Keeping a small waist while strength training? (Obliques?)

SpicesOfLife

hey there!

so im wondering how i can keep my small waist when i start with strength training again. i just do bodyweight exercises. last time i got into it i noticed that my waist got a bit wider from the muscle build up, which i didnt appreciate so im wondering what precautions i can take to not have this happen again.

some articles say training your obliques will get you a small waist while others say that its large obliques that will make you look wide, so which one is it?

appreciate any and all comments!

Fujiberry

Your 'larger waist' is likely from bloating/water retention.
Unless you're on a bulk at 2,000+ calories, strength training will not make your waist larger.
Or unless you already have a lot of muscle there from years and years of heavy strength training.

Cheeky_and_Geeky

Keep focusing on body weight workouts & don't add weights when you're working on your abs & obliques. I've never experienced my waist getting larger from strength training, but that would be my recommendation. Also, try Pilates. Great workout to staying lean.

stephv38

So, Im not sure the best answer to your question, but I have noticed the same thing. My obliques are strong and visible... however on me they look like "hard love handles"! Not the result I was looking for. Ive seen it mentioned before on body building websites but dont have a good answer. I think genetic predispositions may contribute. Also, I dont know if you have had kids, but my transverse abs are torn (diastasis recti) from multiple pregnancies. I think this is a fairly permanent condition and I think my obliques compensate for this weakness? Getting a little bigger? Not sure! I dont train my obliques at all, but do some compounds like squats and deadlifts...