Squatting = Thicker Waist?

You look a lot leaner and your measurement is down. Not sure what you were expecting? While it is possible to bulk up the waist with weight training (typically eating at maintenance or surplus) it doesn't look like you have done that, at all. In the end, genetics will determine your hip to waist ratio
ETA: I think you look bomb, whatever you are doing is working

fernadele313 wrote: »

I think what's triggered this for me is reading a thread on a body building site where 26 inch waist was considered "thick"

My hips are 38 inch, so I know it's the size of the waist in relation to height and hips that determines a "thick" waist.

Surely it's not healthy to have a waist below 24/25 inches at 5'6?

Measurements are going to differ across the board. I wouldn't read into that BB site too much, honestly. Maybe for a stage ready very low BF% female, but even still I wouldn't look at one measurement in isolation to determine someone's "thickness"

Healthy for you? Maybe, maybe not? I am sure there are many people at your height with a smaller waist that are healthy.. that is how they are built... but they are not you. So again, it will depend on genetics.

fernadele313 wrote: »

robininfl wrote: »

My goodness, you have a small waist already! Most likely that is not where you hold fat, so it can't get much smaller.

I don't hold too much fat around my core, it's my hips, thighs and backs of my arms that are problem areas when I put on weight.

Perhaps if I work on building muscles in glutes and legs, my waist will look as small as it did before

Yea that will help too. You can look into recomp - eating at maintenance and lifting.

Just out of curiosity, what lifting program are you doing?

fernadele313 wrote: »

I'm not following any lifting program in particular.

I alternate between HIIT at home and various compound exercises at gym

Well whatever you are doing is working. I mean, as long as you are happy with the results of course! If you aren't then ya I would maybe switch to an actual program, but again, you seem to be doing a-ok

Do you mean you think it is 'thicker' because it is proportionally bigger? I think because your waist was small to begin with it can't keep the same proportions and get much smaller. It has gone down anyway. I think you will only get a really 'thick' waist like a gymnast if you do a massive amount of ab exercises, but even then they only look bigger because their hips are smaller. I don't think that the squating and ab exercises are making your waist bigger.
You have a fabulous figure before and after, but maybe adding more muscle to your legs will give you a more pronounced hourglass figure if you want that.

fernadele313 wrote: »

I think what's triggered this for me is reading a thread on a body building site where 26 inch waist was considered "thick"

that's . . . who made that post, scarlett o'hara?

maybe body building has specific and strict 'rules' for proportions and aesthetics and stuff. that doesn't really mean anything much about real-life standards though.

it's like you can have the prettiest dog or cat that you've ever seen, but they could still be all 'wrong' if you put them in some professional show ring. the judging standards are just different, and very prescriptive. real life has a much broader range of things that are pleasing.

to answer your actual question: i personally think that growing the stronger - and thicker - ab muscles that i got from doing squats did change the look of my waist. my obliques not only have more volume than they used to; they're just plain stronger. i can't be arsed with constantly stretching them, so yeah. i do think they take more of a 'shortest path' between ribs and pelvis now than before.

i figured i'd answer your question on its merits, as far as my own experience goes. for reference, i lift 'heavy' and this has only really become something i notice since doing front squats. i don't mind the look, personally; in fact i like it. but then it works for me. i adjusted my routine because growing a much stronger set of abs was what i was looking to do.