Does Pre Workout Make You Sweat More? (What The Science Says)

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In the last 10 years, pre workout supplements have spiked in popularity.

In fact, there are probably more pre workout brands than there are grains of sand.

(Well, close enough.)

So its not surprising that I get a ton of questions related to pre workout.

One question in particular that I often get asked is: Does pre workout result in heavy sweating?

Here’s why pre workout makes you sweat more:

Pre workout makes you sweat more by making your workouts more intense. Also, the caffeine and thermogenics in pre workout increases your temperature which makes you sweat more.

In this article, we cover why pre workout makes you sweat, the other possible reasons why you may be sweating, and how to reduce sweating.

Why Pre Workout May Make You Sweat More

Pre Workout May Increase The Intensity Of Your Workout

Pre workouts often include ingredients that help make your workouts more intense.

For example, many include creatine which has been shown to improve your strength. The stronger you are, the more reps you can squeeze out.

And then there’s stuff like citrulline malate which help give you a better pump.

The more intense your workout, the more heat your body will generate when burning energy, which will produce sweat to help cool you down.

(Your body is a tightly regulated survival machine. It can only survive in a narrow temperature range, so sweat is a natural by-product of your body heating up, which helps cool it down and maintain temperature.)

Pre Workout is Usually High In caffeine

Another reason why some pre workouts make you sweat is due to the high caffeine content.

Most caffeinated pre workouts have a range of between 150mg to 300mg of caffeine per dose.

To give you some perspective, the average cup of coffee contains 100mg of caffeine. So, some pre workouts have 3x as much caffeine as coffee!

When you consume a lot of caffeine, the nervous system tells the body to release fight or flight hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This can increase your heart rate and temperature, so the body produces sweat to cool down and balance fluids.

Some Pre Workouts Contain Thermogenics

Thermogenics are ingredients that boost your metabolism via a process known as thermogenesis. In simple terms, this is the process of producing heat through metabolism.

For example, in winter, our bodies burn more energy to keep warm and stay alive.

So, a great fat loss tip is to turn your heating down during winter so your body can up its internal thermostat. The higher you turn up your thermostat, the more energy is used.

Pre workouts often include many thermogenics such as Capsicum, CLA, Green Tea Extract, and L-Carnitine.

Let’s cover each of these in a bit more detail.

Capsicum

Capsicum is the compound in chillies which gives it its “heat”. Research shows the thermogenic effect of capsicum can increase metabolism and fat burning long after exercise!

CLA

CLA is a fatty acid mainly found in meat and dairy products. It’s a popular thermogenic thanks to its ability to target fat deposits.

Green Tea Extract

Green Tea Extract helps fat burning in multiple ways.

For example, the polyphenol compounds help increase thermogenesis. Also, the caffeine helps increase metabolism which results in more calories burned.

L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is amino acid derivative that’s naturally found in red meat. It helps shuttle fatty acids from your blood stream into the mitochondria where it can be used for energy.

Best Pre Workouts That Make You Sweat

Best Budget Pre Workout To Make You Sweat: USN 3XT Pump

Overview

A super-high caffeine pre workout from a reputable brand.

USN 3XT Pump is an excellent budget buy.

What I like about it

I’m a big fan of USN as a supplement company.

They’re trustworthy, globally recognised, and have delivered fantastic supplements for many years.

Also, with each serving providing 400mg, this supplement contains an insane amount of caffeine.

We’re talking 4 cups of coffee’s worth in just one scoop.

It’s great that Yohimbe has been added too as research shows that it’s an effective thermogenic.

Potential Drawbacks

While the amount of caffeine will help you sweat more, it may produce some unwanted side effects like anxiety and nausea.

Check price and read more reviews of USN 3XT Pump on Amazon.

Best Mid-Range Pre Workout To Make You Sweat: Evlution Nutrition ENGN

Overview

A fat-loss focused pre workout with a reasonable amount of caffeine and a nice range of thermogenics.

Ideal for those wanting to get a sweat on.

What I like about it

The thousands of excellent reviews show that this is an effective thermogenic pre workout supplement, that’s helped many people lose weight.

