Considering the amount of attention waist trainers have received, it makes you wonder how they actually affect the body—especially the abs. Can wearing a waist trainer work for weight loss?
How Do Waist Trainers Work?
“A waist trainer, essentially, is a corset,” says Wendy Batts, NASM-CPT, CNC, an exercise science adjunct professor at PennWest. “It is a ‘shapewear’ device worn around the midsection that provides compression to alter the shape and appearance of the waist and abdominal region. Typically, they’re fastened using velcro, zippers, or eyelets and hooks.” Certified personal trainer Rachel Trotta, CPT, says that waist trainers create the illusion of a smaller waist by displacing and “smoothing” body mass. “This effect goes away instantly, as soon as the device is removed,” she says. Trotta adds that what sets waist trainers apart from other types of shapewear is that some celebrities and fitness influencers encourage people to wear waist trainers for a prolonged amount of time, including during exercise. “This is problematic,” Trotta says. “The slimming effect may disappear instantly, but the long-term internal effects may not.”
Do Waist Trainers Work for Weight Loss?
Simply put, Trotta says that not only do waist trainers not work for weight loss, but they are also dangerous—especially when worn during exercise. “Specifically during exercise, the core sometimes needs to ‘inflate’ 360 degrees in order to provide the spinal support and air pressure needed for certain moves,” she says. “A waist trainer prevents this from happening, which can disrupt form, core stability and strength. This means that your spine may not be well protected during certain exercises.” Additionally, Trotta says that waist trainers are cinched far too tightly for proper breathing. “This can have a detrimental effect on women’s pelvic health,” she says. “Healthy, natural breathing allows the diaphragm to move downward and the belly and ribs to relax and expand.” Trotta explains that when breathing is constricted in this way, it puts pressure on pelvic organs, including the bladder and uterus. Over time, this can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. Batts says that regularly wearing a waist trainer can negatively affect ab muscles, too—likely the exact opposite of the desired effect. She says that waist trainers get in the way of the abs being able to properly support the hips, low back, pelvis, and glutes. Instead, she says that the body will become reliant on the external support of the waist trainer. This means that waist trainers don’t help with weight loss and actually weaken abs—a lose-lose. Additionally, Batts says that regularly wearing a waist trainer can negatively impact digestion. “While everyone is unique and has different tolerance levels, generally, due to their compressive force, waist trainers will negatively impact bodily functions such as digestion and breathing,” she says. “In some, this may lead to more serious situations such as acid reflux and fainting, respectively.”
What Fitness Experts Recommend Instead
Okay, so it’s clear that waist trainers do not work for weight loss. What do the fitness experts recommend instead? “If you’re falling under the spell of the midsection-slimming potential of a waist trainer, I recommend strengthening the corset that comes naturally to you: your transverse abdominis muscle,” Trotta says. “This is the deepest, most internal layer of abdominal muscle, and strengthening it creates many of the benefits that the waist trainer promises.” Some ways she says you can strengthen this muscle include exercises like dead bugs, hollow holds, planks and bear crawls. If you are turning to waist trainers as a way to cinch your waist, Trotta says that losing belly fat is likely one of your health goals, but that there are better ways to go about this. These ways may not be as trendy on social media, but eating a diet full of nutrient-rich foods and exercising regularly are not only safer, but work better in the long run. However, Trotta warns against getting too caught up on trying to lose weight, too. “What tends to be the most important marker for health is not even weight, but is instead your lifestyle, your overall body composition, and your natural waist-to-hip ratio,” she says. The bottom line is that fitness experts do not recommend waist trainers for weight loss—period. “Ultimately, waist trainers are beauty products that are being positioned as fitness accessories, but the problem is that they’re neither,” Trotta says. “It’s one thing to squeeze into shapewear to feel more confident in a form-fitting dress for a few hours. But to wear a constrictive garment during daily activities—including exercise—in the hopes that you’ll actually become smaller, is just another example of the beauty industry creating and then preying on women’s insecurities.” Next up, find out how much weight you can safely lose in a week.
Sources
Wendy Batts, NASM-CPT, CNC, certified personal trainer and exercise science adjunct professor at PennWestRachel Trotta, CPT, certified personal trainer
