Waist Trainers Weaken Abdominal Muscles
Dane Wetton/Unsplash
One of the most agreed-upon effects of waist trainers is that prolonged use will actually weaken your abdominals. Constricting airflow and compressing your midsection can prevent your abdominal muscles from engaging in core movements, says Palazzo. Over time, youll be losing strength and definition, she says.
Shani Fried, a pelvic floor physical therapist agrees. People wear a waist trainer to look slimmer because they think its going to bring the abs together, she says. But its a passive movement, so youre doing the opposite.It actually turns off the ab muscles.
Although it might be tempting to wear a waist trainer during exercise, this type of thinking is flawed. Chiropractor Rachel Sparks says, The more often you wear a waist trainer, the more it is going to be a source of support for your body as opposed to challenging your muscles to keep you upright. The compression signals the back and core muscles to deactivate, which is a disaster for abdominal muscles youve worked hard to engage.
Does Waist Trainer Flatten Your Stomach Permanent
Yes, wearing a waist trainer flattens your stomach by applying moderate to high compression around your midsection. Actually, when you wear right size waist trainer, it reduces your waistline, flattens your stomach, supports your back, improves your posture and relieves back pain.
The instant effects offered by a waist trainer are quite impressive. However, you cannot get any permanent change in your body just by wearing a waist trainer. The waist trainer flattens your stomach but your stomach remains flat as long as the waist trainer is on.
So, wearing a waist trainer flattens your stomach but not permanently. Your stomach will get back to its previous shape when you take off your waist trainer.
How To Limit Risk
If youre still interested in wearing a waist trainer, there are ways to limit your risk of complications.
For example, you could try saving your waist trainer for special occasions like under your clothes on a night out or as part of a costume.
Even so, make sure youre wearing the trainer loosely enough that you can take a breathe and move without feeling too restricted. If you start to feel dizzy or short of breath, take it off immediately.
Read Also: 10 Ways To Reset Your Gut Health
Waist Trainers Might Aggravate Prolapse In Postpartum Women
Some women bind their midsections with wraps postpartum in the hopes of flattening the stomach after pregnancy. Postpartum women might seek out a waist trainer after a baby when Fried says the pelvic floor muscles are especially weak. Its tempting, postpartum, to reach for a waist trainer, especially if your abdominal muscles experienced trauma during pregnancy and childbirth.
Fried says youll get more effective results from engaging in slow, gentle, rehabilitating strengthening exercises you practice over time. Well flatten the stomach this way, by re-activating the core.
However, many postpartum women might feel too overwhelmed with a newborn to commit to a new exercise routine and instead seek the purported “easy-fix” wearing a waist trainer has to offer. This is where things get really complicated and potentially dangerous.
Theres a lot of things going on in your abdominal cavity postpartum, says Fried. During pregnancy, organsincluding the bladder, intestines, and stomachcan shift as the uterus expands. Although your uterus contracts within about six weeks postpartum, you might be at risk for prolapse, a condition where the bladder, uterus, or rectum can start to descend. Wearing a waist trainer might aggravate this condition.
You Will Be Slowly Suffocating Yourself

Waist training can deprive your body of oxygen, reducing lung capacity by an estimated 30-60% while youre wearing the corset. At best, this can result in low energy and discomfort, but scarier consequencespassing out, fluid buildup in the lungs, inflammationare also a real possibility. Binding yourself in a corset for weeks on end also restricts your lymphatic system, which relies on deep breathing and normal range of motion to properly remove waste products and toxins from your body.
Read Also: How Much Cod Liver Oil Per Day
Two Suggestions For You To Capitalize On The Benefits Of A Waist Training Corset For A Flat Stomach
Make Your Own Before And After Story
Isnt it inspiring and motivating to see other peoples waist trainer before and after results? Why not make your own before-and-after success story! Once our customers have carefully selected their ideal waist trainers and made a plan, we encourage them to document their own experience. Even if you dont share your results publicly, you can use these before-and-after results to inspire yourself and stay motivated.
Here are some tips to help you record your personal progress on your waist trainer before and after journey:
Take your waist measurements using vinyl or fabric measuring tape. This is necessary not only for getting the right size on your order but also for recording accurate progress. Take your waist measurement at least once a month. Make sure that the tape lies flat on the narrowest part of your waist, where there is a natural bend in your torso. The tape should be level with the ground be sure youre not yanking it. You should still be able to fit a finger underneath.
