Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no straightforward answer to this one.
Sweating helps your body regulate its core temperature, and your sweat rate is influenced by a number of factors, including genetics, gender, and the weather.
Several studies have shown that better athletes do, indeed, sweat more. , published in the journal Experimental Physiology in 2010, demonstrated that both male and female athletes sweat more than their untrained counterparts, leading to the conclusion that training improves the sweating response. More sweat, they thought, allows athletes to dissipate heat more quickly so they can stay cool during strenuous workouts.
A in 2012 also found that fit males鈥攎en with a high , an indicator of aerobic fitness鈥攕weat more than unfit males while exercising at moderate intensity.
However, if you鈥檝e noticed an increase in your own sweat rate, don鈥檛 go bragging to your buddies about it just yet.
A published in the American Journal of Physiology found that sweat rate depends on your physical work and your body鈥檚 surface area rather than on VO2 max. In other words, you鈥檒l sweat the same amount running a seven-minute mile whether you鈥檙e in tip top shape or not, assuming you haven鈥檛 gained or lost any weight. This study concludes that sweat is an indicator of the physical work you鈥檙e doing, not how fit you are. (.)
Want an indication鈥攗nrelated to your sweat鈥攖hat your fitness is improving? Try doing a benchmark test where you repeat the same workout once a month so you can document any changes.