Does Pre-workout Make You Sweat More? Is It A Good Thing?

Does Pre-Workout Increase Sweat Production?

Sweating and working out go hand-in-hand . But there’s a world of difference between “normal” sweating from a good workout and excessive sweating that could be caused by a whole host of things (including too much pre-workout supplement).

Pre-workout powders can increase sweat production through stimulants such as Capsaicin and caffeine. These are known to increase the heart rate and metabolism, which may lead to increased sweating. Therefore, depending on the person and intensity of workout consuming pre-workout can lead to excessive sweating.

Does pre-workout really make you sweat more? It certainly can. In this detailed guide, we dig a little deeper into the ins and outs of how that happens.

Key Takeaways

• Common stimulants found in pre-workout powder ingredients such as caffeine and capsaicin can increase sweat production.
• The amount of increased sweat varies and is based on many factors including, sensitivity to ingredients, workout effort, genetics, and physical condition.

Let’s get into it.

Does Pre-Workout Make You Sweat More?

Pre-workout supplements are engineered to dramatically elevate your energy levels, your focus levels, as well as your physical strength and endurance. 

They also help you push back against fatigue and even assist in recovery and rebuilding the muscles you tore down while working out.

On top of all of that.

Many of the ingredients in the most popular pre-workout supplements also have the potential to increase the amount you sweat.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that pre-workout supplements work to stimulate your sympathetic nervous system. 

The sympathetic nervous system: A part of the autonomic nervous system that activates in response to perceived threats or stress. It increases metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline to prepare the body for physical activity.

To be fair, not all pre-workout supplements will shoot your sweat levels through the roof.

Some of them will help you keep your sweat levels in check. Others will be neutral in the grand scheme of things, at least regarding your perspiration level.

Why Are Pre-workout Supplements Going to Mess with Your Sweat Levels?

Your pre-workout supplement might send your sweat levels through the roof for several reasons. 

But the first (and the biggest) reason is your unique genetic predisposition to how you react to these supplements in the first place.

As we mentioned a moment ago, some of the core ingredients in many of the most popular pre-workout supplements may trigger specific responses in your sympathetic nervous system.

These responses may elevate your heart rate, increase blood pressure, and ramp up sweat production and perspiration. 

And that’s on top of the increase in your heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat production already produced by your workout.

In my experience, the only way you'll know whether or not a pre-workout will increase sweating is to try them. 

You’ll know pretty quickly just how much excess sweating you’re working with from those supplements, or you’ll discover that you don’t really suffer from this problem.

Using different pre-workouts and understanding the ingredients will help identify whether or not one is causing excessive sweating.

While it’s anecdotal evidence, it can help you better understand how pre-workout supplements impact your body and your sweat production.

But if you already know that you have negative reactions to caffeine or other stimulants, then its best to consult your physician to ensure it's safe for you.

Pre-workout Ingredients Most Likely to Cause Excess Sweating

Some pre-workout ingredients are more likely to cause excess sweating than others. 

Whenever possible, try to look for pre-workout supplements that scale back these ingredients as much as possible (if needed).

Remember, though, that these ingredients are found in so many different pre-workout supplements because they flat-out work!

Caffeine

Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system, which can help improve focus and concentration. It can also ramp up the production of adrenaline, boosting physical performance and endurance.

This can result in an increase in sweating because it stimulates the sympathetic nervous system. That will increase your heart rate, sweat production, and blood pressure. 

It is also a diuretic, which can increase urine production and cause the body to lose more fluids. This can lead to dehydration, which can also contribute to an increase in sweating.

Green Tea Extract

Green tea extract is often included in pre-workout supplements because it is a source of caffeine and energy. 

Green tea extract is concentrated by steeping the leaves in hot water and then drying and grinding them into a powder.

Green tea extract contains a range of plant compounds, including caffeine, catechins, and flavonoids, which may be able to dramatically increase the results you get from physical training.

As far as sweat production is concerned, green tea extract produces excess sweating for the same reason caffeine does on its own. 

So you’re going to stimulate your nervous system, which will lead to a cascade of effects that produce more sweat.

Pepper Extracts

You’ll often find many pepper extracts included in pre-workout supplements for two major reasons:

For starters, these extracts will help you elevate your level of focus and concentration and can even help you increase your metabolism.

Secondly, capsaicin (the most popular hot pepper extracts included in pre-workout supplements) has various thermogenic properties. 

It will kick your metabolism into high gear, help you turn fat into fuel, and essentially turn you into fat melting furnace.

By ramping up your metabolism, cranking up your body heat, burning fat, and turning it into fuel, you will naturally produce more sweat.

Don’t be surprised if this ingredient causes you the most trouble in the sweat department.

Are There Any Benefits Of Increased Sweat Caused By Consuming Pre-workout?

Remember that sweating during a workout is not a bad thing. In fact, sweating is normal and it has benefits during a workout.

Benefits of sweating during a workout

• Regulates body temperature
• Maintains hydration
• Removes toxins
• Increases circulation
• Reduces stress

Closing Thoughts On Excessive Sweat Caused By Pre-workout

Does pre-workout make you sweat more? Ingredients in pre-workouts can increase sweat production. And that's ok. 

That said, if this is becoming a major problem for you, that might be a good idea to start using half the amount of pre-workout to see if that has any impact. 

If things are really bad, consider discontinuing usage of that pre-workout supplement entirely. 

At that point, it might be best to check with a qualified physician to figure out exactly what’s going on “under your hood.”

Meanwhile – I embrace the sweat!

References

Rautio, S. (2022, January 21). Is sweating good for you? Food & Health. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/is-sweating-good-for-you

Kim TW;Shin YO;Lee JB;Min YK;Yang HM; (n.d.). Caffeine increases sweating sensitivity via changes in sudomotor activity during physical loading. Journal of medicinal food. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21883004/

J;, A. M. N. M. D. (n.d.). Neuroanatomy, sympathetic nervous system. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31194352/