Getting a tattoo can be exciting, but if you’re a serious athlete or a gym-rat, you might wonder how it affects your training schedule. After adding new ink, you may be ready to get back to lifting but wondering if you can workout. The burning question on your mind is how soon and what type of workout you can do.
The answer is that you can workout after getting a tattoo, but the timing and intensity will vary from person to person. Factors like tattoo size, location, and pain level matter. Someone with a small wrist piece might be able to workout sooner than someone with a full leg sleeve. Most people can workout 2-3 days after their tattoo.
Just make sure to wear loose-fitting clothing, shower immediately afterwards, and be conscious of your body movements. It’s important to understand the specific recommendations and why you need a few days off from the gym.
Can You Work Out After Getting a Tattoo?-The Answer
[su_note note_color=”#D3D3D3″ radius=”6″]After getting a new tattoo, it’s crucial to discuss whether you should visit the gym or sweat right away. The short answer is no, you shouldn’t. Generally, the healing time for a tattoo is about 2 weeks, depending on the size and location.[/su_note]
Can You Work Out After Getting a Tattoo?
After getting a new tattoo, it’s crucial to discuss whether you should visit the gym or sweat right away. The short answer is no, you shouldn’t. Generally, the healing time for a tattoo is about 2 weeks, depending on the size and location. While you cannot visit the gym for that entire time, you need to be patient as your skin repairs itself.
10 Tips For Safely Working Out After a Tattoo
After getting a new tattoo, it’s normal to miss that good feeling after a workout. Exercise releases endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, creating euphoria and happiness. For a few days, your body needs rest.
As advocates for healthy bodies and minds, here are some tips to stay fit while waiting for your new sleeve or back piece to heal. Different types of exercise apply, and those better feelings come when you feel and look your best. So, give your body the rest it needs to heal properly.
1. Treat Your New Ink Like an Open Wound
A tattoo is more than an image permanently etched into your skin; it’s an open wound. To create a beautiful tattoo, hundreds of microscopic punctures are made, causing punctures that bleed and ooze, creating a perfect doorway for bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The gym is rife with these pathogens.
Working out with a bleeding or scabbed injury is risky, especially if you’re sweating or in contact with other people. During the healing process, your main priority is to keep your tattoo clean and limit exposure to prevent infection.
2. Avoid Excess Stretching
If you thought about heading to yoga after getting that cute om symbol on your back, think again. Stretching your new tattoo is a terrible idea. Physical activity causes contractions in the muscles and skin. If your tattoo is stretched or scrunched, the healing process may be disrupted, leading to improper scabbing, infection, and other problems.
3. Wash Your Tattoo After Sweating
Sweating can be an issue for an open wound. Sweat is not just water and salt, but also urea and contaminants. Do you want that on your new tattoo? No, you don’t. After a workout, wait a couple of days and then rinse off or take a soapy shower. Anything you touch in the gym, like dumbbells, yoga mats, or the gym floor, has germs. Wash your hands often.
4. Use Clothing or Something Else to Limit Contact
When you’ve returned to the gym, make sure your tattoo is protected. Wear appropriate clothing like a loose fitting shirt or sweatpants and avoid anything too restrictive. If your clothing rubs against your fresh tattoo, it can make the skin irritated and inflamed. Use an adhesive dressing like Saniderm or Tegaderm as excellent barriers against germs.
Apply the bandage to a dry, freshly cleaned tattoo a day or two after the ink is done. Do not apply Aquaphor under the Tegaderm or Saniderm patch. These products stay in place for 3-4 days and can come off in the shower.
5. Avoid Swimming For Now
If you have a new tattoo, it’s best to stay out of the pool. Submerging your tattoo before the ink has set can permanently alter the image. Even with chemicals in the gym pool, the water is not 100% sanitary. This is especially important for a back tattoo.
6. Wait Around 48-72 Hours
If you’re fixated on a workout after getting a tattoo, do light or moderate activities like a walk or light aerobics. Wait 48-72 hours before returning to vigorous workouts to avoid sweating too much and affecting your tattoo’s healing process. The time to return to high intensity workouts depends on the size and placement of the tattoo.
A small tattoo on the ankle can handle a hard workout within 48 hours, but larger tattoos need about 72 hours. Tattoos in low-friction areas like the wrist, ankle, or back of the neck are safe after 48 hours, while areas exposed to friction, movement, or sweating, like the calves, trunk, thighs, back, and shoulders, need at least 72 hours.
7. Consider Modifying Your Workout
Even after 72 hours, you may need to modify your workout routine. If you have a fresh tattoo and planned on doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or grappling, don’t. Swap it for something else, like punching a bag or practicing kicks, depending on where your tattoo is placed. Avoid anything that exposes your tattoo to excessive amounts of sweat, friction, rubbing, water, and direct sunlight.
8. Wear UPF Gear
Using UPF gear protects your inked skin from the sun better than sunscreen. For brand new tattoos, sunscreen is a no-go because its chemicals can damage the tattoo in the first few weeks. If you plan to hike or run on the beach, wear UPF clothing instead to keep your tattoo safe. Proper care is crucial for back tattoo aftercare as well.
9. Listen to Your Body
Tattoos can be painful even a couple days afterward. It’s okay to take a rest day if your skin still aches after your session. Always listen to your body during your workout. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. This is also important for a neck tattoo.
10. Be Consistent With Your Tattoo Aftercare Routine
Be consistent with your aftercare instructions. Avoid friction and use protective ointment. Keep your skin moist and do not scratch or rub your new tattoo. If you have any questions about aftercare, get in touch with your tattoo artist.
Frequently asked question
How long after a tattoo can I workout?
It’s wise to wait at least 48 hours before resuming physical activity after getting a tattoo. This advice is endorsed by Michele Green, MD, a board-certified, New York City-based cosmetic dermatologist. Dr. Green specializes in laser tattoo removal and emphasizes this downtime to protect the new ink during the initial healing phase.
Will sweat ruin a new tattoo?
After getting a new tattoo, it’s best to take it easy and avoid any exercise that might cause excessive sweat. Sweating can irritate and even damage the fresh ink, so give your tattoo a few days to heal without disruption.
What should not be done after a tattoo?
After getting a tattoo, avoid pools, hot tubs, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water to protect the healing process. Also, be mindful to choose clothing that won’t stick to the tattoo, preventing irritation and damage to the fresh ink.
Can I workout with a SecondSkin tattoo?
SecondSkin offers protection for your new tattoo during high-octane workout sessions. Be aware of potential challenges and ensure the tattoo heals perfectly by closely following care instructions.
