While scrolling through your social media feed, you may have seen a lot of celebrities wearing what looks like a corset to events, while being photographed on the streets, or doing other things. What may look like corsets, completely out of context in the 21st century, are actually waist trainers worn to shape the waist. While celebrities like Kim Kardashian have been seen wearing both waist trainers and waist cinchers, there is still a fair bit of confusion about how the two are different.
This article deals with the basic differences between waist trainers and waist cinchers. Once you know the basic differences, the article will lead you through the fundamentals of how waist training works.
Waist Trainers vs Waist Cinchers
The following is a brief guide detailing the basic difference between waist trainers and waist cinchers.
Material
The main difference between a waist trainer and a waist cincher is the material. While waist trainers tend to be made of a material called powernet or a type of mesh which provides ventilation to a certain extent. The material is comfortable to wear and is excellent for compression. It is a two-way stretch fabric, usually made by blending nylon and spandex.
Waist cinchers, on the other hand, tend to be made of latex, which allows greater compression and shapes the body more snugly. Latex is a smoother material, which means you can often wear waist cinchers on your skin directly, without needing a protective layer underneath. It fits tightly but is not uncomfortable.
Build
The second key difference is in how the two are designed. Waist trainers typically come with a front zipper or a line of hooks, along with brooches inside to give you a great, customized fit. Some waist trainers also have steel bones in the inseam to provide better support for your back and to improve your posture. The cincher, on the other hand, typically has only two lines of brooches, allowing you to adjust it to your body better and get a good fit.
Comfort
Waist trainers tend to be more comfortable for everyday wear as the powernet allows some flexibility. You can wear it underneath your clothes even while going to work, while walking your dogs in the park and even while doing general household chores.
Waist cinchers, on the other hand, can be a bit limiting for everyday wear. You will find a better use for a waist cincher specifically for your gym and work out sessions. The latex will provide great flexibility for doing intense core workouts. But for wearing it on a daily basis, the latex may start feeling a bit stifling.
‘Training’ vs ‘Cinching’
Regardless of the differences between waist trainers and waist cinchers, the important thing is that both products have set out to achieve the same goal — to make your waist narrower and provide it with a great shape. While waist trainers, ideally, are used to "train" your waist, waist cinchers end up "cinching" your waist. You will see the benefits of wearing the waist cincher mostly while you are still wearing it and not so much after you have removed it.
For long-term training benefits, a waist trainer may be more useful.
How Does Waist Training Work?
The science of waist training is actually quite simple. The idea is to provide compression to your abdominal area so you can train it to be in shape even after the waist trainer has been removed. The material of the waist trainer triggers thermal activity in the area, causing you to sweat more and lose fat faster. It works like a sauna belt, but instead of just sitting in one place and expecting to sweat your belly fat out, you need to move around, get some exercise and maintain a healthy diet to see the real benefits of waist training.
As with any other kind of training, waist training requires diligence and it may take a while before you start seeing permanent results. The following are some small ways that waist training makes a big difference.
Shaping
The biggest difference waist training makes is by compressing your abdominal region to give it a desirable shape. Waist trainers are often confused with corsets. But while traditional corsets were purely used for aesthetic reasons and did not care much about women’s comforts, modern-day waist trainers are made with care so women can feel their bodies being shaped without being in discomfort all day.
Within the first few weeks, you will begin to notice that your body is taking the shape of your trainer. The more your workout and look after your diet, the greater the chance of retaining the shape.
Posture
Waist trainers, with their steel bones, also help immensely with posture. The waist trainer will keep your spine erect by setting your stomach muscles off. You will gradually start slouching far less as having bad posture while wearing the waist trainer can be uncomfortable. In order to be comfortable, you will be compelled to sit, stand and walk with your back straight.
This is great in the long run and can even save you from lower back and neck pain — something young people in the workforce are already complaining of due to increased screen time.
Core Strength
One of the biggest advantages of waist training is that you can increase your core strength. The trainer works on your core muscles even as you engage in other kinds of workouts. Just by merely exercising while wearing the waist trainer, you will be engaging your core muscles, allowing it to become stronger and give your middle area the tightness it needs. Core strength will enable you to do a lot of other exercises too, that you may have found harder to perform before.
Appetite Suppressor
Since the waist trainer is suppressing your middle, you will automatically want to eat smaller portions. This does not mean that you need to starve yourself. But without some kind of discipline, everyone has a tendency to overeat at least a little bit.
The waist trainer ensures you do not indulge, saving you a lot of regret, guilt and discomfort later. Gradually, your appetite will go down by itself and you will want to avoid foods that make you feel bloated or have a high glycemic index.
Final Thoughts
Whether you end up using a waist trainer or a waist cincher, the idea is to focus on your body and take care of your health. Often, in following daily schedules, meetings and engagements, people forget to get their daily dose of exercise. There is a lot of neglect in the diet and people tend to fall off-track with their fitness plan.
Waist training is a great way to be on top of your health and fitness, even while carrying on with your daily routine. You can wear waist trainers almost everywhere, regardless of the dress code and protocol. Simply slip it underneath your clothes and you can be waist training even while walking from your desk to the boardroom for a long, boring meeting.
This alone makes waist trainers more dependable than waist cinchers. They are more versatile, comfortable for everyday use and are not even that expensive. If you get the right size, a waist trainer can last you for a long time, during which you can get a lot of use out of it. So pick whichever, trainer or cincher, according to your schedule, budget and requirements and get started already! That perfect waist awaits you!