Stop worrying about your weight day by day. Getting an accurate waist measurement is going to be a more relevant factor in your progress than any number you see on the scale! Think about it: your weight can fluctuate based on a number of variables, but the tape doesnt lie. Plus, other people can visually see when your waist is slimmer, while a few pounds are virtually invisible.
Also Check: Vitamins For Liver And Kidney Health
Reasons To Throw Your Waist Trainer In The Trash
The desire for shortcuts to a fit body is nothing newnovel secret weapons for quick and easy body shaping are constantly brought to market. The latest craze among some celebrities is waist training.
Waist trainers are tight-fitting corsets worn for specific periods of time to purportedly reshape your midsection by force. And when we say tight-fitting, were not talking the slight pressure you feel from Spanx these waist trainers can, sometimes literally, be tight enough to take your breath away.
Does Sweat Mean You’re Burning Fat
While sweating doesn’t burn fat, the internal cooling process is a sign that you’re burning calories. The main reason we sweat during a workout is the energy we’re expending is generating internal body heat, Novak says. So if you’re working out hard enough to sweat, you’re burning calories in the process.
Don’t Miss: Best Juice For Kidneys And Liver
What Is The Best Waist Trainer For After Pregnancy
The best waist trainer for after pregnancy is one that is most comfortable for you!
There are so many different types of waist trainers all with varying levels of support and so it is best for you to find one that works for you and your body.
I typically recommend the waist trainers with velcro so that you can adjust them in a way to provide gentle compression.
The most important thing is that your waist trainer is not restrictive / too tight.
Claim : Targeted Sweat Leads To Targeted Fat Loss
Many of the marketing claims for waist trainers suggest that sweating in the belly region can break down fat cells there faster. But just as fat cannot be redistributed with pressure, it cannot be sweated out either, Dr. Edward Laskowski, a professor and sports medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., wrote in an email.
In fact, any post-workout weight changes you may notice are most likely a result of fluid loss.
There are some medicines that can help with weight loss, but only surgery can remove fat from a specific area. Diet and exercise are often more accessible, and even then, everything slowly shrinks all at once, no matter what youre wearing.
There is no such thing as target toning, said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital. I know we, as humans, want to feel like we have control, but the reality is that we just dont.
Read Also: What Diet Is Best For Fatty Liver
Types Of Waist Training
Once you have weighed the benefits and disadvantages, you can more safely determine if waist training works for you. If you decide to give it a go, the next step is to choose a waist trainer that suits your needs, style tastes, and purposes.
There are various types of waist trainers in the market today, from Victorian corsets to modern latex versions. Knowing about them will ensure that you do not get overwhelmed by choice.
We have compiled a list of the most common types, along with their advantages and disadvantages.
Read More – 5 Different Waist Training Moves You Haven’t Tried Yet
Choosing The Right Waist Trainer

The style of the corset that you choose is truly essential. A corset with a hourglass figure will only hold onto your waist, while a longline figure corset is able to compress your entire stomach. These longline corsets have material that extends all the way to your hip area, tucking in any excess tummy fat that you might want to conceal. The assistance and compression used by stiff waist trainers readjust your soft tissues in your body’s mid area, creating an appealing figure. As quickly as you place on your corset, the steel bond material will change your figure immediately.
You May Like: How To Treat Pancreatic Cancer
Waist Trainers Improve Your Posture
This goes hand-in-hand with engaging your core muscles. As your waist and tummy are cinched in, your posture is also corrected as the waist trainer keeps your midsection tight and inline. This can also aid in the engagement of your core muscles as they correct your posture. In turn, this will aid in improving your posture even when you are not wearing your corset. The taller the corset, the more back support it provides and the more you will sit and stand in an upright position.
How To Flatten Your Stomach With A Waist Trainer
You can flatten your stomach with waist training but you need to do it properly. Here I provide a guideline regarding how to flatten your stomach with waist training to get quick and effective results.
Read Also: Pancreatic Cancer Spread To Liver Life Expectancy
How Do Waist Trainers Work And How To Get The Best Results
For optimal results, waist training works best as a part of a healthy lifestyle. It works in several ways. First, it slims your waistline by as much as 2-3 inches as soon as you put it on. But also, it helps stimulate heat in your core, which makes you perspire more around your midsection. This is especially effective during exercise because you are essentially boosting your workouts intensity.
