# Can Ab Training Increase Waist Size?



## jon44 (Jan 30, 2007)

I go through periods of going on a health kick and losing a few pounds. Recently, I've lost a bit of weight (I'm at about 9 or 10% body fat), but, oddly, my pants all have started to fit tightly. I'm usually between a 31 and 32 waist, and when I get very lean, usually 31 waisted pants feel good or even a bit loose. But now, many of my 32 waisted pants feel tight.

So, I have two hypotheses: 
#1: More abdominal work and smarter eating has lead to more ab muscles, which equals bigger waist size
#2: I'm older and even though appear lean overall, still have put on more fat around the mid-section due to age-related hormonal changes.

Any thought appreciated,

Jon


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## PMRuby (Jan 13, 2010)

Among those options, I’d think that # 2 is the more likely scenario. Also, think about where the trousers are tight. I find that when I go on a major exercise kick my trousers fit differently – about the same in the same in the waist, but tighter in the thighs from more running, time on the bike, etc. Are they tighter in the waist, the seat, or the thighs?


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## jbarwick (Nov 17, 2012)

jon44 said:


> I go through periods of going on a health kick and losing a few pounds. Recently, I've lost a bit of weight _*(I'm at about 9 or 10% body fat)*_, but, oddly, my pants all have started to fit tightly. I'm usually between a 31 and 32 waist, and when I get very lean, usually 31 waisted pants feel good or even a bit loose. But now, many of my 32 waisted pants feel tight.
> 
> So, I have two hypotheses:
> #1: More abdominal work and smarter eating has lead to more ab muscles, which equals bigger waist size
> ...


I love the backdoor brag then asking question #2. My experience has been losing my midsection when losing weight. The only thing that has grown has been my thighs which makes shopping for pants rough. Maybe your abs have grown in bulk and you still have some cushion covering those abs leading to your pants not fitting?


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

If you'll pardon a rather direct question - are you a heavy drinker? That's a quick way to put on flab, although I note you say you are lean. 

You don't say exactly how old you are, but with age, body shape does change in some men. I've been working out for three years, just to try to keep fit, and while it's made me fitter, I've also put on weight. Sometimes I think all the exercise achieves is to make me hungry.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

I have sort of been where you are, and both of hypotheses are correct.

At the height of my training the only direct abdominal work I did was one set of 100 sit-ups twice a day. This was at a body of weight of about 230 and after my upper body had begun to bulk up. That's a lot of work for the abs, and anyone is going to begin to increase the muscle size of the their abs. (Those of us who tend to add mass easily, more so.) Since you never really had that much body fat in that part of your body, your waist will tend to get larger even though your body fat remains the same or decreases.

Pretty much everyone's waist thickens as they get older irrespective of what they do,* all other things being equal. *(I.e., amount of body fat, amount of exercise, etc.)

It's easy to get hung up on numbers such as 31 versus 32, but I wouldn't care. I suspect you've noticed that even if your waist is a small fraction larger, you *look* smaller and sleeker. And more importantly, you hopefully feel better and are healthier.

And now some unsolicited advice from the elders: As you mature, you might find yourself happier if you thought in terms of a sustainable, comfortable approach to exercise and diet, rather than in terms of absolutes.

Edit: As a note of interest, it was reported by multiple sources that during his competetive years Arnold Scwarzenegger's waist was often about 38".


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## aiur55 (Oct 14, 2012)

You also have to take into account the thickness your lower back adds to your waist. Most of the thickness will be from your lower back. A lot of squats and deadlifts will increase your waist size as well. Ab muscles are absolutely tiny in comparison and most likely will not affect your waist size. The easiest way to track changes would be to measure your body though.


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## cdavant (Aug 28, 2005)

At some point you'll find you're gaining about a pound a year even if your exercise and intake remain constant. Five pounds translates to roughly 1" of waist. If you're 40, expect 1-2" more waist by 50 and another 1-2" by 60. You need to try to cut about 100 cal/day/year to stay the same weight. Note I said weight, not shape. Good luck.


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## Orsini (Apr 24, 2007)

A cubic inch of meat weighs more that a cubic inch of lard.


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## wrwhiteknight (Mar 20, 2012)

I believe that your figure of 9-10% body fact comes from a source that you trust, but I would echo Fraser Tartan in that these things are extremely hard to measure. Most people that have body fat percentages that are that low are high-performance athletes in a sport such as gymnastics, cycling or rock climbing which require extraordinary weight to power ratios.

Either way, if your abs are getting in the way of your pants, it's possible you simply like to wear your pants up much higher than I do.


