Can You Workout With Rings On?

Jewelry Care

Can You Workout With Rings On?

So, you've got a shiny new engagement ring on your finger. You remember to put it on every day and you're used to wearing it. You end up going on a run, or to the gym, and you realize it's still on your finger. You wonder, can you work out with rings onDo other people wear wedding rings while working out?

If you're a regular gym-goer, you may see people wearing a variety of jewelry, from rings to earrings, necklaces, and more. When it comes to working out with rings on, it's important to know the risks, so you don't damage your ring or your hand. 

Can You Workout With Rings on?

What kind of workout are you doing? The type of workout and the location are the most important factors when it comes to working out with jewelry. 

While some of it might come down to what you feel comfortable doing, here's a guide to know when it's okay to wear your wedding ring working out, and when you should take off your ring before working out.

Wearing Rings and Running

Running is a relatively low-impact activity. Your hands aren't really going to come in contact with many other objects, so your rings face little risk of getting damaged. 

The biggest risk of running with a ring on is if your ring doesn't fit you perfectly. If it's a little too big, it can slide right off your finger when it gets too sweaty. You can easily avoid this by making sure your engagement ring is the right size before purchasing it.

One of the other risks of wearing your rings running is that you sweat while you run, and sweat can cause silver to tarnish more quickly. Fortunately, you can take several steps to reduce tarnishing and clean your sterling silver rings, so you can keep them looking new even if they get some sweat on them. 

Because dirt can affect a ring's appearance, you may want to take the environment in which you're running into consideration. How dusty/dirty are the air and your surroundings? If you're wearing a more ornate or detailed ring such as an engagement ring, it can get dirt trapped in it. So it might be a good idea to take off your engagement ring if you're running in a desert.

Humans by nature produce sweat and oils, and there are always particles in the air that can stick to things. So whether you're running in your ring or just wearing it outdoors, it's a good idea to clean it regularly.

If it's not cleaned regularly, the collection of dirt can cause enough pressure to make an engagement ring's stone pop out. If your engagement ring has multiple stones or diamond accents, you want to take extra care keeping it clean so you don't lose any of the details from poor treatment.

If you wear your engagement ring regularly, clean it at least once a month. If you're running and sweating in it, clean it once a week. With proper care, you can wear your rings running.

If you'd rather not wear your engagement ring or wedding band running, you could consider buying a silicone stand-in ring that you use when sweating. Additionally, running on a treadmill or using an elliptical/stationary bike are methods of cardio that can reduce the number of places you could lose your ring.

Wearing Rings During Yoga 

women-showing-her-hands-with-ring-in-yoga-studio

Yoga is another low-impact activity where it's safe to wear rings. However, there are a few reasons you might not want to do this. Chunkier engagement rings can mess with your balance when you place your hands on the mat, and in advanced yoga poses even a smaller ring might throw you off.

Similarly, if you're doing gymnastics, you might want to take your rings off, especially if you have to grasp any bars or rings. But if you're doing standing yoga or stretches, it should be fine.

Wearing Rings and Swimming

One of the worst places to wear your engagement ring is in a pool. Pools might be great places to get a full-body workout, but they are often treated with chemicals such as chlorine that can cause precious metals to dull, and even can dull diamonds or other precious gems. It can be fine to wear a silicone ring in a pool or stainless steel, but even then there's a risk your ring could come off.

Once you're in a body of water, your skin starts to contract and giving your fingers a smaller circumference. While it's fascinating to read about the science behind it, there's nothing fascinating about losing your ring in a pool because your finger contracted to a smaller size than your ring. When this happens, you probably won't even feel it slip off.

Even if you're at the beach, saltwater can still be corrosive to jewelry. Plus, you may get sand in it. Sand can be damaging to softer metals like silver and gold. The hardest materials in sand are typically quartz or pumice (6-7 on the Moh's scale), so harder gemstones like diamonds (10), or those trending in nontraditional engagement rings like rubies and sapphires (9), cubic zirconia (8.5-10), topaz (8), emeralds (7.5-8), tourmaline (7-7.5), citrine (7) won't be scuffed by sand.

However, sand may still cause the prongs holding the gems to fall off by abrasion.

Further care must be taken to avoid sand if you a ring with some other unique and beautiful statement gemstones that are gaining popularity, such as tsavorite (7-7.5), amethyst (7), garnet (6.5-7.5), or opal (5.5-6.5). One of the most desired gemstones in the past 10 years, Tanzanite, is much rarer than diamonds. Tanzanite has a hardness of 6.5-7.5, which means beach sand could potentially scuff it up. 

If you're going to the beach, leave your rings at home. If you must bring them, put them in a ziplocked bag to keep sand out and keep them somewhere safe. If you do accidentally wear your engagement ring in a pool and exposed it to chlorine, clean it as soon as you get home.

