Exercise after tummy tuck surgery: how long should I wait to resume my workouts?

It is extremely important to get complete rest in the first two weeks following surgery.  I usually see my patient weekly during the first three weeks and if there is no evidence of delayed wound healing they may return to office work at that time.    Final healing occurs at 6 weeks and no heavy lifting should be done prior to that time.  As for improving core strength I recommend starting with planks instead to situps/crunches.

It takes about two months before one can resume exercise. First it is best to start with low impact cardio.  Then at 3 months more strenuous activity is introduced.  It is typically 6 months before it is safe to start core exercises.  If the muscles are properly reconstructed, it is not necessary to start working the core before then.  If there is swelling that results from exercise, then you are doing too much for your body at that time. 

Depending on your occupation and activity level you may return to work and light activity around two weeks. At around 6 weeks you can generally resume your usual activities and restart your exercise routines. Generally my patients start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of their workouts starting at 6 weeks. Please consult your surgeon first though.

After a tummy tuck procedure with muscle tightening , a gentle start to exercise can be done at 2-3 weeks with walks and treadmill and gradually build up. any weights should be used after nearly 3 months to give time for muscle repair to settle down.

Thank you for your question. I always recommend to my patients to start exercises tend six weeks after PO, gradually: first, gentle walks without sweating, then, you can go to the gym to do aerobics, and, after four months you can stats with machines exercise and start with light weights, and, if there are no problems, only six months after PO may charge "free weights".
Respectfully,Dr. Emmanuel Mallol Cotes.

It is super important to be up and walking every two hours following Tummy Tuck and one week after the drain is out (average 1 week), so starting about week two when I have patients beginning to walk for exercise and then gradually increasing activity to full impact activity at 6 weeks.  I do not recommend formal sit ups except in yoga etc and tell patients there is nothing that will improve the look of your tummy that you can do, more than what we do in surgery.All my BestBrad Bengtson, MD FACS