Many of my breast augmentation patients exercise regularly and want as little interruption as possible from exercise. Of course, not all of my patients are physically active, but a large proportion of the breast augmentation patients are. As a result, a great question and one that comes up very, very frequently is:

How Soon Can You Exercise After a Breast Augmentation?

Walking After a Breast Augmentation – Week 1

In general, I am more progressive than most other surgeons in that I allow post breast augmentation patients to get back to exercising sooner. You should however avoid significantly elevating your heart rate for prolonged periods for the first week (you can have sex etc but don’t go crazy). You can go for long walks at a comfortable pace but no real exercising.

Spinning Classes and Elliptical Machines – Week 2

After the first week, you can gradually increase exercise by doing things like a spin class and use the elliptical machine. You can elevate your heart rate but should avoid things that cause a lot of bouncing. Thus, elliptical or spinning is much more comfortable than trying to jog. You can also start to do weights on your lower body and also your biceps, triceps, etc. At this stage, you should avoid chest exercises or hardback exercises. I think gentle stretching is very helpful from the beginning and should become increasingly easier after the first week. 

Running After a Breast Augmentation – Week 3

Most of my hardcore runners will start running after 2.5-3 weeks. I always advise starting easier (shorter distance and shorter time) for the first few times out running. 

You can start hard chest exercises such as push-ups and weights after 4 to 6 weeks. Start lighter and go easier for the first few times. When you are contracting your pectoral muscles, it is very normal for your breast implants to be displaced upwards, while the muscle is contracting. They will return to normal immediately and it does no harm.

My 2 favorite stories

I did a BA on a very close friend of mine. She and her husband were the couple that got me into doing triathlons and Ironmans. I did a BA on her before she moved to Florida. She did a half Ironman (1.3-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13-mile run) after only 5-6 weeks from her surgery. 

A number of years ago, I did a breast augmentation on a woman, who clearly did a lot of weight lifting. I saw her a week after her BA and she mentioned that she never stopped doing her pull-ups after surgery. I have never had a patient do this before. She did no harm, so this does show you that it is hard to really hurt things. She did run the risk of increased bleeding or bruising but she experienced no problems, despite her pull up regime.

Have questions about this procedure? Please call my office at 703-406-2444 to schedule a private, Consultation with me