Wearing Rings and Going to the Gym

If you're going to the gym and doing any kind of work where you will be picking things up or grasping them and applying any kind of force, you should take your engagement ring off first.

You should avoid lifting with a wedding ring altogether. Whether it's a 5lb dumbbell, your own weight during a pullup, free weight bicep curls, or a 90lb bench press on an exercise machine, your grip puts your ring in danger.

Most engagement rings, wedding bands, and even many statement rings are made of gold or sterling silver. These metals can bend and scratch when you're lifting. If your engagement ring has a pavé setting, a bend from lifting weights could cause the diamond accents or even the center stone to fall out, which could be lost permanently on the gym floor.

If you're strictly a cardio person, you have less to worry about if you're just using a cycling machine, an elliptical, or treadmill. But if your idea of cardio includes using a rowing machine, circuit training, or pull-ups, it's best to keep your ring off.

Even if you only wear a wedding band to the gym, and it's a stronger metal like platinum or stainless steel, the constant strain and flexing placed on the band can cause it eventually to snap.

Can You Wear Rings During a HIIT Workout? 

High-Intensity Interval Training workouts are quick, efficient, and can be done in a gym or at home. A HIIT workout is a bodyweight exercise that doesn't require you to grasp any kind of weight or object, so you might wonder if that makes it safe to wear your wedding ring while working out. 

For the same reasons listed for avoiding wearing rings during yoga, you may want to take off your ring before a HIIT workout – a lot of HIIT workouts require things like burpees that involve your balance and your hands hitting the floor.

Avoiding Ring Avulsions

It's really important to understand that there are risks to yourself when working out while wearing rings. Intense workouts like HIIT or Tabata or weightlifting at the gym can put you at risk of falling, and when you're wearing a ring, you could potentially have a ring avulsion, a very rare but critical hand injury.

In 2015, The Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon experienced a ring avulsion when he tripped on a rug in his home and caught his ring finger on the counter in an attempt to catch himself. Rings made of precious metals can withstand greater force and tension than our skin, so Fallon's bodyweight was distributed all on the ring, causing an avulsion that almost made him lose his finger and required surgery and intensive care.

While it's a good thing Jimmy Fallon educated thousands on this occurrence, it is important to know that it's pretty rare and can be avoided completely by taking off your ring before contact sports and rock climbing. Many sports events and climbing gyms actually mandate the removal of all rings.

Can I Wear My Engagement Ring at Work?

Typical daily activities won't harm your wedding jewelry. If you work a more physical job that involves lifting things all day such as construction work, dishwashing, landscaping, or welding, you won't want to wear your engagement ring or wedding band to work.

Many jobs don't require this kind of work, however. When you wear your engagement ring to work, you can write, type, move objects, etc, and even wash your hands. However, you'll want to use a gentle soap, which is the best thing to use to clean your ring anyway.

Take off your ring before coming into contact with hand sanitizers and other intense cleaning chemicals. It's preferable to use soap and water to wash your hands. If you ever get a chemical on your ring, rinse and clean it gently soon after.

How Do I Protect My Wedding Ring While Working Out?

Obviously, leaving your ring at home in a safe place is a good way to avoid damaging or losing it at the gym. However, if you've been wearing it all day and have it on when you enter the gym, you can have a special case for it that you can keep in your bag in a locker. There are also special ring protector bands that you can wear on your finger or wrist to keep your ring safe.

Even if you're wearing your ring to use the treadmill or cycling machine, when it comes time to clean up, avoid getting the cleaning spray on your ring hand.

You may consider putting your ring on a chain with a cover to keep it away from your hands. This might be too annoying to wear while running, but a lot of running clothes have small zip-up pockets you could keep your ring, although it might be a good idea to put them in a small zip-locked bag first.

Wearing Rings and Working Out: The Final Verdict

Can you workout with rings on? Yes, but in most cases you shouldn't.

Some people like having their rings on all the time. Rings can add a stylish personal flair and can remind you of special memories. You've probably seen people at the gym wearing costume jewelry or cheaper rings that they like wearing but aren't attached to.

Nevertheless, when it comes to engagement rings, wedding rings, wedding bands, or other personalized rings made of precious metals, you should avoid wearing them to the gym altogether, or taking them off and keeping them in a bag. Your ring is special and deserves care. 

Especially if you've worn your wedding ring for a long time, it might feel weird taking it off. You might also want to show off your marriage or engagement status and the importance of your relationship.

Fortunately, things like silicone bands and ring protectors allow you to always show that you're married. You could even get a silicone band that mimics the rose gold in your engagement ring's mounting, or a red band that pays tribute to your ruby center stone, or a sparkly one to remind you of your diamond accents.  

For more information on all things related to statement rings, wedding rings or engagement rings and their care, contact us.


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