Have you ever Been told your sweat is smelly ?

pops1a

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I was taken to one side by the gym instructor, who also takes the circuits class, that he had complaints about my sweat smelling, while I was doing the class. Two females had apparently told him that my sweat was overpowering. He said that it could be due to my diet and also to change my shirt if I attend more than one class. I was clearly taken aback and offended by this comment and thought he'd handled it very badly and thought he should have told the complainants it was unavoidable and it's just the nature of group exercise sessions, rather than confront me. Do you think I'm over reacting. What do you guys think and have any of you had a similar experience, what did you do. What do you think I should do.
 
They are just feeling threatened due to your pheromones LOL (I have still to see conclusive studies on this).

Do you think you smell bad?

Try an "anti-perspirant" instead of "deoderant", Lynx Dry works for me and I used to sweat a lot more in the gym using the standard one. I did't smell (that I know of) but I've known people there to stink without sweating so I thought I'd be better off looking dry.

Do you eat very spicy foods or anything like that?
 
Can be complicated this, if the sweat you are expelling is instantly foul smelling then get yourself to a doc ASAP.

We all sweat and the sweat will eventually start to smell as bacteria starts to grow, the trick is to keep on top of it by showering paying particular attention to the sweatiest bits (armpits, bum crack etc, lol), if the sweat is allowed to ferment in these areas then the stench will be overwhelming.

Make sure your body and your clothing is clean before entering the gym, any bacteria which has not been properly removed from your clothing or skin with soon start smelling once it is warmed up.

I'm not one for inhibiting the release of sweat, I sweat like a hell, I'd rather have my body producing a few pints of sweat then having all my pores blocked up with some chemical, it can't be healthy.

Get it out, but scrub your body and scrub your clothing afterwards, using a biological soap powder is beneficial as it breaks down the bacteria etc.

I feel like I'm teaching someone to suck eggs here. :)

But u get the idea.

:)
 
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I have to say first he did take aside to talk to you about it, he didn't do it in front of everyone.

In case the other class members are offended then as a couple of people have mentioned, make sure you wear clean clothing before you start the class, make sure you have showered. If you do sweat a lot then consider taking a towel with you into the class to wipe excess sweat off.

If you are worried about it, ask a close friend to be honest with you.
 
A guy i used to work with sweated very heavily and to be honest it stank! Used to make everyone in the office feel sick. Eventuallly his manager had to take him aside and tell him, it wasn't so much of a problem after that.

Fresh sweat shouldn't be smelly, it's only stale sweat that should smell, so if you are sweating and it has a strong smell even when fresh, maybe look at your diet, if you eat a lot of garlic or spicy foods. It could also be related to medicines you are taking.

You can buy an extra strong anti perspirant/deodorant called Driclor, maybe give that a go?
 
They are just feeling threatened due to your pheromones LOL (I have still to see conclusive studies on this).

Do you think you smell bad?

Try an "anti-perspirant" instead of "deoderant", Lynx Dry works for me and I used to sweat a lot more in the gym using the standard one. I did't smell (that I know of) but I've known people there to stink without sweating so I thought I'd be better off looking dry.

Do you eat very spicy foods or anything like that?

Thanks, I don't think I smell bad at all. I don't like the idea of using chemicals on my body just before exercise as I'll be ingesting them into my body during training. Also I'm not that vain about my natural body odour and I don't see why I should have to mask it because of social pressures and people around me who may feel insecure and bow uder that type of pressure.
 
Can be complicated this, if the sweat you are expelling is instantly foul smelling then get yourself to a doc ASAP.

We all sweat and the sweat will eventually start to smell as bacteria starts to grow, the trick is to keep on top of it by showering paying particular attention to the sweatiest bits (armpits, bum crack etc, lol), if the sweat is allowed to ferment in these areas then the stench will be overwhelming.

Make sure your body and your clothing is clean before entering the gym, any bacteria which has not been properly removed from your clothing or skin with soon start smelling once it is warmed up.

I'm not one for inhibiting the release of sweat, I sweat like a hell, I'd rather have my body producing a few pints of sweat then having all my pores blocked up with some chemical, it can't be healthy.

Get it out, but scrub your body and scrub your clothing afterwards, using a biological soap powder is beneficial as it breaks down the bacteria etc.

I feel like I'm teaching someone to suck eggs here. :)

But u get the idea.

:)
Thanks, I don't smell instantly. I train between 5/7 days a week and I shower daily and wear fresh clothing every day and I've also bought some tops with the breathable materials that quickly allow sweat to dry so you're not soaked with sweat like with cotton clothing. I totally agree with you on the use of chemicals, it definitely isn't healthy. And what's wrong with sweating anyway, it's only natural, isn't it?
 
