Ever since celebrities started sharing the benefits of waist training on social media, women of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes have been eager to try this proven workout. If you're ready to try it out for yourself, there are a few things you should know to maximize your results.

So how does waist training work while exercising?

Well, that depends on how you do it. But in general, there are a few principles that will help you understand the benefits of wearing a waist trainer during workouts.

Waist Training, Heat & Perspiration

One of the immediate benefits of wearing a waist trainer is that it will stimulate heat in your midsection. This in turn will help you sweat harder, increasing the intensity of your workout. You might sweat in areas you didn’t even know you could! In this way you can feel it working.

You can benefit in this way from wearing a waist trainer in a variety of exercises. While you will get the most bang for your buck by wearing a waist trainer during cardio and strength training exercise, you can still benefit even by wearing one during a brisk walk. So if you don’t have to time to do a full workout, put one on when you’re walking your dog or cleaning your house to feel the burn!

Waist Training Consistency

Like most lifestyle practices, how much you benefit from wearing a waist trainer during workouts depends on your consistency. If you only wear it once a week, for example, you might feel good during that workout, but won’t feel much different for the rest of the week.

For the best results, we recommend wearing your waist trainer every day. As noted above, you don’t have to have a high intensity workout to feel the benefit. You can wear your workout band during your intense workouts as well as your more relaxed movements as you go through your daily routine.

If you want to take your waist training results up a notch, you may want to go beyond wearing one at the gym. When you switch into your everyday clothes, whether for work or for home, try out an everyday waist trainer. Work your way up to eight hours a day and continue to feel it working well past your workout times.

Waist Training as Motivation

Another benefit of wearing a waist trainer during workouts is that it can help you stay motivated and on track with your healthy lifestyle routine. When you put a waist trainer on, you’ll immediately drop several inches from your waistline and experience a smooth, sculpted midsection.

This can be a huge confidence-booster as well as a motivator to put the waist trainer on each day. And once you have your waist trainer and your workout gear on, you’re more likely to follow through with your workout.

So to stay with your workout habit, put your waist trainer by your bed or somewhere that will remind you!

You may also be motivated as you see your progress with waist training. Take waist measurements and photos as your progress through your waist training journey. (If you want to see some examples of others’ experiences and progression, be sure to check out our Waist Training Before and After Gallery.)

Waist Training & Healthy Lifestyle

In order to get the best results from waist training, it’s important to understand that it is just one of several factors in your lifestyle that can affect your body shape and weight. Waist training works in conjunction with a healthy diet and an exercise routine that helps you burn calories and build muscle tone. It helps that when you’re waist training, you may be more motivated to follow through with these other lifestyle factors.

While it can valuable to track your food intake so that you can become more aware of your eating habits, we don’t recommend going on a diet in order to get the best results from waist training. Instead, focus on eating nutritious food and develop an eating plan that you can sustain for the long run.

While everyone has different dietary needs, in general you’ll do well if you avoid processed foods (which have a lot of sugar, salt, fat and additives) and stick to whole foods. It can take time to adjust to this kind of diet and takes some planning, but is well worth the effort.

Also be sure to stay hydrated, to replace what is lost through perspiration and help you stay satiated. Sometimes people feel hungry, when they’re actually thirsty!

Since weight loss is correlated with what and how much you eat, these practices will go a long away in determining how effective your waist training journey is! Remember, wearing a waist trainer can help you stay motivated and on track with your health goals.

The Best Exercises for Waist Training

What kind of exercise you do affects your waist training results. We recommend doing a balanced mixture of strength training and cardio exercises in order to get the most benefit. (In general, it’s also a best practice to incorporate balance and flexibility exercises into your routine as well, to prevent injury and improve your form.)

Some of our favorite waist training routines include HIIT (high intensity interval training). With this method you do short bursts of aerobic activity, which will help you burn a lot of calories and improve your performance in a short period of time. For the best results, do HIIT exercises 2–3 days a week. On your off days you can do light to medium cardio.

Some HIIT routines to try include:

1) Fat Burning HIIT Cardio Workout

2) Brutal Body-Slimming Abs and HIIT

3) 7 HIIT Leg Workouts for Strong, Sexy Legs

It’s also beneficial do a wide variety of strength training exercises while you’re waist training, especially those that strengthen your core. Contrary to what you might think, some of the best core exercises are leg moves that require you to engage your abs, including deadlifts, squats and lunges. You can also benefit from doing low-impact moves like Pilates, although you won’t be able to move into a crunch.

Try some of these strength training routines:

1) 6 Best Booty-Building Exercises Waist Training Exercise Routine

2) Top Exercises That Sculpt and Hourglass Shape Waist Training Exercise Routine

3) 9 Flab-Killing Upper Body Gym Workouts

Recommended Workout Waist Trainers

If you’re new to waist training during your workouts, there are a few favorites that are ideal for beginners.

The Workout Waist Trainer by Ann Chery 2026 is a tried and true customer favorite. Wrap the band around your midsection and work out as normal. The band will provide ongoing compression around your core, which stimulates thermal activity and ramps up perspiration.

The Latex Workout Band Curve Creator by Hourglass Angel HA101 was deigned by our team based on our customer feedback. It uses ultra-strong Velcro closures, instead of hook-and-eyes, so you can create your hourglass curves even faster. Just pull the sides together and go.

The Highest Compression Workout Waist Trainer by TrueShapers is a latex- free waist training option that doesn’t compromise on performance. Flexible internal steel boning and TrueShapers's 3 Plus D Structure fabric offer the perfect balance of comfort and compression.

We have a carefully curated and tested collection of high quality workout waist trainers, bound to meet your needs no matter your shape, size or experience with waist training.

How to Get Started with an Exercise Waist Trainer

Ready to get started with waist training during your workouts? Make sure you order one in the right size, based on your waist measurement. Try your garment on carefully when you receive it in the mail. It should be snug but not painfully tight. It can be tricky fastening hook-and-eye closures at first, so take your time and don’t yank!

Once you’ve tried on your waist trainer and ensured that it fits, you may need some time to adjust to the way it feels. It will keep your torso very straight, which can feel strange, especially if you’re accustomed to slouching. This is yet another benefit of wearing a waist trainer—it helps you stand with straighter posture.

You may want to take it easy during the first workout or two. Wear your waist trainer for no more than a half hour to an hour in the beginning. It takes time for the garment to mold to your figure and for you to grow accustomed to the way it feels.

Start your workouts slowly—in the beginning you may just want to stick to walking while wearing your waist trainer. As you feel comfortable, start introducing higher intensity workouts and wearing it longer. Remember to always listen to your body. If you ever feel uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to take a break and remove the waist trainer. Never force anything that doesn’t feel right.

Over time, as you get more comfortable working out in your waist trainer, you may want to fasten it tighter. This is how you know it’s working! Keep it up and celebrate your progress.