Waist training is a “new” fad that has been brought into the spotlight by Kim Kardashian and other celebrities in the past few years. This trend is growing quickly among young adults who have seen it all over social media. There are plenty of waist training advocates as well as critics. OSR wants you to know both sides of waist training, including its possible benefits as well as possible downsides.
What is waist training?
Waist training is when you use a waist cinching corset in order to reduce the size of your waist gradually. This type of waist training has actually been around since Victorian times, when women would use corset while wearing every day outfits. The point of waist training is so that you have a more pronounced waist line, making your bust and hips look fuller naturally. Waist trainer companies claim that the waist trainer (along with a better diet and exercise) will help your waist look visibly smaller and stay that way.
The concept is much like the shape forming gear that many major athletic gear companies are selling, it is just a more intense and dramatic change. Waist trainer companies and users alike say that the waist trainer puts pressure on your stomach which causes you to get full faster, and eat less. Along with this, it is said that the waist trainers will cause you to sweat and heat similar to when athletes wear training suits that hold in heat.
Personal trainers don’t deny that a waist trainer will give you a smaller waist, but they don’t agree that it is a permanent solution. Because a waist trainer is just applying pressure and reshaping your body, it’s simply moving your fat around instead of getting rid of it all together. Wearing a corset will give you shape and appear to have that “hourglass” figure, as women have known for centuries. Celebrities have also come out and said that waist trainers have helped their stomachs tighten up after giving birth.
If you were to wear a waist trainer, not change your diet, and fail to work out, you could be causing permanent damage to your abdominal muscles. Like any other brace, the waist trainer can turn into a crutch for your abs. This can cause your abs to deteriorate because you haven’t also been working on your core strength.
Serious waist training companies like HourglassAngel.com have very strict instructions regarding the safety of the trainers, including that you need to make sure your core is strong PRIOR to beginning your waist training. Even waist trainer fans agree that exercising WHILE wearing a waist trainer can be damaging and dangerous. While working out, your lungs should be able to expand to their fullest, if they are being held in than passing out or becoming short of breath would be more common. Abdominal exercises are NOT recommended while wearing a waist trainer. If you must exercise with your waist trainer on, make it simple cardio like walking on a treadmill or outside.
It is agreed upon by all parties that if you feel the need to waist train, that it is done in moderation. Physical therapists here at OSR agree that the best way to get your dream “hourglass” figure is to eat healthy and exercise regularly in order to lose the weight all together and get the waist of your dreams. OSR Weight Management can help you drop weight by using our Ideal Protein method that you can read more about here!
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