Also, the ENGN SHRED MATRIX is super impressive and varied – a single serving provides:

500mg CLA
500mg L-Carnitine
100mg Coleus Extract
25mg Red Pepper Extract
40mg Yohimbe Extract

Each of these will work in different ways to help you burn fat and sweat more.

The reasonable 260mg of caffeine is obtained from coffee and Green Tea Extract, so you’ll get a nice thermogenic effect from that too.

Potential Drawbacks

Some users have felt nauseous after taking this supplement.

Check price and read more reviews of Evlution Nutrition ENGN Shred Pre Workout on Amazon.

Best Premium Pre Workout To Make You Sweat: Cellucor C4 Ultimate Shred

Overview

Premium strength? Tick.

Premium quality? Tick.

Premium price? Tick.

Cellucor C4 Ultimate Shred is the Rolls-Royce of thermogenic pre workout supplements.

What I like about it

It’s great this supplement has B vitamins added as these will help give you more energy. As a result, you can hit the weights with more intensity which will make you sweat more.

Also, with each serving providing 300mg of caffeine, 6g of citrulline malate, and 3.2g of beta-alanine, this is one of the most potent pre workout supplements on the market.

Although the ENGN SHRED MATRIX from the mid-range pre workout was impressive, the C4 Ultimate Shred & Thermogenic Matrix is even better. It includes:

NALT
A-GPC
Caffeine
Theacrine
Cayenne extract
Green tea extract
Ginger root extract
Lychee fruit extract
Velvet Bean seed extract
And much more…

There’s not much more you can ask for from a thermogenic pre workout!

Potential Drawbacks

As you’d expect, a supplement of this quality comes with a caveat – a pretty darn expensive price.

Check price and read more review of Cellucor C4 Ultimate Shred on Amazon.

Other Possible Reasons Why You May Be Sweating A Lot

While pre workout can make you sweat more when exercising, it’s unlikely to cause sweating if you’re inactive.

If you are sweating a lot when inactive, here are some possible causes:

Anxiety

People with anxiety have higher levels of stress hormones circulating. These stress hormones can change how the body functions.

For example, when stressed, your body prefers to eliminate water via sweat instead of the kidneys (i.e. urinating), as you’re much likely to survive a fight or flight scenario if you don’t need to stop and pee.

(Needing a pee when running from a tiger can be the difference between life and death!)

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, women often experience hormonal changes, increased blood flow, and a higher metabolic rate, which can all lead to sweating.

Thyroid Issues

When your thyroid gland goes into overdrive (Hyperthyroidism), it produces excess T3 and T4 hormones. Your body responds to this by going into overdrive which can cause sweating.

How To Reduce Sweating

Some of you reading this article may be put off by the idea of sweating after taking pre workout.

If so, here are some great tips to reduce sweating.

Stay cool

Since sweating is the body’s way to cool down, by staying cool, you reduce the need to sweat.

Wear light, loose clothing

Wearing light clothing in the summer is a bit of a paradox.

While it will make your sweat patches more noticeable, it will also help keep you cool.

(Lighter colors help reflect sunlight, whereas dark colors are better at absorbing it.)

Loose clothing is important too as this helps with ventilation.

Wear antiperspirant

Antiperspirants work by stopping the sweat from reaching the surface of our skin.

By wearing antiperspirant, your sweat glands will still produce sweat but it won’t reach the skin’s surface.

Avoid caffeine

Since caffeine can cause you to sweat more, you can reduce sweating by cutting back on it.

There are many excellent caffeine-free pre workouts on the market, so if you want to reduce sweating, these will be right up your street.

But if you do take a caffeinated pre workout, make sure to cut back on other sources of caffeine like coffee.

Conclusion

Wrapping up, it’s clear that many pre workout supplements can help you sweat more.

They can do this by making your workouts more intense, and by increasing your body’s ability to burn fat (which produces heat).

While some people will welcome the news that pre workouts can cause more sweating, others will be put off by it.

The good news is there are pre workouts to suit you regardless of if you’re team pro-sweat or team anti-sweat.

Well, that’s it for today guys.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article and have learned a ton.

If not, no hard feelings – let me know where you think I could improve in the comments below!

See ya later.

Robb

Does Pre Workout Make You Sweat More? (What The Science Says)

Here’s why pre workout makes you sweat more:

Why Pre Workout May Make You Sweat More