Do Women Sweat Less Than Men?What Studies Show

It’s a common sight in a hot class: some people dripping, others barely glistening. Lab studies suggest sex is part of the story, mostly at harder efforts.

Light versus hard exercise

In an Ottawa lab, 8 women and 8 men cycled at three increasing workloads set so both groups needed to shed the same heat.¹

• At the two easier stages, sex differences in sweating weren’t consistent.¹
• At the hardest stage, men sweated more on the back, chest and forearm.¹
• Women and men had the same number of sweat glands switched on; men’s glands each put out more.¹

Training changes sweating, more in men

A Japanese study compared 37 people, trained and untrained women and men, cycling at three intensities in a warm room.²

• Trained people sweated more than untrained people of the same sex, on the forehead, chest, back, arms and thighs.²
• The training boost was bigger in men at higher intensities.²
• The difference between the sexes grew as exercise got harder.²

Both studies were small lab experiments.

What this means for you

1. Don’t compare your sweat to a man’s. In the Ottawa study, women sweated less at the hardest stage even though they needed to shed the same heat.¹
2. Fitness can increase sweating. If you sweat more after months of training, that fits the research.²
3. Sweat isn’t the same as smell. See polyester workout shirts and workout sweat and calorie burn.
4. Watch heat safety with shade, water and breaks on hot days.

If you sweat heavily even at rest, see what hyperhidrosis is.

Try: “I barely sweat in hot workouts compared to the men in my class, but I get very hot. Is that normal, and how should I stay safe in the heat?”

Arms Up covers this in Chapter 4, “Sweat Doesn’t Smell,” which traces odor from scentless secretion to bacteria. Its Fresh Log notes where and when you sweat, so you can see your own pattern instead of comparing yourself to the next bike. See the book.