'Down Bad Crying at the Gym': Here's Why You Might Shed a Few Tears During Workouts

Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

• There are many reasons people cry at the gym, and it is a common occurrence, experts said.

• People might cry during a workout due to stress or trauma, or on the other hand, due to feelings of accomplishment or happiness.

• Though there's nothing "wrong" with crying at the gym, it's important to make sure you're mentally focused each time you use exercise equipment, experts advised.
  

Anyone who has recently listened to Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, might be relieved to know that even she gets emotional during workouts: In one of Swift’s new songs, she confesses she’s “down bad, crying at the gym.”

Though it might feel disconcerting to start shedding tears while you’re exercising, experts said it likely happens more often than you might think.

“It’s a very normal thing if you’re in a time of stress—it could be anything: family stress, work stress, changes in a [romantic] relationship,” Brad Foltz, PhD, sports psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Health. “Having an emotional response during exercise isn’t a bad thing.”

But stress isn't the only possible trigger for tears during a workout—there are a number of different reasons why someone may have an emotional response at the gym, said Matthew Sacco, PhD, sports psychologist at Cleveland Clinic. In fact, happiness can be one of them.

“Even moderate exertion can lead to the release of endorphins, which, when flooding the body, can lead to noticeable improvements in mood,” Sacco told Health. “By this logic, it makes sense that having a more intense emotional experience and feeling overwhelmed to the point of crying is an entirely possible reaction to more intense exercise.”

Though it’s not “bad” to cry during a workout, there are a few things to consider if this is happening regularly, including whether you're in a good headspace to use heavy exercise equipment safely.

Here's what experts had to say about why people sometimes cry at the gym, and what to do if you find yourself shedding tears during a workout.

Why Do Some People Cry While Working Out?

Stressful or challenging situations can prompt someone to become overcome with emotion—and cry—more often. So if someone's going through a difficult time, it's not hard to see why that might manifest during a workout, Foltz said.

“[Working out] at the gym, you don’t have your phone, kids, or job to distract you,” he explained. “Because you’re eliminating those distractions, it can open up space in your brain to focus on emotions.”

A related theory is that the physical release of exercise could lead to an emotional release of buried or unprocessed feelings, said Sacco.

"The idea [is] that our body is releasing a bunch of pent-up tension and emotion that we’ve been holding on to—internalizing—to make it through the other day-to-day parts of our lives,” he said. “Then, when we exert ourselves through exercise, we lose some of the ability to keep it all 'stuffed in.'”

Getting emotional during certain exercises could even be a trauma response, Foltz added. For example, people who had to run from a dangerous circumstance in the past may be triggered by the physical act of running.

On the other hand, crying at the gym can also stem from positive emotions. Research has found that, in general, exercising is associated with improved mood and decreased levels of stress. This emotional change could, for some people, lead to tears, said Sacco.

People might also experience happy tears while exercising if they feel particularly accomplished.

“Simply working out, or finishing a workout, can lead to a great deal of pride and satisfaction in the task,” Sacco explained. “For some, this sense of pride and esteem has not been readily accessible throughout day-to-day life, [and] feeling proud of oneself can be a strange experience for some people and result in an outpouring of emotions.”

What to Do If This Happens to You

As with any feelings, it’s important to be cognizant of emotions that arise during a workout rather than ignoring them, experts said. Whether you want to leave the gym or just take a break in the locker room for a few moments, it’s a good idea to pause and consider what could be causing your feelings, as repressing them isn't healthy.

Your response to these emotional episodes should be shaped by their frequency and what you suspect is causing them, Foltz said.

If you think you’re crying because of a specific stressor and it’s an isolated incident, the answer may be rescheduling your workout to a time when you're better able to focus on physical activity. At the very least, you may want to avoid using any workout machinery.

“If you’re in an overemotional state, you may not be as focused on the exercises as we want you to be,” which could open the door to injuries, Foltz explained.

But if you find yourself crying repeatedly at the gym and you’re not sure why, it might help to speak with a mental health professional about what could be causing these feelings.

“If you’re having that strong of a reaction to exercise, speak with a psychologist [or other] professional,” Sacco said. They can help you work through whatever might be causing your emotions, and can help you develop a plan for working out safely.

Related: What Is Self-Care?

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