(Yet another) New tattoo at the gym question - newbie needing advice

Soulie21
Soulie21 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, so I had a tattoo done last Thursday on my lower right leg. It's a big black French Bulldog to cover up an old tat which became a bit of a bad luck symbol. I'm trying to get as fit as possible for an upcoming holiday which will involve a lot of walking and sightseeing.

My usual workout consists of 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, followed by the ab machine, leg press, chest press and vertical traction, and I cover my tattoo with tatu-derm after washing it.

Can I stick to the elliptical trainer or should I switch to the arm-based ergometer and skip the leg press?

For real, I know loads of other people ask this question, but those people usually have arm/shoulder/upper body tattoos, I can't find any info on leg tattoos.

Replies

  • DamienAngelica
    DamienAngelica Posts: 281 Member
    edited March 2018
    Tats are most vulnerable the first few days, so you don't want to do a heavy workout that leaves you dripping in sweat because the new ink is still setting. Yours is probably already scabbing (unless you're slower at healing), so you should be fine as long as you're not rubbing or scraping it against the machines. I'd avoid using any machines that could cause that. You don't want to mess up the tat. It'll heal soon enough and you'll be able to hit all the machines again without worry.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I got a lower leg tattoo last year. While it was healing I continued running and doing resistance training. I wore capri-length pants so that it wouldn't be covered up and rub while I was running. It healed exactly as my other tattoos did (including some that healed when I wasn't active). I would say as long as you aren't rubbing or scraping and your tattoo healing appears to be progressing normally and you are comfortable, go for it.
  • BeautifullyBroken50
    BeautifullyBroken50 Posts: 34 Member
    You also don’t want to do anything that will come into contact with the machine against your tattoo. Being that it’s still healing you don’t want to risk infection from anyone else’s sweat.
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