Do Workout Waist Trainers Work?

Featured Corset: Bella White Mesh Corset

If you’re at all active on social media – it’s a rare person who isn’t, these days – you’re probably aware of the workout fad that involves wearing “waist trainers” to amplify the effects of your physical activity.  Celebs like the Kardashians and even Jessica Alba have been spotted wearing stretchy waist cinchers for the purposes of maximizing their workout results.

With this level of endorsement, you may naturally wonder – do workout waist trainers work?  Well, there are really two parts to this question: do they actually enhance your workout, and do they slim your waistline the rest of the time?  In both cases, the answer is no.

There’s absolutely no evidence that these smoothing undergarments make any difference at all when exercising, except that they might limit your range of motion, which is probably detrimental to your workout overall.  In addition, they simply can’t offer the same support and compression of real, steel boned waist training corsets.

The Myth of Workout Waist Trainers

Let’s just start by pointing out that workout waist trainers are woefully misnamed.  These stretchy garments are actually waist cinchers.  They don’t contain steel boning that would help to define your waist – they simply smooth your torso so you look better under clothing.  You can call a daisy a rose, but you’re not fooling anyone.

Now, do workout waist trainers work?  Let’s just think about what waist cinchers were intended to do.  They’re supposed to smooth out any lumps and bumps to ensure that your clothing sits well on your frame.  They’re not designed to help you lose weight, tone muscle, or accomplish any results related to exercise.

What they might do is make you sweat more, which sounds pretty uncomfortable.  So why do celebs swear by them?

My personal opinion is that celebrities know they’re going to be photographed whenever they’re in public, so they put on waist cinchers during exercise to ensure that paparazzi don’t get snaps of belly rolls or love handles while they’re doing crunches or squats.  I can’t prove this, but it’s pretty much the only scenario that makes sense, as there is absolutely no evidence that they actually enhance a workout.

Real Waist Training

So, do workout waist trainers work for actual waist training?  The answer here is a definitive no.  The term “waist training” refers to the act of reducing the size of your waist with a steel boned corset.

Waist training is a process by which you incrementally tighten and size down corsets to achieve semi-permanent waist slimming of anywhere from a couple inches initially to several inches by the time you’re done.  A flimsy waist cincher, which some refer to as a workout waist trainer, simply won’t do the job.

Waist Training the Right Way

If you’re interested in significantly reducing your waist size, beware of buying waist cinchers erroneously labeled as waist trainers.  How can you tell the good from the bad?  You’ll want to look for authentic waist training corsets that contain rigid steel boning.  This is an essential component if you want to shape your body, rather than simply smooth your torso with a cincher.

You should also look for robust textiles like cotton or canvas, satin, and sturdy, modern mesh, just for example.  Steel boned corsets typically feature solid, metal busks (with loops and pins), while waist cinchers generally have flimsier hook and eye closures.

Of course, you’ll notice a difference in cost, as well.  The average waist cincher can be found for under $50 (although some name brands will charge more).  A steel boned corset could run you closer to $100 for off-the-rack options, or significantly more if you want bespoke garments. What you’ll get for your money is quality and efficacy.  If smoothing is all you want, waist cinchers will get the job done, and if you want to exercise in them like your favorite celebs, go right ahead (although don’t expect any miraculous results).  If what you want is to waist train, reducing the size of your waist over time and amping up your hourglass figure in the process, steel boned corsets are a must.

---

To stay up-to-date with weekly blog posts, waist training tips, and the chance to win one of our monthly corset giveaways, follow us on Facebook, Instagram & subscribe to our mailing list today! Want to find the perfect steel boned corset? Shop some of our favorites: underbust corsets, overbust corsets, corset dresses. You can also shop our corsets by material: cotton corsets, denim corsets, leather corsets, mesh corsets, pvc corsets, and satin corsets. Have questions about getting started with waist training or finding the right size corset? Contact us!