Waist training works in a combination of other ways as well, including improving your posture, boosting your confidence, helping you stay motivated, and helping you have better portion control with your food. All of these factors work together as part of your personal slim-down journey. For the best results, its ideal to wear your waist trainer every day for at least eight hours.
How Soon Can You Waist Train After Pregnancy
So can you waist train right after giving birth?
You should not waist train immediately postpartum because you need to allow your body time to heal.
It is important that you wait at least 4-6 weeks before using a waist trainer or engaging in any vigorous exercise activity.
Your body went through some amazing changes these past nine months.
Postpartum recovery time is highly individualized, so it is best to listen to your body to determine when you are ready.
Another reason why I dont recommend waist training right after giving birth is that your uterus is still quite large.
Putting a waist trainer on during this time can impair the uterine contractions that need to occur for your uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size.
Also Check: Can You Die From Pancreatitis
It Doesnt Get Rid Of Body Fat In The Long Run
The problem is that waist training only makes you look slimmer while you are wearing the corset. Once you take it off, your body will soon revert back to its normal shape.
This is because wearing a corset will have no effect on the amount of body fat that you have. In order to get long-term results from waist training, you would need to wear the corset all the time.
Wear Your Waist Trainer As Prescribed
Wearing your waist trainer for 8 hours a day is a step in the right direction when trying to flatten your stomach. The waist trainer has a thermogenic effect, thus boosting fat-burning processes, especially in your mid-section. If you want long-term results, wear your waist trainer daily. The waist trainer you choose will determine your comfort and effectiveness, so dont invest in inferior quality brands, rather go with brands that work, such as Luxx Curves waist trainers.
You May Like: What Are The 4 Stages Of Cirrhosis Of The Liver
Do Stomach Sweat Bands Work
Asked by: Annette Deckow
Dr. Sophia Yen, co-founder of Pandia Health and professor at Stanford Univeristy with a clinical focus on obesity, agrees that abdominal sweatbands don’t really work at least not long term. “I think it would work temporarily, but it wouldn’t work long term,” Yen says. “Anytime anything’s about sweat, it’s temporary.”
What A Waist Trainer Can Do:

Here I provide all the changes that a waist trainer can bring to your body.
- It instantly reduces 3 to 5 inches of your waistline and flattens your stomach to give you an hourglass figure.
- It compresses your stomach and abdomen to eliminate excess water retention from your body.
- It flattens your stomach and abdomen to make you look better.
- It hides belly fat, lower belly pooch, tummy tuck, FUPA, love handles, muffin top, fat lumps & bumps and flat bulges & rolls.
- It supports your back to keep it upright to keep you in correct posture all the time.
- It protects your back and spine to save them from any unexpected injury during workout.
- It gently lifts your breasts to make your chest more erected and attractive.
- It becomes invisible under your clothes to make you look slim and attractive at weddings, parties and other occasions.
Recommended Reading: Can Pancreatic Cancer Cause Low Blood Sugar
Health Risks Of Wearing A Waist Trainer
Do Waist Trainers Help You Lose Belly Fat
Before anything else, waist trainers are special garments that work like corsets. They make your waistline appear slimmer, so you can achieve that hourglass body.
However, its important to consider the safety and effectiveness of this product before using it.
Waist trainers help shape your body just like how girdles pull your midsection in the tightest way possible to hide belly fat. The purpose is to keep your waist smaller temporarily.
Now, do waist trainers help lose belly stomach fat? Depends on your current vital statistics and weight loss strategies.
In reality, waist trainers only give you a temporary slim waist. Once you remove it, your belly fat will show up again. However, its an effective technique to get immediate results, such as making your waistline slimmer than it is.
But dont be fooled, you cannot rely on this product if you want to lose belly fat or substantial weight.
Also Check: Dog Food For Dogs With Pancreatitis
How Can I Have A Flat Tummy
The 30 Best Ways to Get a Flat Stomach
Ways A Waist Trainer Can Help You Drop Weight Fast:
Contents
If youre looking to drop weight fast, a waist trainer can be a huge help.
Waist trainers are designed to help you lose weight and tone your midsection.
You May Like: How Long Do You Survive With Pancreatic Cancer