Small waist

[schubert]

What are the go to exercises to make sure my waist gets so narrow I get the V shape, or Dorito shape? I currently look like a rugby or American football player, but I want the V

I know that a low body fat contributes but I’m sure there’s more to it. I’m currently losing body fat but don’t see any changes in waistline. Even when I was skinny I don’t think I ever had the Dorito shape. Could it also be genetics?

 

[holydan86]

@schubert Build up your side delts and lats more, don't build up your obliques. Then diet down to get rid of your love handles.

That's about it.

 

[miles44]

@holydan86 i used to be on team no obliques for the skinny waist. but there’s nothing like being diced with veins all over your obliques popping out. shit gives you +100 aesthetics.

 

[arab545]

@miles44 Veins on your obliques is just absurd.

 

[miles44]

@arab545 in what way?

 

[fortheloveofchrist]

@miles44 Imma need some pics

 

[tdburton94]

@holydan86 teres major

 

[sarahbearah8381]

@schubert

Even when I was skinny I don’t think I ever had the Dorito shape. Could it also be genetics?

Absolutely. Google "wide/narrow clavicle".

Many very fit people with great lats and delts still look "square". And others start off with a v taper despite never working out.

The variation is absolutely huge and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

ETA: Do I have wide or narrow clavicles is a popular question on bodybuilding subs.

 

[jesussavedme10]

@sarahbearah8381 What about a wide waist? I think I might have this.

 

[dawn16]

@schubert Diet

 

[rachel96]

@dawn16 3x12 fork put downs.

 

[favor2020]

@dawn16 This one. Some guys will avoid training certain muscle groups to keep a “shape” but imo that’s silly and only applicable if you perhaps are very enhanced.
To each their own but most the guys I’ve seen that adhere to that philosophy just end up with a weak point that holds them back in other areas.

Building nice healthy shoulders by not ignoring functional movements that pull them into their strongest resting position is a good idea. Stuff like making sure your rear delts, rotator cuffs, lower traps and various supporting muscles are strong and healthy.

 

[schubert]

@dawn16 I literally mentioned that diet can’t be the only thing. There must be more

 

[jessie_jones_godlover]

@schubert Once there’s no body fat there, the only thing mostly left is the skeleton. You can’t change your skeleton.

Some core muscles like obliques may slightly add to waist size. But unless you are directly targeting these very very hard, these are not making a difference.

Most of the V-shape you see in people are due to: 1) favorable skeletal structure, wide clavicle bones and narrow hip bones, 2) illusion created by large upper body muscles, as the larger your muscles are, the smaller your waist will look in proportion. You can’t control 1, but can control 2.

 

[dawn16]

@schubert You literally edited your original post and added that part lol

 

[schubert]

@dawn16 I did not. How dare you?

 

[kvolm]

@schubert Step 1. Build a huge shoulders and a wide back, do not train obliques

Step 2. Diet down to ~10% body fat

If you still don’t have a small waist or the illusion of it, repeat steps 1 and 2 until you do

 

[paurologist]

@kvolm Do you think barbell squats should be avoided if I want to keep the waist narrow? Maybe this is just personal experience, but my waist size has gone up significantly ever since I started squatting from 1 plate to 4. My theory is that 1. My body weight went up, I gained fat. A diet could help in this regard 2. My entire core including the obliques are doing lots of stabilizing work.

 

[adut]

@schubert My waist to width ratio is one of the best features told to me by judges. When I first started competing and before becoming pro, I asked the judges after the win for feedback…they said to not touch my stomach.

Before that day and after that day i never trained abs or obliques…especially not during a “bulk” or off season either.

I always did 2 months before a show just to be able to get the control for them, not to get them bigger.

So all year I would not train them and hope that the non-use would make them atrophy. When I diet down, your abs are there.

I trained glutes heavily to make my waist seem smaller.

Along with lats and shoulders. But glutes were a strong focus.

For exercises that required a “strong core” I had to learn how to super isolate my glutes and hamstrings when doing a squat or deadlift so that I didn’t have to use a lot of weight (which my core couldn’t hold)

 

[bfaith03]

@schubert You can’t reduce the size of your waist with an exercise. Best you can do is build your shoulders and lats to make your waist appear smaller.