Sweating

[tryenerstep]

Is it normal to be dripping sweat after 10 minutes of rowing?

I am fairly new, but notice that I'm drenched by the end of a 20 or 30 minute session. Does this negatively effect my workout? I know that sweating is our body's way of cooling off when we generate too much heat - so it's necessary - but are there any other ways to cool down while you row?

Lucas

[Joebasscat]

Welcome to the board Lucas. Lacking A\C I would say that many use industrial size fans to keep themselves cooler when training or any available box fan for that matter. As to your 1st question 10 minutes is pretty quick, but everyone is different as are their intensities for a given time frame. Had my share of sweaty session as well.

[Tsnor]

Agree with above.

Rowing is about 20% efficient, so if you are rowing at 100 watts, then your body is eating another 400 watts of heat. It adds up very quickly and you end up cooking. Not good for you or your workout. (When you get stronger, picture a 2K done at 300 watts with your body absorbing 1200 Watts ... like sitting in an oven).

It's both common and wrong to row over a sweat puddle. If your sweat is puddling you are not getting the cooling you need. Try a BIG fan blowing hard at you. I use one directly behind me, you may have a different preferred position. (carpet runners or other mats are a good thing if you row inside, but the fan should help a ton.)

This problem (inadequate cooling) is so common it even makes it into coaches education videos from USROWING. Check out the fan in this video https://youtu.be/kC5_0qOJhDk?t=5005

[Erik A]

this is interesting... im a sweater and it doesnt take much to get me going. not that im overhot or dont appear to be i just sweat. i sweat when i do any physical work including walking and at the moment as its the middle of winter im rowing in about 0 to 5c (coldest room in house). i take my shirt off after about 1k which is when i start to sweat. by the end of the session im dripping. have yet to see a puddle (maybe one will appear if i do longer than 5 or 6km) but there are quite a few drips on the floor and my shorts are soaking.
interesting that you say its not a good thing to sweat (probably wrong choice of words here)... i would be more worried if i was sweating then stopped which to me would indicate dehydration. as long as im still sweating at the end and i drink enough water it should be fine. i will have a look at that youtube clip though when im at home

[Dangerscouse]

I also sweat easily, but it's all based on how hard your workout is, how warm your room is etc. I also use a 18 inch floor fan when I row, which is helpful but it doesn't stop the sweat.

Do you sweat a lot when you're doing an easy steady pace?

[jamesg]

Is it normal to be dripping sweat after 10 minutes of rowing?

No, it usually starts much sooner. Five minutes is enough to get my temperature up to sweat level even at only 100-120W. So maybe you need to work harder. Sweat is one of the ignored technical indicators, since today on erg we can read Watts.

It's called warm-up, since hot-up doesn't sound right. But of course it also depends on the local temperature and humidity, and the fact that ergs don't move. Out in the fresh air in winter in a fast moving boat sweat will be the least of your problems, especially if it's raining.

[Sakly]

I sweat easily and much if intensity is higher.
My room is 13-20°C over the year, not heated. No fan used.
If low intense steady state for an hour or so (~160W) I sweat only a bit, but start more or less immediately. Last 60min row with hard work (225W) towel under rower was wet, shorts like put into water, no shirt from the beginning.

[JaapvanE]

My rower is in the attic, under a flat roof. Room temperature was 30°C or higher, so putting on my heartrate monitor already makes me sweat at the moment. When rowing at these temps, I do it at much lower intensity, but I still sweat.

Normally, a 30 minute row will get my shirt wet regardless of room temp. A 10K will make it soaking wet.

[hjs]

Is it normal to be dripping sweat after 10 minutes of rowing?

I am fairly new, but notice that I'm drenched by the end of a 20 or 30 minute session. Does this negatively effect my workout? I know that sweating is our body's way of cooling off when we generate too much heat - so it's necessary - but are there any other ways to cool down while you row?

Lucas

Certainly in summer, I would say yes. When colder a bit less. Rowing is hard work, and the movement is slow and there is no airflow. So lots of heat and not much cooling, all you do is sweat.

[Dutch]

I went through this when I first started to row. Now I have a standing fan right behind me on my back, one on a chair in front of me just offset on face and upper chest and I wear no top summer or winter. I have a knitted cotton bandanna with sweatbands on wrists and just recently starting wearing just rowing shorts, lycra type.
I rowed Monday the outside temp was 38 and inside about the 34. I got off the rower after half an hour with a tiny bit of sweat on my brow just below the bandanna, shorts were wet in all the usual places, waistline upper thighs glute area but hardly any other than that. So for me the fans and other bits all make for a comfortable row all year round.

[Dangerscouse]

I'd also add, that I always wear sweatbands on my wrist and head and use liquid chalk on my hands. If I don't it's all too often like someone is squeezing lemon juice in my eyes as I'm a salty sweater.

[Rowan McSheen]

I row in a room that's usually 20-30 degrees depending on season. And I sweat profusely from just a couple of minutes in. Same when I'm out running. I have to wear a headband to stop sweat from dripping into my eyes (being bald doesn't help). Be it a short sharp intervals session or an hour or so at low intensity, my shirt is usually soaked by the end. And in warm weather I break sweat easily even when inactive. It seems I'm just a sweaty boy. I don't think there's any harm in it but I keep an eye on the colour of my urine for signs of dehydration. I usually take some rehydration salts if it was a particularly sweaty workout because otherwise I feel washed out.

[Tsnor]

interesting that you say its not a good thing to sweat (probably wrong choice of words here)... i would be more worried if i was sweating then stopped which to me would indicate dehydration. as long as im still sweating at the end and i drink enough water it should be fine. i will have a look at that youtube clip though when im at home

Sweating is good.

Sweat that runs off your body and does not evaporate is bad.
-- It wastes fluid.
-- It's a sign that your body is not getting enough cooling -- if it was cool enough with the sweat that was evaporating then it would not sweat additional fluid.

Sweating then stopping sweating while still working is really dangerously bad. "You or someone else have signs of heatstroke including:
-- feeling unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of water
-- not sweating even while feeling too hot
-- a high temperature of 40C or above
-- feeling confused" https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heat-exha ... or%20above

Best practice for rowing indoors at normal temps is use a fan for any piece that gets you very sweaty.

[Cant Climb]

I never look forward to the summer months for rowing.

I row in an old stone basement.
Have a de-humidifier.
16 inch floor fan.
20 inch square fan at head height.
Plus one of the covers that directs the air from flywheel back at me.

It's almost impossible to row a decent paced 10K in the summer.
Have to wear full gloves (and they end up soaked) or I'll get blisters.

Just posting to complain really.
I miss my freezing basement in the winter.

[dabatey]

A big fan is the way ahead to dry sweat off you.

However to contrast what some have said, it's the airflow which dries the sweat off you, not a 'cooling' effect. Much in the same way that you can hang wet clothes out on a line on a very cold day and it will still dry if there is a good breeze blowing.

I always go with a headband as DS has noted and it saves a lot of irritation.