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8 Strength Exercises To Get a Snatched Waist Like Kylie Jenner

A combo of core-carving moves and full-body strength work is the recipe for real results.
FACT CHECKED BY Alexa Mellardo

Kylie Jenner's hourglass silhouette is more than just the result of good genes and glam squads; it's built on a consistent commitment to fitness and smart movement. While her style may set trends on Instagram, her workouts sculpt her famous figure behind the scenes. If you want to carve out a snatched waistline like Kylie's, a combo of core-carving moves and full-body strength work is the recipe for real results.

These eight strength-based exercises will cinch your waist, define your curves, and boost total-body toning. These moves take inspiration from Kylie's routines and earn approval from top trainers who swear by combining resistance with high-intensity effort. Add a clean, balanced diet, and you're on your way to waist-defining wins.

1. Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a waistline whisperer. This dynamic move fires up your core, strengthens your shoulders, and revs your heart rate—all in one go. If you want to incorporate core-centric circuits into your training, this kind of fast-paced, full-body burner fits the bill. The constant drive of your knees toward your chest mimics the motion of a crunch, helping to sculpt your midsection and tighten your waist.

How to Do It:

  1. Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body forming a straight line from head to heels.
  2. Engage your core and lift your right knee toward your chest.
  3. Quickly switch legs, driving your left knee in while extending your right leg back.
  4. Continue alternating legs in a running motion while keeping your hips level and your core tight.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Complete 3 rounds of 30 to 45 seconds, resting 30 seconds between rounds.

Best Variations:

  • Cross-Body Mountain Climbers (drive knees across the body to target obliques)
  • Slow Tempo Climbers (for core control and sculpting)
  • Elevated Mountain Climbers (hands on a bench to reduce wrist pressure)

RELATED: Kaia Gerber's Trainer Shares Her Go-to 'Glutes Combo' for a Toned Booty

2. Wood Chops

Wood chops are a must if you're looking to sculpt your sides and cinch your waist like Kylie Jenner. This functional core move targets your obliques—the muscles that help create a defined, hourglass look. Whether you're using a dumbbell, resistance band, or cable machine, wood chops engage your entire core while mimicking real-life twisting motions (perfect for enhancing rotation and balance, too).

How to Do It:

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a dumbbell or cable handle with both hands above one shoulder.
  2. Engage your core and twist your torso as you bring the weight down diagonally across your body to the opposite hip.
  3. Pivot your back foot slightly as you twist for a more powerful chop.
  4. Slowly return to the start and repeat on one side before switching.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.

Best Variations:

  • Cable Wood Chops (more resistance control)
  • Resistance Band Chops (great for home workouts)
  • Medicine Ball Wood Chops (adds a dynamic element)

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3. Hill Sprints

Kylie Jenner reportedly includes incline-based cardio to keep her physique toned, and hill sprints are a killer way to shred fat while tightening your waist. Sprinting uphill requires more glute, hamstring, and core activation than flat-ground sprints, making it an ideal waist-sculpting cardio burst. Plus, the afterburn effect keeps your metabolism high long after you stop.

How to Do It:

  1. Find a hill or incline on a treadmill.
  2. Start with a light jog to warm up your legs and elevate your heart rate.
  3. Sprint up the hill at max effort for 10 to 20 seconds.
  4. Walk or slowly jog back down to recover.
  5. Repeat the sprint-recovery cycle.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 6 to 10 sprints, resting 60 to 90 seconds between rounds.

Best Variations:

  • Treadmill Incline Sprints (easy to control)
  • Walking Lunges Uphill (great strength-builder)
  • Stair Sprints (similar benefits, more accessible)

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4. Planks

There's a reason planks are a core classic—and a staple in celeb routines like Kylie's. Planks build deep core strength, improve posture, and help tighten the midsection without repetitive crunching. They're a no-equipment move you can do anywhere for a seriously snatched waist.

How to Do It:

  1. Get into a forearm plank with your elbows under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
  2. Squeeze your core, glutes, and legs while keeping your hips level.
  3. Avoid letting your hips sag or pike up—stay strong through the center.
  4. Hold the position while breathing steadily.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 30 to 60 seconds.

