A tummy tuck takes time to heal, and one must follow postoperative instructions carefully. I will typically ask my patients to avoid all strenuous activity for at least one week initially (during this time you are allowed to walk around and do normal daily activities). After that I will slowly allow you to resume more of your active lifestyle, such as walking on the treadmill. Due to the plication of the abdominal muscles (the muscles are really not repaired themselves, they are just brought back together to the midline), I will not allow my patients to resume any type of abdominal exercises for at least 6-8 weeks after the tummy tuck. This is because doing sit-ups or crunches will put the plication at risk of rupturing or falling apart (there are many stitches that are used to bring the muscles back together and straining this area might break the stitches). The repair needs time to heal to itself.
How long after a tummy tuck (with stomach muscle repair) can I resume ab work at the gym?
