Waist trainers promise to shrink your waist and even help you lose weight. But do they work, and what are the health risks of wearing one?
What Are Waist Trainers?
A waist trainer is a type of tight-fitting undergarment made from sturdy, stretchy materials such as spandex, nylon, or latex. Today’s waist trainers are similar to corsets that people wore more than a hundred years ago to create the look of an hourglass figure. They wrap around your torso and fasten using laces, hook-and-eye clasps, or sticky fasteners. Many waist trainers also have metal or plastic supports, called boning, that provide structure around your torso. The stiff boning runs vertically to keep the fabric of the waist trainer from bunching up where your waist gets smaller. The idea behind a waist trainer is to gradually increase the time spent wearing it each day.
How Do Waist Trainers Work?
Waist trainers work by squeezing in your stomach area to make your waistline look smaller. When you wear one, the tight fabric hugs your midsection, pulling in your waist to create an hourglass shape. You’ll see the effect right away, but once you take it off, your waist will go back to its normal shape. More affordable waist trainers cost around $20, but you can also find products that cost over $100. No matter which product you buy, they all work similarly.
While many companies claim that waist trainers can trim inches off your waist and help you lose weight, any lasting change is usually minor and can be uncomfortable to achieve.
Waist trainers vs. shapewear
Shapewear is also a type of snug undergarment that creates an hourglass shape, but unlike a waist trainer, it’s only meant to be worn for short periods or to smooth out certain areas under clothing. While waist trainer brands often claim (though, without much evidence) that their products can give you lasting results, the effects of shapewear are meant to be temporary. Also, shapewear is usually made from stretchier materials than waist trainers.
Waist trainers vs. sweatbands
Sweatbands are waist wraps meant to be worn during workouts. They’re usually made from light and flexible materials that don’t restrict your movement in the same way that waist trainers do. The nonbreathable fabric of sweatbands causes you to sweat more around your abdomen.
Do Waist Trainers Actually Work?
If you’ve decided to invest in a waist trainer, keep in mind that any results are temporary and will quickly disappear after you stop using a waist trainer. If you lose a few inches off your waist, they may come back after you stop wearing it for a few days or a week.
The product forces your body into a particular shape, often getting rid of the water weight you carry around your midsection. But without the constant support of a waist trainer, your waist returns to its normal shape and size. Waist training doesn’t cause any short-term health problems, but long-term use may have side effects.
Do waist trainers help you lose weight?
Wearing a waist trainer might lead to some short-term weight loss, but the results usually don’t last. A waist trainer squeezes your stomach area, leaving less space for food and lowering your appetite. But this isn’t a healthy or sustainable way to lose weight. Focusing on eating well and exercising regularly will have better, longer-lasting results.
Do waist trainers help lose belly fat?
No, waist trainers don’t help you lose belly fat. Fat is stored throughout your entire body. When you lose or gain it, the change usually happens everywhere, not just in one spot. Trying to compress fat in a single area, like the belly, isn’t effective.
Do waist trainers sweat away fat?
Wearing a waist trainer might make you sweat more in that area, but that won’t melt away fat. Your body is made up mostly of water. When you sweat, that’s the first thing to go. But as soon as you rehydrate, the water weight will come right back. The best way to burn fat is through exercise.
Waist Trainer Claims
Waist trainers are often claimed to help you lose weight, burn belly fat, or permanently shape your waist, but there’s no solid scientific evidence to support this. Waist trainers do make your waist look smaller, but this effect doesn’t last.
Some companies also claim that wearing a waist trainer can improve your core strength, but exercise is a much better way to do this. When you consistently strengthen and engage your core and back muscles, you can get a smaller waist with fewer health risks.
While some people may choose to wear a waist trainer to achieve a certain look, it’s important to listen to your body and take it off if you have pain, discomfort, or shortness of breath.
Risks of Waist Trainers
There can be risks to wearing waist trainers:
May reduce core strength. While waist trainers do keep your core tight and compressed, they can actually weaken your core strength over time. This is because waist trainers do the work of maintaining your posture for you. If you’ve used one for a long time, you may even experience pain and discomfort when you’re not wearing it, as your core needs to do more work to support itself again.