Best Variations:

  • Side Planks (targets the obliques)
  • Plank with Hip Dips (adds dynamic core work)
  • Plank to Push-Up (adds upper body and shoulder stability)

RELATED: Denise Austin, 68, Shares 'Great' Belly-Fat Exercise: 'Say Hello Cinched Waist'

5. Walking Lunges

Walking lunges are a secret weapon for toning your lower body and trimming your waist. They work the legs and glutes—essential for building balance and curves like Kylie's—while forcing your core to stabilize with every step. It's a full-body strength and stability move rolled into one.

How to Do It:

  1. Stand tall with your feet together and hands on your hips or holding dumbbells.
  2. Step forward with your right leg and lower into a lunge until both knees are at 90 degrees.
  3. Push through your right heel to rise, then step forward with your left leg into the next lunge.
  4. Continue walking forward with alternating lunges.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Complete 2 to 3 sets of 20 steps (10 per leg).

Best Variations:

  • Reverse Lunges (less pressure on the knees)
  • Lunges with a Twist (adds waist-cinching rotation)
  • Overhead Walking Lunges (increases core demand)

6. Lateral Lunges

To get Kylie-level definition, you must move in all planes. Lateral lunges target the outer thighs, glutes, and inner thighs while challenging your core stability. They help sculpt the hips and tighten the waistline from the sides, which enhances that coveted hourglass shape.

How to Do It:

  1. Stand tall with your feet together and hands clasped in front of your chest.
  2. Take a big step to the right.
  3. Push your hips back as you bend your right knee, keeping your left leg straight.
  4. Push off your right foot to return to the center.
  5. Repeat on one side or alternate sides.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side.

Best Variations:

  • Dumbbell Lateral Lunges (adds resistance)
  • Lateral Lunges with Reach (adds upper-body movement)
  • Side-to-Side Skaters (adds cardio and agility)

RELATED: Gal Gadot's Diet & Workout Regimen That Keeps Her in Shape at 39

7. Medicine Ball Slams

There's something incredibly satisfying about slamming a ball to the floor—and it also happens to torch your core and waist. Med ball slams work your entire body, but the explosive nature lights up the abs, especially the obliques. It's a move that channels power, strength, and core definition—all key elements in Kylie's sculpted aesthetic.

How to Do It:

  1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball at chest level.
  2. Lift the ball overhead and straighten your arms.
  3. Brace your core.
  4. Powerfully slam the ball to the ground, using your entire body.
  5. Catch the ball on the bounce and reset.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Complete 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Best Variations:

  • Rotational Slams (adds oblique twist)
  • Side Slams (target waist from different angles)
  • Overhead Slams to Squat (total-body burner)

8. Dumbbell Rows

While rows may seem like an upper-body move, they're an underrated tool for defining the waist. Kylie's toned arms and back don't just come from pressing and pushing—pulling exercises like dumbbell rows strengthen the lats and create the illusion of a smaller waist by building a stronger V-taper up top. Plus, your core works overtime to stay stable as you row.

How to Do It:

  1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and hinge forward at your hips with a flat back.
  2. Keep your core tight and pull the weights toward your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  3. Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the start.
  4. Avoid rounding your back or letting your chest drop.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Best Variations:

  • Single-Arm Rows (isolate each side)
  • Renegade Rows (plank + row = core on fire)
  • Incline Bench Rows (reduces back strain)

The Snatched Waist Sculptor

Grab one medium-weight dumbbell (10–20 lbs, depending on your fitness level). This workout blends dynamic moves with targeted core work to help sculpt a snatched waist just like Kylie Jenner's. You'll be moving for 20 to 25 minutes, working up a sweat and lighting up your midsection.

The Routine:

  1. Mountain Climbers (3 sets of 30 seconds)
  2. Dumbbell Wood Chops (3 sets of 12 reps per side)
  3. Lateral Lunges (3 sets of 10 reps per side)
  4. Forearm Plank (3 sets of 30–45 seconds)

Directions:

Perform these exercises as a circuit. Move from one exercise to the next with minimal rest. Rest for 60 seconds between rounds. Beginners: 2 rounds. Advanced: 3–4 rounds. Focus on engaging your core throughout every movement to carve out those curves.

Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS
Jarrod Nobbe is a USAW National Coach, Sports Performance Coach, Personal Trainer, and writer, and has been involved in health and fitness for the past 12 years. Read more