What's best to get a tiny waist?

[Miss Jamie]

Hi ladies! I wanted to know if anyone had any advise on how to get a tiny waist...I'm not real big (28 inches I think) but I could stand to lose a couple of inches. I currently do cardio a few days a week to cut the fat and one of the machines I do is the torso twist. I wanted to know if anyone knows if its better to do heavy weight with low reps or high reps but low weight. Also if this is even a good machine to use...anything else I could be doing? Help!

[Mustrainhard]

You are on the bodybuilding.com forum, so check out the Fat-loss articles on bodybuilding.com
Everyone is gonna tell you that diet is more than half the battle.

[agentmo]

Oh god. Please, people--stop working your obliques. Working the muscle along the sides of your waist is going to cause hypertrophy, yes? This helps other body parts look great, but with your waist every bit added (and obliques can bulk up nicely) is not great visually. Don't get me wrong, I lift heavy and tell every female I see to lift heavy and they won't "bulk up" and all that, but I see people with these huge obliques popping out and it's so insane. Want the tiniest waist possible? Stop working your obliques! They get hit for stabilization during squats and deads and so on so you'll still be supported and healthy, spine-wise.

Okay, end rant.

[kmart07]

ur genetics will dictate ultimately how small ur waist can and will get but losing overall bodyfat will help lose inchs

[SexyChic]

Oh god. Please, people--stop working your obliques. Working the muscle along the sides of your waist is going to cause hypertrophy, yes? This helps other body parts look great, but with your waist every bit added (and obliques can bulk up nicely) is not great visually. Don't get me wrong, I lift heavy and tell every female I see to lift heavy and they won't "bulk up" and all that, but I see people with these huge obliques popping out and it's so insane. Want the tiniest waist possible? Stop working your obliques! They get hit for stabilization during squats and deads and so on so you'll still be supported and healthy, spine-wise.

Okay, end rant.

I tell girls this in the gym (heaven forbid I try to help them) and they just look at me like I'm trying to sabotage them or something LOL...

[Emma-Leigh]

ur genetics will dictate ultimately how small ur waist can and will get but losing overall bodyfat will help lose inchs

^^
This.

1. find better parents for better genetics re bone structure
2. diet down to get as little BF as possible
3. get surgery to remove your bottom rib.

Re 'hypertrophy' of obliques -
1. Yes, they are worked isometrically with some exercises (eg: deads/ squats/ overhead movements) but I still think you should work them directly at least to a certain extent (they are important re rotational stabilisation of your spine and isometrics are not enough for this imo)...
2. if you are concerned - do not work them 'excessively' and do not work them in the hypertrophy range.
2. if you are 'dieting' you are not going to gain muscle anyway So don't stress....

[Miss Jamie]

Thank you all so much for your help...I guess I'll stop doing that machine and focus more on something else. And if all else fails, I will indeed remove a rib lol

[norinicole]

Also to note, a wide back makes the waist look smaller (the 'V' taper )

[humblegenius]

I had a look at the OP's profile pic and thought this must have been some sort of joke. Girl looks damn fine.

[queenofswords]

Great question by the OP- I've been wondering the same thing.. I naturally have a thicker waist so less of an hourglass shape.

Never realised about the oblique exercises before- I do lots of them (!!) not anymore though lol...

[mprior]

I currently do cardio a few days a week to cut the fat and one of the machines I do is the torso twist. I wanted to know if anyone knows if its better to do heavy weight with low reps or high reps but low weight.

Lol.... the torso twist. I have crushed many girls dreams by pointing out that machine thickens your waist, it doesn't slim it down.

The more weight you use on any ab exercise, the thicker your abs/waist get. You are limited by your skeletal frame on how tiny your waist can get. If you are healthy and low bodyfat thats what matters.

[fitlover]

You're definitely not 28 inches in your waist anyway! I'd say you're a near 26, if that. I'm 25, and you look close to my size.

[fitlover]

The more weight you use on any ab exercise, the thicker your abs/waist get.

I don't understand this though. I use up to 25 lbs. on my crunches, and use weights on my leg raises, and haven't noticed any "thickening" at all. Only that my abs have gotten 10x more defined.

I guess it all depends on genetics as well. You have to figure out what works for you and take it from there.

[Mindi912]

[Mindi912]

I don't understand this though. I use up to 25 lbs. on my crunches, and use weights on my leg raises, and haven't noticed any "thickening" at all. Only that my abs have gotten 10x more defined.

I guess it all depends on genetics as well. You have to figure out what works for you and take it from there.

Are you doing just a crunch or are you twisting?

[mprior]

I personally train my abs for thickness. I do weighted decline crunches, hanging leg raises, heavy torso twists etc... I have read that doing high reps unweighted is the best way to ""tone"" your waist.

[fitlover]

Are you doing just a crunch or are you twisting?

Well I usually don't use weights on my oblique work. Though I still preform oblique exercises and have had great results without the added thickness.

[gecko...]

pfft - I think if you are not genetically gifted enough to have a small waist (like me for example, I have less than 3 inches between my last rib and my hip bone - not enough room for a small waist!) I think working your obliques is a great option.

My goal;

[Mindi912]

Well I usually don't use weights on my oblique work. Though I still preform oblique exercises and have had great results without the added thickness.

That's why - the minute you add weight to your oblique work that's when thickness becomes involved.

[Eliz1082]

Many swear by broomstick twists to whittle their waists. Of course along with a proper diet and weights/cardio program.

[Jill75]

Genetics play a big role on how your waist look like as reference to your chest and hip. Some are gifted with small waist others train themselves to have small waist by using a body torso binder. If you have good waist size and looks when you were a teenager provided you were not fat, then that is how you will only look proportionally. Or the other way to make it look smaller is making your butt or hip a but bigger.

[mp.wife]

Also to note, a wide back makes the waist look smaller (the 'V' taper )

yes this. Train your shoulders and your back. Leave your obliques alone.

[ctgblue]

STOP doing exercises that BUILD THE MUSCLES IN YOUR WAIST for one.

[otongki]

Hi,

I think you can manipulate it through meals and exercises. If you can manage the find the time to eat smaller meals, then you'd better spread them more than 5-6 meals (say to 8-9 meals). This will bring down your stomach size.

Also when you do training, you can stop training with the kind of exercise that uses additional weight to your abs and obliques. Just do it on your bodyweight. Other thing is train with belt. I started to used belt not only during leg day, and my stomach has been reduced for a bit.

[Reality_Check]

STOP doing exercises that BUILD THE MUSCLES IN YOUR WAIST for one.

x 2

On that topic (not that I consider T-nation to be half the experts they think they are but) check out this link

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...emale_training

and scroll down to the bit that starts "The Britney Spears Syndrome"

[NightSprite]

x 2

On that topic (not that I consider T-nation to be half the experts they think they are but) check out this link

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...emale_training

and scroll down to the bit that starts "The Britney Spears Syndrome"

Thanks for posting that article. That was great advice for me.

[percussion8903]

Oh god. Please, people--stop working your obliques. Working the muscle along the sides of your waist is going to cause hypertrophy, yes? This helps other body parts look great, but with your waist every bit added (and obliques can bulk up nicely) is not great visually. Don't get me wrong, I lift heavy and tell every female I see to lift heavy and they won't "bulk up" and all that, but I see people with these huge obliques popping out and it's so insane. Want the tiniest waist possible? Stop working your obliques! They get hit for stabilization during squats and deads and so on so you'll still be supported and healthy, spine-wise.

Okay, end rant.

sad but true