How to Waist Train Safely & Effectively - Tips for Success
Get the Insta-worthy curves or flat, slim profile you're looking for by knowing all of the tips and tricks to waist training! Here, we share our favorite tips to make sure that you use what we like to call “safe and sane” corseting practices. These are based on over 20 years of experience selling waist trainers and cinchers, as well as conversations and feedback from our customers.
First, a little lingo clarification: Are you looking to cinch or waist train? Well, what are your waist training goals? If you want to look slim under a fancy outfit, a smoothing waist cincher is all you need. But if you’re looking to change your waist like Siddeqah on our Waist Training Before & After Results page who lost 10” off her waist with the help of our Hourglass Curve Longline Underbust Corset with hip ties, keep reading!
Photo: @cecemua stealthing in a cotton Hourglass Curve Standard Underbust Corset CS-426
#1: Listen to Your Body!
Before we dive in, the most important tip for successful waist training is to remember to listen to your body! Corseting is greatly personal all depending on your body, so let yours tell you what works best and listen to what it needs.
Following this one simple piece of advice will help you reach your waist training goals by ensuring you enjoy waist training so you can stick with it while it works its magic over time. Although you might want immediate results, waist training can take time to see dramatic results that last, so make sure you're comfortable!
#2: Get Your Size Right
Poor fitting corsets are uncomfortable and, contrary to what you may have heard, wearing a corset that’s too small won’t help you achieve your goals more quickly. The only thing it’s going to do is set you back, because you’ll probably find yourself in pain and having to exchange for another corset, putting your waist training off!
Fear not! We have sizing experts available to help you find your ideal corset fit and size.
#3: Use a Waist Trainer Made for Your Body Type
Each corset style we carry is made to fit a different body type. See our handy corset style guide that can help. You’ll be more comfortable and get better results in a corset best suited for your body type.
If a corset is too curvy or not curvy enough, you’re going to find that your corset might cause you pain or look unflattering. It’s only safe to waist train in a corset that has enough curve for your body shape. Plus, a corset that suits your figure will have you looking and feeling like a million bucks! A corset should hug your curves in comfort and feel like a second skin while you train your figure.
#4: Get a High Quality Corset
Don’t expect results from a lingerie or fashion corset like you might find at Frederick’s of Hollywood or Victoria’s Secret. Fashion corsets are designed for looks—not waist training—and don’t have the steel boning necessary to “cinch” properly. Waist training corsets are made with flat & spiral steel bones and a flat steel busk and lace up in the back to cinch in over time. Waist training simply can’t happen with cheap plastic bones or fashion corsets with hook and eye clasps! It's equivalent to wearing a tube top and expecting an hourglass figure.
A flexible waist cincher is perfect for the gym and under your Little Black Dress, but it won’t change your waist over time like a steel boned corset can. To learn what waist training is and what it isn’t, head over to our Ultimate Waist Training Guide on how to achieve the hourglass figure you’re looking for.
Although you can’t waist train without a corset, you can smooth and shape your waist without a corset by wearing our shapewear! Discover your ideal waist cincher with our Shapewear Buyer’s Guide.
A high quality corset will hug your body, support your waist and flatten your tummy for a smooth silhouette. High quality doesn’t mean you have to break the bank, though. We are proud to say that we only sell high quality, waist training corsets—no fashion corsets here!
#5: Season Your Waist Training Corset
Your corset will need “seasoning,” breaking it in over a couple of weeks to fit your body.
The first time you lace up your corset, it’s important you DON’T lace it too tightly. Lace your corset so that it is snug. Typically, your modesty panel will just reach the other side of your corset, but depending on your natural measurements and “squish factor” your modesty panel may not reach right away and that is okay!
Only wear your corset 1.5 – 2 hours the first time you wear it. Repeat this step several times over the first several days of breaking in your corset. This applies not just to those who wish to waist train, but also those people who have purchased a corset for a special occasion like a wedding or event. Listen to your body and take it slow! Grab your seasoning schedule.
#6: Waist Train at a Pace That’s Right for You
If you plan on waist training, the keyword is “gradually.” Don’t tighten to the point where it’s painful.
We recommend gradually increasing your time from 1.5 hours a day to around 6-8 hours a day over the course of 10-14 days. Take your time lacing yourself down tighter; don’t rush it! We know that you want to see your results TODAY, but you risk damaging the corset (and yourself) if you try too much too soon.
#7: Track Your Progress
If you want to see changes in your body, we encourage you to keep a waist training journal. Tracking your progress will help you to maintain perspective and appreciate every small win!
If you’ve ever started a workout program, you know that it’s easy to get tunnel vision once you start seeing progress. Regularly taking your natural measurements and documenting the amount of time you spend in your corset and anything notable will help you to see your amazing progress!
Photos are a great addition to your waist training journal, as well. Watch your waistline shrink over time, your abdomen smooth, and your tummy flatten as you wear your corset more. Be sure to take your photos in the same position and close to the same time during the day for an accurate comparison.
Pro Tip: Use the same soft measuring tape to insure that your measurements are consistent.
