The term “waist taming” is often interchanged with the term “waist training.” They are similar concepts, but one is not synonymous with the other. Most women have already experimented with one or the other, whether they knew it or not.

Waist Taming vs Waist Training. Waist taming uses figure enhancing shapewear to provide instant, non permanent results. Waist training is a more extreme method to permanently altering your figure over time. To accomplish this, waist training corsets provide enhanced compression by using integral steel boning and criss-cross lacing.

Let’s now delve deeper into the most important differences between waist taming vs waist training and how each of them work.

What is Waist Taming?

Waist taming involves the use of shapewear or a light girdle, cincher or corset to smooth curves and gently cinch the waist. The goal is to smooth lines and make your waistline appear smaller. Waist taming does not permanently reshape your figure

Many women feel more confident and wear waist-taming garments every day. Others save them for special occasions and the outfits that go with them. Regardless of the reason, waist taming provides an instant result for you to look your best either when wearing dressed-up for an event or just everyday casual.

What is Waist Training?

Waist training is a process for reducing your waist size permanently and accentuating your curves. For this, you use a waist trainer or a tightly laced corset. Corsets have a history of giving women an exaggerated version of the hourglass figure. Though, practical use accentuates your body’s natural curves by reducing the waist.

What’s the Difference Between Waist Taming and Waist Training?

With waist training, you use corsets to change your waistline over time. With waist taming, you use an undergarment to smooth your rolls and enhance your natural shape. Often, that includes cinching the waist with a compression garment like a panty slimmer or body shaper.

After some time, your body responds to waist training. It shifts as you cinch in your waist. The constant compression makes a more permanent change. Of course, this does not affect weight loss. If that’s one of your goals, you should pair waist training with a healthy diet and exercise program.

Which Has the Most Instant Results?

Both waist taming and training produce instant visual results. Meaning, when you wear a body slimmer or corset, either garment pulls in your waist and creates a slimmer, more hourglass look.

Remember, waist training is designed to produce long term results. Your timeline will vary depending on your overall goals and how often you wear your waist trainer. The more you wear your waist trainer or corset, the sooner you will see results.

Which Has the Longest Lasting Results?

Of the two methods, waist training is the one intended to create lasting results. While both boost your confidence, corsets and waist cinchers make small adjustments over time. That results in long-lasting results.

Waist taming creates a similar look, though compression garments aren’t always fortified with steel boning. Boning gives waist trainers the boost they need to effect lasting change to your figure.

Some waist tamers have light plastic boning included to help with their instant shaping abilities, however are not as intensive as a steel boned waist training corset for example.

Can the Results be Permanent?

There has been much debate over whether waist training results permanently change the size of your waist and shape of your figure. Evidence shows that waist training affects semi-permanent change. Meaning, your body will fill out again over time if you stop wearing corsets altogether.

Furthermore, these changes come about over a period of months to years rather than days to months. If you maintain your waist training efforts by wearing corsets for a few years, you’re likely to remain slimmer at the waist as you get older.

How Long to Wear a Waist Trainer to See Results?

Waist training changes your appearance immediately by displacing the fat around your midsection. The corset structure holds your new body shape. Though, your body returns to its original shape once you remove the corset.

You’ll have to wear a waist training corset regularly to have a long-term effect on your waist. Waist training (sometimes called corset training) takes months and even years to reach desired results. Waist training must be a gradual approach to be done safely and comfortably. It certainly is not a quick process. If you think of waist trainers as fitness equipment, which it is, then you’ll understand that it doesn’t produce lasting results overnight.

Sleeping while Wearing a Waist Tamer or Waist Trainer

Going back to waist taming, there’s not much purpose in wearing a body slimmer to bed. Since waist taming isn’t for making permanent changes, there’s no reason to sleep with the added compression. In addition, many people find it hard to sleep when they are hot, and shapewear tends to make you sweat.

