Do Waist Trainers Actually Work?

Julia Malacoff

Mon, June 1, 2020 at 2:27 PM UTC

6 min read

Thanks to the Kardashian-Jenner family, many are aware of waist trainers and the signature "snatched-waist" look they promise to deliver. In fact, Kim Kardashian sells them as part of her super popular Skims line — and has said she gifts them to all of her friends who have recently given birth to help them recover their shape. However, are waist trainers effective, and what are the risks of using one?

We turned to a slew of experts who let us in on everything you need to know about the controversial trend.

What Is a Waist Trainer?

"A waist trainer is a device similar to a corset, typically manufactured from an elastic material," explained Kelley Vargo, MS, MPH, CSCS, a certified strength and conditioning coach. Often, waist trainers feature a velcro strap that can be cinched around the waist or a bra-style hook and eyes that can be progressively tightened. The intention behind wearing one?

"To create a slimmer waist and an hourglass figure," Vargo said.

The idea of using a garment to shape the waist is nothing new.

"There's a historical aspect to waist training that goes back to the 1500s," said Jaclyn Fulop, a board-licensed physical therapist and founder of Exchange Physical Therapy Group. "Women would tighten corsets over a period of time to achieve a smaller waist size."

Waist trainers these days are made of different materials and not usually worn as tightly, but they promise a similar effect.

"They claim to tone, slim, and shape the waistline — taking inches off the belly," Fulop said.

How Waist Trainers Work

Waist trainers may deliver on some of their promises.

"There may be some water weight shed through sweating from wearing a waist trainer," Vargo said.

However, it's important to note that losing water weight doesn't mean you've lost fat. Waist trainers do sort of help change the shape of your body. Tightly cinched waist trainers make it hard to use your abdominal muscles, which can make them weaker. This could make your waist appear slimmer over time since the muscles become smaller.

"If your waist appears to be smaller after a few weeks, it's likely due to water loss and muscle atrophy," Vargo said.

Your waist will appear smaller while wearing the waist trainer since it works similarly to shapewear. Once you take it off, though, you may notice less of a difference in your waistline.

There are also some indirect ways a waist trainer may make your waist appear smaller.

"A waist trainer can have some short-term benefits, like improving posture, as it forces you to sit and stand up straight," Fulop pointed out. That might provide an overall "longer" appearance.

"A waist trainer can also encourage proper lifting technique [with weights or heavy objects] due to its rigid nature," Fulop said.

And better form could mean better fitness.

Side Effects of Using a Waist Trainer

The thing about waist trainers is that while they may have a few short-term benefits, the cons definitely outweigh the pros.

They prevent you from strengthening your core.

First, as mentioned earlier, wearing a waist trainer during exercise or in everyday life can make your core muscles weaker.

"If worn too much, the core muscles will start to depend on the stability and support of the waist trainer," Fulop said

Brooke Cates, a prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist and founder of The Bloom Method, added, "Waist trainers can become a crutch due to over-wearing and not simultaneously training the core appropriately. If a person isn't implementing proper core and pelvic floor training and just hoping that the waist trainer will magically slim their waist, they will be highly disappointed."

Waist trainers mess with your breathing.

They've been shown to inhibit your ability to breathe deeply, Vargo pointed out. So wearing one might help your weightlifting form a little bit, but it may also mess with your exercise performance. It should go without saying; however, as a reminder, how hard you work out is directly tied to your ability to breathe. This is why weightlifters who use lifting belts — which act similarly to waist trainers in supporting core muscles — loosen them right after performing a lift. What's more, reduced lung capacity can lead to fatigue or even loss of consciousness (i.e. fainting), suggested Fulop.

They can shift your organs and cause long-term health issues.

If worn for a very long time, waist trainers can also have the same negative structural effects as corsets. Mainly, wearing a waist trainer can shift the floating ribs or the ribs that aren't attached to your sternum. This may move internal organs, causing the upper organs in the area to move further up and the lower organs to move further down, noted Fulop.

As a result, long-term waist training can also cause digestive issues, a decrease in circulation, rib damage, and a condition called costochondritis, which is inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs.

They can cause pelvic floor issues, especially in women who have recently given birth.

Brooke Cavalla, a certified personal trainer, never considered wearing a waist trainer until after the birth of her second baby. It was a rough delivery, and her core felt super weak afterward. She revealed that she started wearing a waist trainer because she wanted extra support, and the idea of shrinking her stomach and uterus was appealing.

"About three weeks after my second baby was born, I started feeling a very strange 'bulging' in my pelvic area," Cavalla recalled. "Because this was my second baby and I have a background as a prenatal/postnatal exercise specialist, I knew what I was feeling could not be normal." After consulting with her OB, she found out she had a slight bladder prolapse, which meant her bladder was pushing against the wall of her vagina.

"Because my pelvic floor was already weak from a large baby and an aggressive delivery, wearing a waist trainer had placed even more pressure on my pelvic floor and caused a grade 1 prolapse," Cavalla explained.

Unfortunately, Cavalla's experience isn't that rare among women who wear waist trainers after birth.

"Waist trainers can often be quite aggressive for the postpartum core (or any core for that matter), and even the more gentle ones can cause issues if not used correctly," Cates said.

"In the early days postpartum, the internal organs, uterus, and pelvic floor musculature are moving through a massive healing state and require the ability to move back into their pre-pregnancy spaces," Cates explained.

Some external support can help with this, but most of the time, something more gentle is appropriate, like high-waisted compression panties.

"Strapping on a waistband, sucking in your belly, and tightening an external object around your torso can sometimes do more harm than good," Cates added.

The Final Takeaway

Experts agree: The best way to shape your waist is through diet and exercise.

"Processed, sugar-laden foods, drinking your calories, and calorically-dense foods should be minimized," Vargo said.

In terms of exercise, she recommended core strengthening exercises combined with metabolic conditioning (like HIIT workouts). Vargo also suggested keeping track of your waist measurement while you make these changes.

"Remember: Slow and steady progress is lasting progress," she noted before adding, "Last but not least, if something sounds too good to be true, it is. Stay committed to the journey, and you will see results."

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