Photo: Jessica A. before and after waist training in a black cotton Hourglass Curve Longline Underbust Corset CS-426 with Hip Ties
#8: Find a Corset Friend!
Buddy up with a waist training friend to help you stay on track with your personal goals—someone who shares similar goals to you can help you to stay accountable.
You don’t need to send out a personal ad, though. Join our friendly and supportive Waist Training group on Facebook to meet other waist trainers who are just starting out or with years of experience!
#9: Don't Exercise in Your Corset—Use a Cincher!
If you’re actively working on losing weight, a corset can help you keep your waist cinched in—but it can’t and won’t “melt your fat” or target problem areas. While we do recommend pairing a corset with exercise and a good diet, we don’t recommend wearing your corset while exercising.
Thankfully, waist cinchers were designed for exercising in! Modern waist cinchers are wonderfully flexible and allow you to go to your favorite spin classes and lift weights with a cinched waist, safely. Many devoted waist trainers will pair wearing a corset for waist training with wearing a waist cincher while exercising. Learn more about waist cinchers and shapewear.
Why not exercise in a corset? As you work out and your heart rate increases, your chest will want to expand more than it would normally to allow your lungs to take in more air. While you’re wearing a corset, even an underbust corset, the function of it is to add compression to your abdomen, which is actively working against what your body wants to do when you’re exercising!
Exercising in a corset can also wear it out. Corset bones are meant to bend in very specific ways, and when we work out, we are moving in all the ways that a corset isn’t meant to bend. When the stainless steel bones are bent too many times in ways they are not meant to bend, they can break, warp, or tear through the fabric of the corset. Lace up after your post-workout shower and your corset will thank you!
#10: Stealth to Keep Your Hourglass Secret
Shy about waist training? No one has to know your secret! Stealthing is the act of wearing your corset sneakily under clothes, and there are certain kinds of clothes, fabrics, and patterns that work best.
We also have quite a few stealthing tips and tricks on how to make it look like your waist is cinched without giving away your secret! If you have a conservative job and big waist training goals, learning to stealth your corset successfully will allow you to wear your corset out and about, comfortably!
#11: Use a Liner
It's important to wear a layer between your body and your corset because our skin has naturally occurring oils and moisture that can adversely affect your corset. And, since corsets are dry clean only, a liner will help to keep your corset smelling and looking fresh! Give our Seamless Bamboo Corset Liners a try.
#12: Fuel Your Body
Eating may be different while you’re wearing a corset, but with a few changes most people are able to comfortably eat regularly while in a corset. Most people notice that they are more comfortable eating their daily calories in 5-6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3-large meals while waist training.
A corset acts like an external lap band and although you may not be able to eat large amounts of food at once, it’s still important that you get in enough food and water for your unique needs. Plenty of water, fresh fruits, and vegetables in a balanced diet will help you to feel great in and out of your corset.
#13: Give Yourself a Break
Even the most aggressive waist trainers take days off. You will find that some days you can wear your corset for many hours, and other days only for a few. For some people, it’s safe to waist train up to 23 hours a day, seven days a week, but that’s definitely not what’s right for everyone.
If you take care of your body, you’ll have a great chance of seeing results and feeling great both in and out of your corset. We know that it’s redundant, but please listen to your body. If you feel like you can lace in an extra inch today, go for it! But don’t beat yourself up if your body isn’t quite ready for it quite yet. Waist training is a marathon, not a sprint.
#14: A Corset Is Meant to Be Tight, But Not That Tight
You will not achieve your desired results any faster and will likely damage the corset (and even potentially your body) wearing a corset that's too tight. Remember tip #1: listen to your body!
If you are lacing your corset in and feel resistance at your waistline, loosen your corset just a bit until you feel snug compression but you don’t feel resistance.
If you notice in your reflection that the back of your corset resembles a ( ) parenthesis shape, that can be an indication that your waistline is not ready to be laced at that reduction. We encourage you to loosen your corset enough to achieve an even lacing gap in the back of your corset that resembles a set of train tracks as closely as possible: | |.
#15: Sleep in Your Corset Safely
If you plan to waist train while you’re sleeping, cinch up your corset about an inch to an inch and half less than you would for daytime corseting. It’s important to do this because while our bodies are at rest, our digestive system gets to work. Our stomachs naturally expand while we are at rest and if your corset is too tight, you could wake up with indigestion.
While it’s safe to waist train as you sleep, it’s important to take steps to make sure you’re comfortable as well. If you’re a side sleeper, we suggest using a small pillow to offer the curve of your waist some needed support. If you sleep on your back, we suggest a small pillow or rolled up towel under your lower back to mimic the natural curve we have in our back.
And no matter your preferred sleeping position, we suggest at least trying out how it feels to have a pillow tucked between or behind your knees. All of these little adjustments add up to a much more restful night while you’re laced up! Check out this great video from Lucy’s Corsetry for more tips on sleeping in your corset.Ready to Start Waist Training?
If you’re ready to find your waist training corset, we are ready and waiting to help you! All you need to get started is a soft measuring tape.