave salty foods, so eat them. Loading yourself up on salt tabs every day and drinking electrolyte drinks during a 1-hour run is overkill.
The two best ways to reduce sweat rate are to lose weight (get rid of the insulating fat and muscle underneath your skin) and to wear less clothing (get rid of an insulating layer on top of your skin.) Both methods work toward keeping your body temperature cooler.
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Well, I’m working on number one but for number two, I find it uncomfortable to run and bike naked. That’s where I’d be if I took any more clothes off. :).
It’s not just sweating, it’s sweating more than the average person does. I can remember doing a trainer workout on the track and my sweat ended up creating a stream from the outside track to the inside track. Forget about doing indoor training sessions. I create lakes of sweat.
As far as weight goes. I am more than fit and really can not loose any more weight and/or run with any less cloths on (just shorts).
It is a genetic thing though because my dad, brothers and nephews all have it. I still think there is probably a solution to slowing down the sweat rate, I just haven’t found it.
I, too, lose significant amount of fluids during training/racing. In addition to fluid replenishment, I also have found a product called “PhitPills” to be very worthwhile. I learned of them from Kent Bostick and then found out that a former racing colleague, Murray Wilmerding, is behind the company. I use them to replace lost minerals/sodium, etc…I have been using them for about two years.
Question. Do you excessively cool off when you excessively sweat? In other words, if you exert yourself on the bike on a cool, dry day, will you excessively sweat to the point where you get cold? (Does your body temperature go down?) I get that if something is out of whack: too tired (lack of sleep) and running out of energy (on the way back home after a long effort) is the usual scenario – it’s a cold sweat. I wonder if you get the same thing all the time, and if so, if you’re under-rested all the time (since that what does it for me).
When the weather is really cold I can have issues after about 1.5 hours because of sweating, but normally nothing major. I can not remember other than maybe an Ironman where I sweat so much I get the shakes. For whatever reason, I don’t experience that, even when sweating a ton on dry days.
I have done a few really hot Bikram classes and my hearing seems a little off after words.
I did a sweat test a couple of years ago for Gatorade, found out that I lose about 64oz of fluid and 1350mg of sodium an hour in 85 degree temps with 70% humidity. What I also discovered was by running at 75% Max VO2 I could also assimilate that amount of fluid. While run training for an IM I practice taking in that amount of fluid and keeping my HR steady over the course of 2-2.5 hours. I drink about 56oz of sports drink and 8oz of water per hour. This gives me about 350 calories an hour and 1050mg of sodium. I take a sodium replacement tablet at the half way point to make up the difference. I have no stomach distress, no bloating and no dehydration. The key for me is keeping my HR under control and continually putting fluid into my body. I use a fuel belt and drink 3-5oz each half mile. It has taken me a while to find a protocol that works, part of the discovery was realizing that water with sodium tablets didn’t get it done. If it means anything I am 5’10 about 150lbs.
When the weather is really cold I can have issues after about 1.5 hours because of sweating, but normally nothing major. I can not remember other than maybe an Ironman where I sweat so much I get the shakes. For whatever reason, I don’t experience that, even when sweating a ton on dry days.
I have done a few really hot Bikram classes and my hearing seems a little off after words.
Interesting. If you sweat a lot in dry cool weather, wouldn’t you either overcool or else reach a good temperature and slow down the sweat? I need to way underdress so that once I’m warmed up I don’t gush sweat. And there is a point where sweating more doesn’t help (if it can’t evaporate, either due to humidity or due to clothing being in the way), so your body will just do all it can (sweat at max rate) thinking it will help cool you.
I’m heavier than some here, which means lower surface area (cooling) per unit mass. Maybe you are the same.
