Show of hands, who can relate to wearing two bras, a tight T-shirt and using your arms as a vice to hold the girls in place when you exercise? You’re not alone. The struggle is very real, but so is the solution – a sports bra. Here we look at some important facts about sports bras and how to choose one…
Getting the right fit is key with a sports bra, otherwise you can forget about achieving the necessary support to help reduce the bounce. To begin with, your back strap needs to sit firmly around your body. If it’s too loose, the weight of your breasts and any breast movement will cause the back strap to ride up your back – and with that will come the inevitable ‘sagging’ of the breasts. Remember, 80 percent of your support should come from your back strap and not your shoulder strap. When you run two fingers around your body, under the back strap, you shouldn’t be able to pull your fingers away from your body more than 2cm. If you have too much give, this is a sign that you need to go down in the back strap.
Moving to the cups, your breasts should be completely encapsulated within them. This means no breast bulge at either the top or on the sides of the cups. Don’t be afraid to go up two or even three cup sizes to achieve this – we get stuck in this mindset that DD is a massive cup and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
After finding your fit, next comes the style that will work best with your body and breast shape. For racer-back tees, look for a sports bra that has a J-hook option. If you exercise a number of times a week, we don’t recommend going for sports bras that you have to pull over your head to get on, as your shoulders are wider than your ribs. As your support comes from your back strap, the putting on and taking off of a racer-back bra will cause the part of the bra that is supposed to give you the most support, to stretch.
Deciding on whether to go for a wire-free or wired option is something you also need to take into consideration. The two main factors that will influence you here are breast size and sports type. In terms of the size of your breasts, a wired bra will always give a better shape than a wire-free bra. However, if your breasts aren’t very heavy, then you could opt for a wire-free option. If on the other hand, you’re an F-cup or bigger, you might enjoy the shape that a wired bra provides. With types of sports, Pilates and yoga may see you opt for the less restricted option of a wire-free bra, while wired bras will offer you a better hold for running, skipping and jumping etc. A good quality sports bra also offers ‘added’ benefits, such as under-wires encased in silicone to provide extra cushioning.
It really does make sense to invest in a good quality, well-fitting sports bra. Wearing an everyday bra while exercising won’t provide any support and may cause long-term damage to the soft breast tissue. At Bravacious we offer a range of sports bra styles and sizes to help you feel supported, confident and, above all, comfortable while you move. Give us a call today to arrange a personalised fitting.