I have to say first he did take aside to talk to you about it, he didn't do it in front of everyone.

In case the other class members are offended then as a couple of people have mentioned, make sure you wear clean clothing before you start the class, make sure you have showered. If you do sweat a lot then consider taking a towel with you into the class to wipe excess sweat off.

If you are worried about it, ask a close friend to be honest with you.

Thanks, as I pointed out to the trainer, I always take a towel with me when I train, unlike a lot of other users. In fact I'm one of those considerate people who makes sure, after using equipment I wipe down any sweat I may have left on the equipment. As it happens when the trainer told me of the complaint I asked him to smell me and say if I smelled. He did and said I didn't smell and I was dripping with sweat because I'd just been on the cross trainer and rowing machine.
 
maybe it was a one off, after eating something specific or somebody just doesn't like you which is a bit crap.
 
A guy i used to work with sweated very heavily and to be honest it stank! Used to make everyone in the office feel sick. Eventuallly his manager had to take him aside and tell him, it wasn't so much of a problem after that.

Fresh sweat shouldn't be smelly, it's only stale sweat that should smell, so if you are sweating and it has a strong smell even when fresh, maybe look at your diet, if you eat a lot of garlic or spicy foods. It could also be related to medicines you are taking.

You can buy an extra strong anti perspirant/deodorant called Driclor, maybe give that a go?

Thanks, I understand what you're saying, I can assure you that's not the case with me. I teach and I've had students who have had this issue being unbearably smelly and I've dealt with those cases sympathetically all be it with a lot of difficulty. As I was pointing out to another gym user, it's not as though It is a closed environment or that I was partnering these people while training that they were able to get so close and personal.
 
maybe it was a one off, after eating something specific or somebody just doesn't like you which is a bit crap.

Thanks, it could be that. It could also be that I crossed the path of some insecure and obnoxious individuals, who knows. I can tell you one thing, it has made me uncomfortable about going to the gym and it has crossed my mind to leave.
 
If you enjoy going there then I won't let this one incident put you off.
 
Aye, could just be some idiots playing the fool. If the instructor said he couldn't smell anything then where's the argument?
 
Aye, could just be some idiots playing the fool. If the instructor said he couldn't smell anything then where's the argument?

Thanks, you could be right. I'm just a little miffed that the instructor took their word for it and didn't challenge their comments. He's been doing this job for years and I would have expected him to deal with it better. His second job, however, is as a bouncer and people have said to me in the past that he is a total dick head. I must say I can't say that, I've always been able to talk to him without any problem. Although he is abrupt with users who have asked him for advice in the past and can come across as unhelpful to say the least.

I went to the gym today, I was a little self conscious, It will pass i guess. I do enjoy going to this gym as I get on with people and their are very few posers, if you know what I mean.
 
Thanks, you could be right. I'm just a little miffed that the instructor took their word for it and didn't challenge their comments. He's been doing this job for years and I would have expected him to deal with it better. His second job, however, is as a bouncer and people have said to me in the past that he is a total dick head. I must say I can't say that, I've always been able to talk to him without any problem. Although he is abrupt with users who have asked him for advice in the past and can come across as unhelpful to say the least.

I went to the gym today, I was a little self conscious, It will pass i guess. I do enjoy going to this gym as I get on with people and their are very few posers, if you know what I mean.

Try not to worry pops just do what your doing and get on with it obviously some people will whinge about anything these days its a gym for fooks sake, sweat, grunting, and lycra lol.
 
I think we solved it... This bouncer sounds abit titty... he probably made it up for who knows what reason which you could spend hours or days thinking about, but feck it, lives too short, forget about it and get on with your life and enjoy the gym... Lifes too short to be thinking about what is going through some arse holes small mind who means absolutly nothing to you!!!!
 
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Try not to worry pops just do what your doing and get on with it obviously some people will whinge about anything these days its a gym for fooks sake, sweat, grunting, and lycra lol.

Thanks for the reassuring words Jackal. You're absolutely right about people whinging these and like you said it is a gym after all. It's great to know that their are people like yourself who have a sense of realism about life.
 
I think we solved it... This bouncer sounds like abit titty... he probably made it up for who knows what reason which you could spend hours or days thinking about, but feck it, lives too short, forget the about it and get on with your life and enjoy the gym... Lifes too short to be thinking about what is going through some arse holes small mind who means absolutly nothing to you!!!!

That's a great way of looking at it Madeinbeats. I'm going to try and put it behind me and enjoy it. I am quite sensitive and tend to over analyse things. I need to develop a thick skin and try not to let it get me down.
 
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