One of the beautiful things about waist training is that anyone can do it.

Regardless of your height, weight, body type, fitness level or experience, wearing a waist trainer as a daily practice can work for you. Whether you want to do some serious waist slimming or want to tighten and tone your midsection, you can use a waist trainer to meet your goals.

Waist training is the practice of wearing a cincher or corset daily to complement a healthy lifestyle routine. It can help you get more out of your workouts, feel more confident, improve your posture and keep you motivated to stick with your fitness and health goals.

Even if you feel a little intimidated at first, if you follow our tips you can be waist training like a pro after just a few weeks.

Stage 1: Start Out Slow

Just like any lifestyle change, there’s an adjustment period when you start waist training. Your body needs some time to adjust to the way it feels, and your garment will need to break in as well.

When you first put on a waist trainer, it might be very tempting to keep it on for a long time because it will instantly slim 1–3 inches from your figure, as well as help you hold your torso taller. Your clothes may fit better, or you may even be able to go down a size!

But don’t make the rookie mistake of overtraining. If your body has never tried waist training before, it may be very uncomfortable if you start out too quickly.

When you first put your waist trainer on, it will feel very snug—probably tighter than any garment you’ve worn. It is normal for it to be difficult to put on. Start on the loosest setting. We recommend fastening the bottom hook and eye closure at the narrowest part of your waist and then working your way up the garment, pulling it down over your midsection as you go. It can be a little bit tricky if you’ve never done it before, but you’ll get faster with practice.

Once your waist trainer is snugly fastened, your torso may feel very stiff. This is what you want: to keep your tummy tucked in and your back straight. However, it can also be slightly uncomfortable after more than about an hour.

While slight discomfort is normal, especially the first time, you’ll want to be sure that your waist trainer actually fits. When you put it on, you should be able to fasten the hooks with yanking (this is a sign that the garment is too small). If you force it, you risk damaging the garment, as well as getting an unflattering and extremely uncomfortable result. A waist trainer that fits will create an hourglass waistline that should be very stunning on your figure. We recommend following our custom size charts precisely, as well as carefully trying on your garment first before you commit to wearing it.

You should never have pain or shortness of breath when wearing a waist trainer. If either of these conditions arises, take it off immediately.

Once you’re wearing a waist trainer that fits, wear it for no more than an hour on the first day. Now you’re ready to step up your routine, gradually.

Stage 2: Gradually Increase

After the first day or two, you can start gradually increasing the amount of time you wear your waist trainer. Add a couple of hours each day, as you feel comfortable. Once you’re up to several hours a day, you can split your wear into two sessions, as that can make the adjustment easier. Listen to your body and be patient; you’ll get there.

After a week or two, you’ll feel comfortable wearing your waist trainer all day, every day. We recommend wearing it for at least 6 hours a day to see results, but you may find that you can wear it for several more.

You might be surprised how much a waist trainer can make you perspire after a few hours of wear. (Don’t worry, this isn’t smelly sweat!) Perspiration around your midsection demonstrates how the waist trainer works: by stimulating heat in your core. This can be especially effective if you wear a waist trainer during exercise (more on that below).

As you get more comfortable with waist training, you may start noticing its effects. We recommend tracking your progress with waist measurements and photos so you can see your results and stay motivated with your goals.

Of course, waist training works best when incorporated into a healthy lifestyle routine. This includes daily exercise that includes cardio and strength training, as well as a nutritious diet in sensible portions. Wearing a waist trainer during meals can help remind to you keep your portions small—we recommend having 5–6 small meals a day rather than 3 larger ones. And don’t forget to stay hydrated, as you’ll be losing more water through perspiration! Keep a water bottle on you and try to drink from it hourly, tracking intake as you go.

While results vary from person to person depending on their goals, their lifestyle and how much they’re wearing their waist trainer, you may start to notice that the waist trainer starts to feel a bit looser after a few weeks. This means that it is time to tighten it, which is usually a reason to celebrate. You’ll know it’s time to “downsize” to the next row of hooks when you can easily close your waist trainer on the first row and it doesn’t seem to feel as tight.

Stage 3: Try Different Styles

The fun part about waist training is that the more you do it, the more you want to try out different approaches! There are many styles of waist trainers to meet various needs at different stages of the journey.

If you are dedicated to wearing a waist trainer every day and you drop some serious numbers from your waistline, you’ll eventually find that it’s time to size down. You’ll know you’re ready when it just doesn’t feel as tight anymore, even on the tightest row of hooks. When that happens, it’s time to celebrate and reward yourself with a new waist trainer!

Even if you’re not ready to size down yet, you may find that once you get into your groove, you’re going to want more than one in your wardrobe anyway. We high recommend rotating an everyday waist trainer with a workout trainer to maximize your routine’s effectiveness.

A workout band will amplify your results because it enhances your workouts and helps you stay motivated with your fitness routine. You’ll be sweating harder, getting great results and looking great, whether you’re at the gym or taking workout selfies. A great workout band to get started with is the Waist Trainer Active Band by Amia.

When you’re not working out, an everyday waist trainer will be your go-to garment for work and casual attire. When shopping for a new waist trainer to add to your wardrobe, consider what features you prefer when you’ll be wearing it.

Choose the color the camouflages easily based on your skin tone and what you’re planning to wear over it. You may also want to consider whether to try a vest-style waist trainer like the Latex Waist Trainer Vest by Hourglass Angel HA103, or a classic style band like the Classic Waist Cincher by Amia.

If, after several months of waist training, you have a good rhythm going and would like to take it to the next level, then we highly recommend trying a steel-boned corset. This style of garment will give you the most dramatic results due to its construction with a lace-up back and steel boning in the bodice. Try the Underbust Cotton Corset by Hourglass Angel HA202 for some serious waist-slimming power.

Curious about what your results will be? That largely depends on your goals, your commitment to wearing the waist trainer and your lifestyle. But if you want to get an idea of what waist training results can be, we have many stories in our Before and After Gallery that highlight different styles and they effects that had on various body types and lifestyles.

• Lillie is a stay-at-home mom who wore a classic style workout trainer to help lose the baby weight. After a couple of months of dedicated waist training, she was able tighten to the next row of hooks.
• Gina is a model who used a latex workout band to tighten her midsection. After a few weeks she tightened to the next row of hooks. Everyone close to her noticed a change in her figure and confidence.
• Yuliza is an ASL interpreter who was so amazed with her friend’s waist training results that she had to try it for herself. Using a vest-style trainer, she found that wearing it every day made her more motivated to work out and eat well. She started seeing results after a few weeks, and so did her coworkers.

Waist training can work for anyone! What will your story be?