As you recover from your procedure, there are some factors to consider when thinking about exercise after abdominoplasty.
Getting back to your regular gym routine after abdominoplasty is an important part of the recovery journey, but it’s a process that will require some patience. An abdominoplasty involves removing excess skin and will often include tightening abdominal muscles, making it a more extensive procedure than you may initially realise.
Because of the nature of the surgery, your return to the gym will need to be gradual and approached with a lot of care. In this blog, we’ll discuss how you can resume exercise after your surgery and why it’s important to take it slow.
Why it’s important to time exercise after abdominoplasty right
The healing process after abdominoplasty is complex, involving multiple layers of tissue, including skin, fat, and the abdominal muscles. While the external incisions may appear to heal within a couple of weeks, the internal repairs will naturally take much longer.
Over-exerting your body too soon after surgery can risk complications occurring, such as reopening incisions, disrupting the muscle repair, or even causing a seroma (fluid buildup). Taking a gradual approach to resuming exercise will be the best way to go.
When you meet with your surgeon, they will provide you with specific advice that is tailored to the details of your own recovery.
Straight after surgery: Focusing on rest
Since you’ll need to resume exercise after abdominoplasty slowly and gradually, for at least the first two weeks after surgery, your focus should be on rest.
However, getting enough rest won’t mean complete immobility. Light walking is often encouraged as soon as you feel able to, as it promotes circulation and reduces the risk of blood clots.
As for activities you should avoid, it’s important to avoid putting strain on your core – movements like frequent bending, heavy lifting and other core-focused movements should be avoided to let your abdominal muscles heal. Since the abdominal muscles are a central focus of the procedure, they will need time to heal without added stress.
Increasing exercise levels as you heal
Once your body has sufficiently healed to a level that most movements tend to feel more comfortable, you may then be able to increase your exercise levels. This is usually around the six week mark, but it will always depend on the extent of your procedure and how well you have healed.
Essentially, as swelling begins to subside, and energy levels start to improve, light, non-strenuous activities can be introduced. These types of activities should be the next step from light walking, such as gentle yoga (as long as you avoid any core-focused poses), walking on a treadmill, or using a stationary bike with minimal resistance. These activities will help to reintroduce more movement to your body, without putting too much stress on your healing abdominal area too soon.
As you slowly introduce more exercise, you’ll still need to avoid heavy lifting for longer. Even though you may feel ready, your core muscles are still vulnerable, and lifting can strain them or disrupt the internal sutures.
Once most of your initial healing stage has passed, you’ll likely have had a follow-up appointment with your surgeon to assess your progress. If you’ve been cleared for more activity, you can then start to reintroduce slightly more intense forms of exercise, like brisk walking or light resistance training for the arms and legs. However, it’s still important to avoid any exercises that target the abdominal muscles directly, like crunches, planks, or any heavy twisting motions.
While it can help to know how to generally increase activity, when it comes to the right time and how to resume exercise after abdominoplasty, always follow your surgeon’s advice. They know the specifics of your surgery and can guide you more accurately than general recommendations.
When to reintroduce core-focused workouts
Workouts that focus on your core muscles will be one of the last types of workouts that you can slowly re-introduce as you heal.
For some patients, this can be around the two-month mark, while others may need a little longer. It all depends on how your body is healing, and your surgeon’s guidance should always take precedence.
When your surgeon has cleared you to begin core-focused exercises, you’ll need to start slowly – for example, you could begin with gentle core exercises, such as modified planks (on the knees instead of your toes), and then you can gradually increase the intensity over time.
It’s important to listen to your body. If you feel discomfort, pulling, or pain in your abdomen, make sure that you immediately stop the exercise and consult your surgeon, if needed.
Completely returning to full gym workouts
When it’s time to make a full return to your normal gym routine, it can still be highly helpful to keep some important tips in mind. Depending on the details of your procedure, it may be a few months before you can completely return to your usual workouts.
Firstly, be sure to have a warm up and cool down routine to best support your body before and after your workouts. Preparing your body for exercise with a gentle warm-up and finishing with a cool-down can help reduce strain on the healing tissues.
Once you’re at the gym and getting used to your workout routine again, it’s still best to ease in gradually and pay attention to how your body feels. Even if your stamina and energy levels feel back to normal, your core may still be regaining strength, so over-exertion can lead to some setbacks if you aren’t careful.
Discomfort, swelling, or a feeling of tightness are signs of scaling back and allow more time for healing. It’s about finding what feels right for you and making sure that you follow your surgeon’s personalised advice.
Dr Craig Rubinstein: Experienced Melbourne Specialist Plastic Surgeon
Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery’s carefully selected team of surgeons have decades of experience in performing a variety of types of plastic and cosmetic surgical procedures.
Based in Melbourne, these passionate Specialist Plastic Surgeons not only perform procedures to a high standard but have also contributed to research, industry advancements, conferences, book chapters and articles within the field of plastic surgery.
Led by breast and abdominoplasty surgeon Dr Craig Rubinstein, the independent surgeons work together to provide a high level of care.
To book your consultation for an abdominoplasty and discuss how recovery may look for you, including how exercise can be resumed, you are welcome to contact our team.