Do you know what’s quick and easy? Getting a jiggly, wiggly belly. But, the reverse isn’t as easy and it takes time to get rid of it. Good for us, there are effective ways available to help you get back in shape without starving.
Waist training is one of them. You can get an instant slimmer waist using a waist trainer but it’s a temporary solution (at least in the beginning) and once you take off your waist cincher, your hidden fat will be back.
If you want to change your shape and get a perfect hourglass figure (that stays without clothes), start with these best waist cinching exercises. Besides, you can pair these exercises with regular waist training to get even better results.
How Does These Waist Cinching Exercise Work
Before starting with any exercise, it’s very important to understand how it’ll work and what body areas it targets.
As for the top 10 best waist cinching exercises shared below, they focus on two core parts – 1. Abs (abdominal muscles) and 2. Obliques (muscles located along the sides of the abdominal wall.)
These muscles control side bending and waist twisting moves in your body. By working on them, you can sculpt and cinch your waist, tighten midsection, and get a natural hourglass figure.
Additionally, these exercises are easy to perform for everyone, do not require any special types of equipment (other than dumbells or similar weight), or going to the gym.
Spend 30 minutes of your day performing these best waist cinching exercises and achieve your dream stomach within weeks.
Top 10 Best Waist Cinching Exercises to Burn Calories & Define Your Waist
Instructions: Try to do this circuit up to 3 sets of 15 repetitions of each exercise before moving to the next one. Also, repeat the entire routine at least 3 times per week and more to get faster results.
You can do these exercises anywhere and all you need is a pair of 5 to 10-pounds dumbbells (or use any household items of similar weight.)
1. Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches are one of the easiest exercises where you target both rectus abdominis and obliques muscles at the same time. As a result, your heart rate increases and you burn more calories to get a slimmer waist.
What to do:
- Start with lying flat on the floor and your back pressed to the floor
- Put your hands behind the head and pull your shoulder head back. Slowly raise your knees in the direction of your chest maintaining about a 90-degree angle
- Exhale and perform a bicycle pedal motion by bringing one knee towards your armpits while keeping the other leg straight
- Rotate your torso to be able to touch the elbow to the opposite knee as it comes up
- Repeat the same for the other knee with alternate elbow
- Avoid pulling your head forward at all times otherwise, you will face neck-straining
2. Toe-Touch Crunches
Another effective waist cinching exercise that works on abdominal and obliques muscles to give you a perfect hourglass figure. Slightly difficult that bicycle crunches and no equipment needed.
What to do:
- Lie down on a floor or yoga mat (recommended)
- Raise your legs up until they are vertical to the ground. If you can’t hold them up for some time, take support from a wall
- Keep your feet together and slightly bend your knees
- Lift your upper back off the floor, stretch out your arms above your head towards your feet
- Lower your legs (towards the floor) and arms overhead while keeping your shoulders off the mat
- Repeat crunch motion to complete one repetition
3. Oblique V Crunch
It helps you tighten the midsection, improve balance and flexibility, and engages core muscles.
What to do:
- Lie down on your right side, pile your legs on top of each other, and keep your left and behind the head
- Keeping legs straight, raise them off the floor towards the ceiling and bring your torso towards legs to form a “V” shape
- If needed, support yourself with the right hand
- Slowly lower your legs (still maintaining straight posture) and torso back to the floor
4. Bend and Kick
Also goes by the name “Donkey Kick” is an amazing yet easy exercise sculpt your abs and shed extra fat off your waist. It also strengthens your spine to give you a better posture.
What to do:
- Start in a position of all fours (with your hands and knees on the ground) – hands under your shoulder, knees hip-width apart, and spine neutral
- Raise either of your legs up with knee bent and foot flat and make a kicking motion
- Use your glute to make “kicking” action towards the ceiling. Your pelvis and working hip should be pointing toward the ground
- Keep your head straight and face down to avoid neck straining and injuries
- Repeat for the other leg to complete a repetition
5. Starfish Crunch
If you want to tone your entire core (and not just midsection) with a simple waist cinching exercise, try starfish crunches.
What to do:
- Lie down on your yoga mat or floor with hands and legs extended to the outside (similar to “X” position)
- Raise your shoulder and legs off the ground, hug your knees into your chest, engaging your core to come up
- Hold yourself in knee-hugging position for a few seconds before slowly lowering back down
6. Standing Cross-Crunches
This exercise focuses on your abs, hips flexors, and obliques muscles. Besides burning fat from and sculpting your waist, it also helps to slim thighs.
What to do:
- Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart and keep your hands behind your head
- Bend your left leg and lift your knee as high as you can toward the right elbow
- While performing this, rotate your torso so that your left knee and right elbow meet putting pressure on your core
- After a second of hold, release and go back to the initial position. Repeat on the opposite side and keep alternating side
7. Russian Twist
It is an effective waist-cinching exercise that requires good coordination and strengthens the core as well as your lower back.
What to do:
- Sit down on the floor or fitness mat with your legs stretch to the front
- Keeping together, slowly raise and bend your legs to 90 degrees
- As your legs go up, hold the back straight and tilt your upper body to about 45 degrees
- Putting the palms of the hands together, stretch them out in front of the abs
- Take the stretched hands to one side and then to another while balancing the body
8. Triangle Crunch
Another powerful waist-cinching exercise that targets abs and obliques muscles in addition to tightening the core.
What to do:
- Start with kneeling on your right knee and placing your right hand on the ground. Now, place your left hand behind head and extend your left leg in the air
- Raise your left leg towards the left elbow and crunch
- Hold the position for a couple of seconds and then slowly release, but don’t extend your left leg completely or put it on the floor
- Repeat it for 15 times and then move to the opposite side
9. Windshield Wiper Abs
Windshield Wiper Abs is an exercise that works on slimming your waist, tummy, and supports the lower back.
What to do:
- Lie flat on a yoga mat with your back pressing against the ground. Extend your arms straight to the side for support
- Bend your knees, pile your legs on top of each other, and move towards left (only bottom area)
- Rotate your legs to left side without touching the floor
- Hold this position for a few seconds before returning to the initial position
- Repeat it again with your right side
10. Waist Slimmer Squat
A list of the best waist cinching exercises would be incomplete without cardio moves like the popular waist slimmer squats. It boosts your cardio efforts, works on your midsection, sculpts waist, and burns extra fat to give you a slimmer waist.
Note: You’ll need a dumbbell for this exercise.
What to do:
- Stand straight and keep your legs shoulder-width apart
- Hold a dumbbell with both of your hands
- Now, rotate your torso to the left, straighten your arms, and slowly raise the dumbbell until it’s parallel to the ground
- Squat as you’d normally do and rotate your torso to the right. Bring the dumbbell close to your right hip diagonally
- Keep repeating it for each side
Final Words
Thanks to effective waist training corsets and cinchers, it’s not difficult anymore to get in shape quickly for a party or special event. But, if you want to get rid of that extra fat around your waist for real, you need to start working out.
These best waist cinching exercises are here to help you sculpt your waist and quickly reveal that waistline you’ve been working on. Moreover, they also help with lower back support, improved posture, and tummy control to give you a perfect hourglass figure.
You also don’t need to join a gym or spend a ton on costly equipment to do these exercises. All you need is the determination and 30 minutes of your time.