What can I do to create the illusion of a smaller waist?

A number of different factors come into play when wanting to shape the body to look a certain way, but the only way to safely and effectively change your body is by building muscle. I wrote a separate blog post called ‘How to lose 13lbs in 10 days.. why does this attract our attention?’ – This will explain everything you shouldn’t do in terms of weight loss (Click the link above to read it) Everyone is completely individual and so results will vary with each person depending on these factors below:

• Genetics – Your DNA and physical structure will be completely different to anyone else, some people are what’s commonly referred to as ‘genetically gifted’ in the health and fitness world, meaning they are either aesthetically appealing by being symmetrical in terms of muscle, they build/gain quicker, they are naturally lean/have a fast metabolism or have certain muscle groups that build or maintain without ever training them (this can be calves for some people, not me unfortunately) 

• Environment/Accessibility – Low income, average income and high income, different financial situations can obviously effect your progress as if you can’t pay for a gym membership, personal trainer or afford to buy meat/protein higher quality foods then you might not make progress as quickly as someone who can afford to do those things (This does NOT mean you cannot make progress! Theres lots of free health and fitness content on websites like mine, Youtube and Instagram and of course books! Visit your local library or charity shops and find cheaper meal alternatives, exercises you can do from home or outdoors.

• Dedication/priorities – Building muscle will only come through consistency, dedication, hard work and making it a priority within your life schedule. If it were easy, everyone would look like they had just walked off the cover of vogue or mens health magazine. With proper guidance and support from a personal trainer or online coach you can stay motivated, learn proper form, learn about nutrition and how certain foods or amounts will help you to progress etc. 

• Lifting weights / using resistance – The most important step alongside consistency is using resistance during a workout, sorry to tell you but your favourite ‘influencer’ or ‘celebrity’ didn’t grow big glutes by doing bodyweight kickbacks, its just for likes (She built big glutes by weight training, being genetically gifted or with surgery) 

So, I know my results will vary with my specific body, i’ve made this a priority in my schedule as it’s important to me and i’ve got a gym membership.. how do I create the illusion of a smaller waist? 

Step one – If you are overweight (i.e. holding a high percentage of body fat) then you need to be in a calorie deficit for a long enough period of time to reduce overall body fat gradually and safely. You’ll never have to be on a miserable, restricted diet eating salad all day, no one wants that (Read my blog post on calorie deficits here)

Once you have lost your desired body fat you can see what type of genetics you have, you might lose fat and realise you’re happy with the way you are! If not, you can do the next steps.

Step two: You’re at a comfortable body fat percentage but you aren’t happy with your figure, here comes weight training. To create the illusion of a smaller waist, you’ll need to build up some muscle In particular: 

• Build up your back muscles (Especially your latissimus dorsi as it creates the wider shape at the sides of your body, giving the illusion of a smaller waist) However, all muscles should be trained to create strength and avoid muscle imbalances, another reason why you shouldn’t listen to Susan on Instagram when she tells you to train your glutes every single day) 

• Build up your quads, glutes and hamstrings – Think of the body like an hourglass, wide at the top, narrow in the middle and then wide again at the bottom. I.e. Build up your top half (back, arms, chest, core) and your bottom half (legs) to create the illusion that your waist is smaller! 

Overall, all muscles should be trained as I mentioned before, over training one single muscle group will cause a shortening and lengthening of the trained vs untrained muscle, therefore resulting in a muscle imbalance and potentially causing pain, discomfort, injury or postural abnormalities. 

So in conclusion, train all muscle groups but if you are specifically looking to create a smaller waist, focus on building up your back (especially your lats) glutes and quads to create that hourglass figure. 

If you aren’t sure, hire a personal trainer or online coach! (I happen to be both.. how convenient!)

Visit my social media pages to see my client transformations, health and fitness tips and updates on my own physique and fitness journey!

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Or, send me an email at: coachedbykashima@hotmail.com 

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