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## Malabar (Nov 9, 2012)

Jon, I`m now all in the losing weight, reduced waist from 34 to 31, and one day I`ve noticed same strange effects - many pants of same size could be tighter or looser in the same day!

Unfortunately, my doctor solved this issie - i had an dysbacteriosis, and my stomach could grow of 2-5 inch. (( An alcohol, fat food, hot and spicy meals can provide an abdominal distention in many cases. 

So it goes...


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## Olifter (Jun 9, 2012)

aiur55 said:


> You also have to take into account the thickness your lower back adds to your waist. Most of the thickness will be from your lower back. A lot of squats and deadlifts will increase your waist size as well. Ab muscles are absolutely tiny in comparison and most likely will not affect your waist size. The easiest way to track changes would be to measure your body though.


Exactly.


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## jon44 (Jan 30, 2007)

Some great advice here--thanks a lot.

Clearly, I shouldn't have thrown out the body % numbers--just wanted to flesh out the dilemna of feeling like I was reducing the official parameters but unofficially (i.e., waist size) felt like I was going in wrong direction...

I suspect the "all of the above" answer is correct. (And btw, my motivation to get really lean isn't so much aesthetics but taking stress off bad hip, and finding a comfortable weight where I don't have to have all my pants retailored every few season.) In terms of muscle, I bet it's the increase strength in low back muscles (no so much abs), I do get the stomach distention after eating spicy and pickled foods, and I know there is the issue of changes in body composition as we age--though for me I wonder if it's fat in low back, as I do have the "six-pack" look at this point. If last issue is a big contributor, I'm hoping the miracle of Intermittent Fasting takes care of it (in a slow, but sure way).


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## tiltedkilted (May 22, 2012)

I've heard that some forms of abdominal training can increase waist size (Side bends/Deadlifts).


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## JBierly (Jul 4, 2012)

Undoubtedly training your midsection (aka "core") can lead to some increase in size - but midsection girth is going to be influenced way more by subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat in men and to a lesser extent in women. I suspect you would have to be in really exceptional condition with body fat in the low single digits and rock hard abs to notice an appreciable difference in trouser size attributable to an increase in abdominal muscle mass. Not sayin' it can't happen - just that I would think that is the least likely reason.


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## Leighton (Nov 16, 2009)

If you started off fat free, yes. If you are talking about starting off with a layer of fat, and then adding muscle underneath and losing weight, maybe.

I've been between 9-10% actual fat for the past 4 years. Recently I've hit the gym harder and changed up my exercises and my abs are bigger and my pants are tighter. My lower back could be bigger too. I'm down to 6% on the Omron machine these days.


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## jdtoyou (Apr 21, 2011)

aiur55 said:


> You also have to take into account the thickness your lower back adds to your waist. Most of the thickness will be from your lower back. A lot of squats and deadlifts will increase your waist size as well. Ab muscles are absolutely tiny in comparison and most likely will not affect your waist size. The easiest way to track changes would be to measure your body though.


Thanks for sharing. I've been leaning out myself but doing a lot of squats, deadlifts, good mornings ect and eating paleo and was wondering why my trousers were feeling tighter in the waist.


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## dbhdbhdbh (Aug 10, 2012)

Squats, dead lifts and such will enlarge your gluteals and make your pants tighter. Even competitive bodybuilders never get their abs particularly large, but power athletes can get truly massive just below the waist.


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## jon44 (Jan 30, 2007)

dbhdbhdbh said:


> Squats, dead lifts and such will enlarge your gluteals and make your pants tighter.


That's really interesting and I think may a big part of the answer in my case, as I put a lot of effort into hill work (which I think of as roughly equivalent to the power lifts you mention.)


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Jon: Like you, I am "older" with bodyfat percentage and waist size similar to yours. I lift twice weekly on a consolidated one-set-to-failure program and regularly practice the martial arts, run, walk, bike, ski, climb stairs, etc. I think my ab and glute sizes remain constant and that any tightness in the waistband comes from extra bodyfat. When I notice this and check on the scale, there is always an extra pound or two, that is then easy enough to remove. It will be different for younger men who are still building muscle.


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## WmC (Apr 6, 2012)

Yes, if you don't breath out as you come up. Without this little practice, you train your muscles to pouch out.


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## egarrulo (Sep 9, 2010)

Fraser Tartan said:


> Jon44, if you are at 9-10% body fat, you should be seeing at least some if not signifcant ab definition ("six-pack"). Using calipers to measure isn't very accurate. Where does your number come from?


This.

Actually, abs exercise should make your waist tighter. Besides crunches, I've heard that the vacuum exercise is recommended. As I've just started training my abs, I can't comment on the effectivess of such recommendation.


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