May damage internal organs. Wearing a waist trainer may also damage your kidneys, liver, spleen, and pancreas by pushing them into unnatural positions. If your organs are under this pressure for too long, they may not work as well as they should. This can lead to long-term damage.
May cause digestive issues. Waist trainers also squeeze the organs in your digestive system, including your stomach and intestines. With less space, food and gas can’t move through your body as easily, which can trap it and make you feel bloated. That same pressure can push acids back up through your esophagus and cause heartburn.
May cause breathing issues. Using a waist trainer cuts your lung capacity by 30%-60%. This is especially dangerous if you use a waist trainer during a workout. A lack of oxygen can lower your energy levels, making exercise more challenging, but it can also cause inflammation that lasts even after you take off the waist trainer.
May lead to skin irritation. Waist trainers are made from synthetic materials that aren’t designed to breathe. Because they fit tightly, the friction and trapped sweat can irritate some people’s skin.
Does not give permanent results. At best, a waist trainer costs you money without providing the long-term results you may want. The temporary results don’t justify the investment.
Talk to your doctor before you try a waist trainer. They can discuss your health concerns and help you make the best decision for your needs.
How Long Can You Wear Waist Trainers?
If you’re going to wear a waist trainer, limit it to special events and be sure to take it off after a few hours. Wearing a waist trainer for long periods—especially overnight or for several days in a row—can be bad for your health.
If you’re wearing a waist trainer and have trouble breathing, notice swelling in your legs or start to have acid reflux, you should take it off right away.
Alternatives to Waist Trainers
Regular exercise and eating well are the only ways to permanently change your waistline. If you’re looking for a healthy way to lose weight and build your core strength, try these exercises:
Standing side crunches. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-length apart, then bring your hands beside your ears, elbows facing out. Standing straight with your knees slightly bent, lower your left elbow toward the floor and return to the center. Repeat on the right side up to 30 times. To make this exercise more challenging, try lifting your left knee to your left elbow, then cross your left elbow to your right knee. Repeat on the other side.
Side plank. Lay sideways on your mat, with your knees aligned with your hips. Position your lower arm at a right angle to support you. Press through your arm to lift your hips off the mat. Do 10 repetitions, then try to hold the last one for a minute before switching to the other side. For an easier option, keep your knees bent during this exercise.
Russian twist. Sit on a mat with your knees slightly bent and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Then, lean back slightly, and twist your torso from left to right while engaging your core. To make this exercise more challenging, try raising your feet off the ground or holding a weight while you twist.
Bird dog. Start on your hands and knees with your hands placed directly below your shoulders. Alternate between reaching your left then right arm directly in front of you and holding it for a few breaths before lowering it to the ground. Then do the same with each leg, extending them one at a time directly behind you. To make this exercise more challenging, you can raise your right arm and left leg at the same time before switching sides.
Takeaways
Waist trainers can temporarily give you an hourglass shape by compressing your waist, but the effect is only temporary. Despite company claims that waist trainers can help you lose weight, strengthen your core, or burn fat, there’s little scientific evidence to back this up. In fact, wearing it for longer periods can actually lead to breathing and digestion problems. For a healthier and more effective way to slim down your waistline, try to eat well and exercise regularly.
Waist Trainer FAQs
How to use a waist trainer
Waist trainers wrap around your midsection and are secured with laces, hooks, straps, or fasteners. They should feel snug but not painful, and you should only wear them for short periods.
Can I sleep with a waist trainer on?
Avoid sleeping in a waist trainer, as wearing it for more than a few hours at a time can be dangerous.
Do waist trainers work for men?
Anyone can wear a waist trainer to give themselves an hourglass look, regardless of their gender, but the results still won’t be permanent.
Do waist trainers help with posture?
Waist trainers can temporarily improve your posture by giving extra support to the torso; however, over time, this can actually weaken your core muscles and make your posture worse.
Can waist trainers cause back pain?
Yes, wearing a waist trainer can lead to back pain. Wearing one for long periods weakens your core muscles, which makes it harder for them to support your spine.