We refer to this rounded lower back position as Lumbar Flexion, and it’s to be avoided generally, especially for prolonged periods.  If you’re feeling a great deal of back pain after a long day at work, ask yourself if you found yourself in Lumbar Flexion for most of that day’s tattoos.  If so, it may be time to modify your approach, by either learning to keep your lower back straight while working, or perhaps moving your client into a position where you can access the tattoo without rounding the lower back!  Generally, if someone has a pretty weak lower back, I’ll try to strengthen the area with exercises like back extensions, kettlebell swings, glute ham raises, etc.  Strengthening the lower back safely can be a bit challenging for gym newbies, so please consult a qualified trainer or coach to help you with your form!

2) Tight Hamstrings/Tight Hip Flexors

Tattooers spend a lot of time sitting, which is actually linked to early death, (seriously), as well as a host of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.  But for our purposes, one of the biggest issues I encounter with clients who work seated is tightness in the hamstrings (the back of your thighs) and hip flexors (imagine you’re standing, and I ask you to raise one leg up to about 90 degrees, and balance on the other; your hip flexors would be the muscles that are pulling your raised leg up).  Unfortunately, until someone develops a way to tattoo that doesn’t involve sitting, you’re going to have to treat these issues on your own.  Keeping the hips strong with exercises like squats, deadlifts, glute-bridges, lunges, and step-ups are a great way to keep the tissues healthy and performing, but it’s likely that you’ll also benefit from some static stretching in these areas.  Check out the video below for a few great stretches for the hamstrings and hip flexors.

3) Digital Extension

Manipulating a tattoo machine for hours at a time is a great way to strengthen your grip.  Unfortunately, it’s also a way to actually harm the muscles of your hands and forearms, due to overuse, and it can be particularly damaging because most of us favor one side.  If you think about it, you are essentially gripping something tightly for hours at a time with one hand, and never gripping the same way with the other, probably something you’d never do outside of your occupation.  One way to help out with balancing the strength of the hand and forearm muscles is by practicing finger, or digital, extension.  I basically just keep rubber bands around, and wrap them around my fingers, and go for sets of 10-12 at a time while I’m reading, or watching TV. It’s helpful because it allows the muscles that perform the opposite movement to gripping to get some exercise as well, and keep things balanced locally.

4) Shoulder Retraction

When you were younger, your parents, teachers, etc., probably frequently told you to ‘sit up straight’, or ‘fix your posture’.  One of the most important components of having good posture, is having healthy shoulders that sit in the proper spot.  Many of us carry rounded, or slumped shoulders, because for whatever reason, Western Culture promotes it.

This is actually really bad for your shoulder, which is an incredibly complicated and unstable intersection of 5 separate joints.  One easy way to help with this is to perform exercises that encourage retraction, or pinching together, of the shoulder blades.  Things like rows, chin-ups, band pull-aparts, face-pulls, etc., are great for strengthening the muscles that encourage healthy shoulder positioning.  However, a few hours in the gym per week won’t undo the countless hours spent everyday with rounded shoulders.  So it’s absolutely essential to catch yourself in the act, and correct it by pulling your shoulders back into a healthy position.  As it turns out, your parents were right about this.]

5) Hydration

If you’re like me, sometimes a whole day goes by without a sip of water.  This is inexcusable.  Water is one of the essential components of the human body, and without it, things don’t function quite properly.  Despite what you may have heard, there is no conclusive scientific evidence to suggest a minimum or maximum amount of water per day, so the old 8 glasses a day thing is a bit of a fallacy.  However, it’s not bad practical advice.  I’d say, if you’re active, shoot for at least 12 a day.  Maybe keep a 32oz refillable water bottle on hand, and try to drink one during every tattoo you do that day.  If you do 3 2-hour tattoos, that’s 96 oz, which is exactly 12 glasses of water.  Not too difficult eh?

Try adding these simple suggestions to your routine.  You may find that a nagging problem you’ve had for a while is alleviated by some  modifications to your movement patterns.  I hope these help you out, and give you the physical capacity for a long and healthy tattoo career!

Jay Pepito is a certified personal trainer currently teaching weight-lifting at the University of Pennsylvania and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Temple University.  He owns a Personal Training/Strength and Conditioning business called Supreme Strength and Conditioning, located in Philadelphia, PA.  When Jay is not training himself or others, he enjoys riding his Harley, creating music, playing with his dog, getting tattooed, and eating copious amounts of animal protein.  He is fortunate enough to wear tattoos by Eli Quinters, Mike Schweigert, Kevin Leblanc, Joey Knuckles, Norm, Josh Hoffman, Zeke Owens, and Steve Tiberi.  You can follow him on instagram and twitter as @jaypepito, or you can check out his website, www.trainsupreme.com, for fitness articles and other random musings.