As for wearing a corset to bed, that is entirely your decision. Waist training requires a commitment of eight to ten hours to be effective. You don’t have to sleep in a corset unless, of course, your day was hectic. Sleeping in your corset may be the only way to meet that goal. Other times, people can’t wear a corset while they work for safety or comfort reasons. Other people are simply dedicated to the corset lifestyle and prefer to remain laced up as long as possible.

Can I Wear a Waist Tamer or Waist Trainer When Exercising?

Many corset wearers swear by wearing waist trainers while exercising, providing the trainer is of good quality. One important thing to note, however, is that we are talking about strength and weight training here, not cardio. Waist trainers help you keep proper posture during strength training. In addition, the extra heat you’ll generate in your midsection may help burn more calories.

Waist trainers restrict by design, so you don’t want to wear one during a cardio workout, where you’ll be increasing your heart rate along with respirations. A corset will make it difficult for you to get enough air, which can lead to dizziness and sometimes even heart issues.

As for waist tamers, those are less effective during workouts. Other than making you sweat a bit more, there’s not much benefit. They aren’t designed with enough support to enhance your strength training workout.

Always consult professional advice before embarking on any kind of waist training, or combining waist training with exercise.

Example Waist Taming Shapewear

For an example of a waist taming shapewear, we choose the Classic Waist Cincher made by Amia. This piece trims your waistline by one to four inches instantly. It offers mild compression than a regular body shaper thanks to it’s latex and flexi-boning design. Perfect for everyday wear, it accentuates your waist and shapes your midsection.

The style comes with two columns of hook-and-eye closures to ensure the best fit. One of its distinguishing features is that it has flexible boning for firm compression and comfort. The flexibility and less aggressive compression it what puts it in the category of a waist tamer rather than a trainer.

Example Waist Training Corset

Our example of a waist training corset is a long-lined style called the Expert Waist Training Underbust Corset, available in black. This waist trainer is stylish and sexy. More experienced wearers will see it take up to five inches off their waist. Some may see even more reduction. It’s an underbust style, which means you can wear it with your preferred bra.

Related Article: Benefits of Wearing a Corset

The corset is strong and structured with crisscross cord lacing for firm control and a precise fit. Compression is enhanced with 18 Spiral Steel Bones and 4 Flat Steel Bones. Because of its enhanced waist training compression ability it is for the more experienced wearer. It’s also an exelent example of quality and style in a waist trainer.

What to Know Before Waist Training

Perhaps the most important things to know about waist training are that the results are not fully permanent and don’t come quickly. To see meaningful change, you should begin waist training in partnership with healthy diet and exercise plans.

Waist training corsets and cinchers aren’t fat burners unto themselves. They are designed to help you along the way. The road to health must include a healthy diet and fitness lifestyle. At that point, wait training will support your health goals as well as your goal for a smaller waistline.

Related Article: Corset Facts: A Beginners Guide To Corsets

Further, waist trainers create an immediate visual effect by compressing your waist. Though, the long-term effects take time. Women who see success commit to wearing their corsets religiously for eight to ten hours a day for a period of months to years. Even then, the desired effects will begin to revert once you stop wearing the corset. Most successful corset wearers consider it more a corset-wearing lifestyle than a garment or exercise component.

As already stated, always consult professional advice before embarking on any kind of waist training, or combining waist training with exercise.

Final Thoughts

Waist taming and waist training are often confused for a good reason. In many ways, waist taming is just a lighter version of waist training. Unfortunately, the more flexible waist taming garments are often called corsets when, in fact, they are not the same thing at all. For someone who has never worn either, the differences between a body shaper and an underbust corset are not distinct.

Waist taming is perfect for those who wish to look better in their clothes. Waist tamers are instantly slimming, hide lines, and accentuate curves. They offer light compression and comfort. Waist trainers, on the other hand, have firmer control in the form of enhanced boning and laced closures. They are designed to reshape your figure over time, creating your personal version of the hourglass figure.

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