What is waist training, do I have to wear a corset, are there exercises and is a tiny waist the result?
If you're thinking of following in Kim Kardashian's footsteps and buying a stomach shrinking waist cincher, here's what you should know first...
IN the quest for the perfect hourglass figure, more and more celebrities have taken to waist training.
Once a signature of the Kardashian clan, everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Kerry Katona is now giving the exercise trend a go.
What is waist training?
The idea is to work out while wearing a tightly laced corset – and try to make the area between the hips and the ribcage smaller, by working your abs and oblique muscles extra hard.
There are two types of corset. One is designed to improve strength or core stability, and is often worn to settle back problems or help shift post-pregnancy weight.
The second works to increase body temperature, making you sweat and feel like you are burning extra fat. Kim Kardashian’s corset is a combination of the two.
Some people wear their corsets for eight hours-a-day, others even sleep in theirs.
Do I have to wear a corset?
Yes, taking cues from our Victorian ancestors we are all strapping up to slim down.
But waist cincher corsets are different to those worn for fashion, medical or erotic reasons – and are sometimes referred to as ‘compression underwear or shapewear’.
Some cheaper brands come with a zip at the back, which technically means they are not corsets.
Are there exercises?
There are no specific exercises to do while wearing a waist trainer, and it is not recommended to be worn more than eight hours a day.
If you want to work out your core or your abs many workouts and machines can help you achieve your goals.
It is recommended not to wear your waist trainer while doing any form of cardio, as the restrictive nature of a waist trainer could have adverse affects.
Likewise it is not beneficial to wear while doing any form of crunches or abdominal work.
It also shouldn't be worn during ground core exercises and it can restrict your movements.
One exercise where it may be worn is during weight training, as it is similar to weight lifting belts men typically wear for support.
What are the results?
Waist training is designed to give the wearer a Jessica Rabbit style hourglass figure – the size of your hips will stay the same while your love handles and extra layers of fat melt away.
The idea is that by strengthening your muscles, you should create a flatter tummy and more defined waist.
But, as personal trainer Dalton Wong told , it all begins in the kitchen.
He said: “You will never achieve a lean, sculpted body if you are eating junk food so the first step should always be to improve your diet.
“It is key to remove as much excess body fat as possible, otherwise you are simply strengthening muscles that are hidden beneath layers of fat.”
Is it safe?
Corsets essentially squash your lungs and ribs, which could make it hard to breathe and cause long-term problems if you wear the garment too tightly or for excessive amounts of time.
There have also been reports of women fainting while wearing them – think Keira Knightley in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
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Professor Mary Jane Minkin told : “Medically, it doesn’t make sense that cinching your waist tightly will make it permanently smaller.
“Once you take the garment off, your body will return to its usual shape.
“It’s also uncomfortable, restricts your movements and, if you wear it really tight, it can even make it difficult to breathe and theoretically could cause rib damage.”