The Best Exercises & Diet Tips for a Snatched Waist

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Certified personal trainer Monica Morris shares her secrets for a snatched body

Co-authored by Monica Morris and Kyle Hall

Last Updated: January 14, 2026 Fact Checked

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A snatched waist can sometimes feel like an unattainable fitness fantasy, but the truth is that anyone can slim their waist with the right combination of exercise and healthy eating. The key to getting a snatched waist is shrinking and tightening your core while also building your upper and lower body to give you that snatched, hourglass shape. To make your snatched-waist journey less daunting, we spoke to fitness experts and got their best pro tips for slimming and toning your waist and getting a balanced, snatched physique. Keep reading to learn everything you need for success.

Getting a Snatched Waist: Quick Tips

Certified personal trainer Monica Morris says that eating a clean diet, reducing sugar, and doing ab exercises daily are the best ways to get a snatched waist. Some of the best exercises for slimming and toning your core include bicycle crunches, planks, leg raises, and Russian twists.

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Section 1 of 3:

Best Exercises for a Snatched Waist

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   Bicycle crunches Bicycle crunches work your entire core and are great for your obliques (the muscles that run up and down the sides of your waist), making them essential for the snatched waist look. Here’s the proper way to do them so you get the best results:

   • Lie on your back with your legs raised and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
   • Place your hands behind your head with your elbows out wide, and lift your shoulders off the ground so you’re activating your core.
   • Alternate twisting, bringing your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee, extending your opposite leg as you go.
   • Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Monica Morris is an ACE-certified personal trainer in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 15 years of fitness training experience.

   Danny Gordon is a certified personal trainer and the owner of The Body Studio for Fitness, a fitness studio based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has over 20 years of physical training and teaching experience.

   Laila Ajani is a fitness trainer and the founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has over 10 years of experience as a trainer and exercise specialist.

   Laura Flinn is an NASM-certified personal trainer, USA Olympic weightlifting sports performance coach, and certified fitness nutritionist.

   Pete Cerqua is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with over 20 years of personal training and nutrition coaching experience.
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   Planks Planks target all of your core muscles at the same time, and they’re really easy to do. “You are strengthening your core, including your abdominals and lower back,” when doing planks, says certified personal trainer Pete Cerqua. Here’s how to incorporate planks into your routine to help cinch your waist:

   • Lie facedown on a mat with your forearms resting on the floor and tucked in at your sides.
   • Push yourself up using your forearms, similar to a push-up but resting on your forearms instead of your hands.
     • Make sure your body is in a straight line from your head to your feet (avoid dipping or raising your hips).
   • Hold the position for 10-30 seconds, or for as long as you can.
   • Complete 3 sets. Gradually increase how long you hold planks as you build strength.
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   Leg raises Leg raises are another great exercise for getting a snatched waist since they target and tone all of the muscles in your core. They’re easy to add to your workout routine since you don’t need any equipment to do them. To try leg lifts, follow these steps:

   • Lie on your back with your legs out straight and squeezed together.
   • Press your lower back to the floor so your core is engaged.
   • Slowly lift both legs up as far as you can (making a capital “L” shape with your body, if you’re able).
   • Slowly lower both legs until they’re hovering just above the flower, then repeat.
   • Start with 10 reps and increase from there.
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   Russian twists Russian twists work your abs, obliques, and intercostals (your rib muscles), making them a must for a snatched-waist routine. You can do them equipment-free, or hold a medicine ball or weight for extra resistance. Here’s how:

   • Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flexed, heels touching the floor.
   • Lean back slowly until you feel your core activate.
   • Holding your hands (or a medicine ball or weight) in front of your chest, twist your torso left to right. Keep your core engaged as you twist.
   • Do 3 sets of 12-20 reps.
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   Squats Squats are a tried-and-true classic for a reason: they help strengthen and grow your thighs, hips, and butt, which is essential if you want an hourglass, snatched look. “[Squats] add more lean muscle to your body,” says certified personal trainer Danny Gordon, adding that they’re a great option if you’re “looking to increase the muscle or the girth in the butt area.” Here’s how to do squats the right way:

   • Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Point your toes out slightly.
   • Lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing your butt back, like you’re sitting down onto a chair. Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
     • Keep your back straight and extend your arms out in front of you as you squat down.
   • Push back up to the starting position, then repeat.
   • Do 1 set of 12-15 reps. Add more sets and reps as you get stronger.
     • Start with just your bodyweight, then consider doing weighted squats for even better results.
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   Lunges “Lunges are great for the legs and glutes," says personal trainer Dean Theriot. They’ll help give you a fuller, toned lower body that contrasts with your waist and makes it look snatched. To do lunges with proper form, follow these simple steps:

   • Stand with your legs hip-width apart and hands resting on your hips.
   • Step forward with one leg and sink down until your front leg is bent at a 90-degree angle.
   • Hold for 1-3 seconds, then slowly step back to the starting position.
   • Do 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per leg.
     • Try lunges without weights to start, then consider adding weights as you progress.
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   Hip thrusts Hip thrusts grow your glutes and thighs to give you more of an hourglass shape. “[They’re] a great exercise for hitting both the upper and lower glutes,” says certified personal trainer Christopher Carreiro. Here’s how to do them:

   • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
     • For a harder variation, sit on the floor and lean your back against a couch.
   • Push through your feet and lift up your hips so there’s a straight line from your knees to your chest.
   • Squeeze to activate your glutes.
   • Lower your hips down and repeat.
   • Do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.
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   Seated shoulder presses Broadening your shoulders and upper back will help you get that balanced, hourglass shape that’s needed for a truly snatched waist. Seated dumbbell shoulder presses are one of the best exercises for this since they directly target the muscles in your shoulders. To do seated dumbbell shoulder presses, follow these steps:

   • Sit on a bench with your feet flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart.
   • Hold a dumbbell in each hand so they’re at shoulder height, with your palms and wrists facing out in front of you.
   • Press the dumbbells up and overhead so your arms are fully extended (but not locked).
   • Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat.
   • Do 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps. Once you’re able to do 3-4 sets of 15 reps comfortably, gradually increase the dumbbell weight.
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   Lat pulldowns “In the gym, they have a lat pulldown [machine]. That's a good one for working the upper back area,” says Gordon. While they might require equipment, lat pull-downs are an excellent way to work out your upper back and make your waist appear even smaller. To try this exercise, follow these steps:

   • Sit on a lat pulldown machine at the gym. Adjust the thigh pads so they’re firmly pressed against the top of your legs.
   • Grab onto the overhead bar with both hands.
   • Pull the bar down to your chest as you exhale.
   • Pause briefly, then return the bar to the starting position and repeat.
   • Do 3 sets of 10 reps, starting at a weight you can comfortably complete the reps with and gradually increasing from there.
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    Lateral raises Lateral raises target your shoulder muscles and help give you that V-shaped upper body, which contributes to the snatched waist look. You can easily do them at home with just a couple of dumbbells. Here’s how:

    • Stand with a dumbbell in each hand.
    • Raise your arms out at your sides until the dumbbells are at shoulder height.
    • Slowly lower your arms to the starting position and repeat.
    • Do 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps, gradually increasing the weight as you progress.
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    Walking, running, and other aerobic exercises If you’re trying to lose weight, incorporating aerobic exercise into your routine can help. Even just 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, like walking, running, cycling, or swimming, per week can reduce your waist size. For even better results, try to aim for at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week.
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Section 2 of 3:

Adjusting Your Diet for a Snatched Waist

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   Eat fewer calories if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re currently carrying weight around your midsection, you’ll need to eat fewer calories and lose weight in order to reveal your abs and have a snatched waist. “When it comes to having visible abs, the goal is to get leaner with a balanced diet and eating at a caloric deficit,” says personal trainer Julian Arana. And according to fitness trainer Laila Ajani, doing stomach exercises alone won’t be enough to get a snatched waist if you also need to lose weight. “If we're not eating right and we do all these stomach exercises or a whole bunch of cardio, we usually can't outdo the calories we've put in, and then the waist never gets smaller."

   • Health experts recommend losing no more than 1-2 pounds per week, which can be accomplished by eating 500-1,000 fewer calories per day.
   • If you’re trying to gain weight to grow your glutes and upper body for more of an hourglass figure, you’ll want to eat at a caloric surplus instead. Eating 500-1,000 more calories per day can help you gain 1-2 pounds per week, which is a healthy, sustainable goal.
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   Eat healthy, nutritious, whole foods. Personal trainer Laura Flinn emphasizes the importance of healthy eating when it comes to getting a snatched waist. “You can get rid of the fat on the side of your waist by eating healthy, which means…eating a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy fats, and lean protein.” Eating a nutritious diet will fuel your body, help you grow lean muscle (needed for your upper and lower body to get that snatched, hourglass look), and help reduce excess weight around your midsection.
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   Limit sugar and simple carbs. “Nutrition plays the biggest role in reducing waist size. Limiting sugar and simple carbs should be the priority,” says Flinn. Morris agrees: “Reducing or removing simple sugars…will help the snatched waist appearance come in faster.”

   • Simple carbs (candy, soda, white grains, etc.) create an immediate burst of energy that quickly fizzles. They’re less healthy than complex carbs (whole-grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, etc.), which provide longer-lasting energy to help with your workouts. Sugar is a type of simple carbohydrate, which is why it’s best to limit it if you’re aiming for a snatched waist.
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions About Getting a Snatched Waist

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   How long does it take to get a snatched waist? Everyone’s timeline is different, but you may start seeing results in as little as one month. How long it takes to get a snatched waist depends on where you’re starting from: the more weight you have to lose, the longer it will take. With that said, by eating healthy, maintaining a caloric deficit, and doing your exercises consistently, you should start to see changes within 4 weeks. By 6-12 weeks, it’s possible to achieve a 1-3 inch (2.5-7.6 cm) reduction in your waist measurement.
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   Is diet or exercise more important for getting a snatched waist? Both are important, but what you eat plays a bigger role in the size and appearance of your waist than exercise does. “Training your abs until you die will not give you a six-pack. What will give you a six pack is if you drop your body fat,” says exercise physiologist Eric Martinez. Ajani agrees: “Being on a calorie-restricted diet is going to help you lose fat, which is what shows the six-pack that we all have underneath the layer of fat on our stomach." So while exercise is definitely important for toning and defining your physique, eating healthy and maintaining a caloric deficit (if you’re trying to lose weight) should be your top priorities.
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   Is it possible to get a snatched waist without diet and exercise? Shapewear and waist cinchers can give you the appearance of a snatched waist. The effect is immediate, making this a good option if you have an upcoming event you want your waist to look slimmer for, but the results are temporary and only visible when you’re wearing the cinching undergarment.
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