If a person who weighed 170 at 6% BF had a waist of 32 inches, and they bulked and cut over time until they weighed 190 at 6%, would their waist measurement return to 32 inches? Would the additional muscle on the glutes, lower back, obliques and abs make for a measurably larger waist?
Good question. Unfortunetly i dont know. 
I tend to think that, yes, any additional muscle gained in the lower back and obliques would increase your waist size. Though the amount of fat you gained would be minimal (1.2 lb) I think that if you were predisposed to storing fat around your waist, most would be stored there.
I would tend to agree with Vin. You may look much better overall and will have the same lean look, but going from 170 to 190, you would be adding 1.2lbs of fat (most likely around your midsection if you are a typical male) and some extra muscle around your midsection. You may feel more comfortable in 33" waist pants, but you would probably still fit in 32" pants. So you would probably be ok going up to 190. Beyond that though, you may have to buy a new wardrobe.
If you grow, evenly, then I would assume that yes, your waist would increase in width. I’m thinking this way since the waist line is covered in muscle tissue as well. But, truthfully, this presents a mystery. The only bodybuilder I’m aware of that had a really freaky small waistline was the British dude from the 80’s (he was also black). He was featured on the cover of Ironman. It was a cool cover, they made him look like a clay sculpture of a bodybuilder doing a front double-bi. Have you ever seen the progression of a bodybuilder who gains size over the years?
Thanks folks. This helps. I peaked at 174 at 6% in the late summer of '00 – a personal achievement, but not too impressive at 6’1. Now I’m 216 at (I’m estimating) 15%, for what I hope is a 20 pound FFM gain. Anyway, I wanted to know if A. returning to a 32 waist was a valid goal, and B. if I should just give away several pants from that time. Patricia, I’ve never seen a sequence of pictures documenting the growth of a professional bodybuilder, though I’d find it very interesting. Also, I’m wondering if Albert Beckles was English. I think he won an Olympia, and his waist may have been smaller than most. The only other black BB I can recall from that era who may also have been British was Bertil Fox.
Hey, I’ll look up that Brit - his name is on the tip of my tongue - and it wasn’t Bertil nor Albert. He was a IFBB Pro briefly during the mid to late '80s. His small waistline was very freaky - as his torso just “bloomed” outward and he had wide shoulder development and huge biceps as well. This is just killing me that I forgot his name!!!
Yeah, if you come up with it, I’d like to know. I stopped reading Muscle and Fitness in the mid to late eighties. Could it be Robbie Robertson? I don’t remember him as British, but he had great arms and an impressive upper body sweep. You realize we’re giving away our ages.
It was Brian Buchanan!!! And the cover was Ironman Magazine. I can see it in my head…in shades of green. Apparently, he competed in the Night of the Champions in '98, placing 13th. You can find out this info in the Alamanac on www.getbig.com - home of the IFBB and NPC. And yeah, I know this could be giving away our age - but for all people know, I coulda been 12-years old at the time - right, RIGHT?
It might be Brian Buchanan.
Patricia, could you be thinking of the French Bodybuilder Serge Nubret? Freaky small waist and huge arms. Looks like a cross between Zane and Oliva? I think he may have been in the IFBB late 70’s early 80’s, then the NABBA Mr. Universe. Talk about dating yourself!
The Doctor
Yeah, I remember Serge Nubret. He didn’t believe in a set number of sets and reps for training - especially for a contest. He would use the clock as his guide for training a muscle part. I remember Aw-nold talking about how one time, he saw Serge asleep at the leg press. Anyways - Serge had a beautiful sleek physique. But nope, it ain’t him, as you can see from my post above it was Brian Buchanan.
Good job! I read the bio on getbig.com, but there were no pictures. Buchanan seems to have made his real mark in the mid to late '90’s, and I had given up on bodybuilding mags by then, excepting the old MM2K glory days. So, Brian didn’t ring any bells, but I have enjoyed this trip down memory lane.