Fit(ness) Check: Understanding What Makes a Supportive Sports Bra

Keep everything secure!

Fun fact: many “sports bras” women find themselves wearing are often what professional fitters would consider a bralette. Typically, a bralette is a simple non-wire bra that is all about comfort with little to no actual support. It’s common to find bralettes in the smaller cup sizes – A, B, and C – since a lot of women on the smaller bust side often feel like they don’t need the support their larger busted counterparts do. If you are looking for something cute to lightly keep the girls in one place for comfort’s sake, bralettes are fantastic. They are great options to wear around the house, to bed, or even as part of a specific outfit you have in mind. What bralettes should never be used for, however, is when any kind of exercise is on the docket because that is the job of a true, well-engineered sports bra.

The Three Cs

A truly supportive sports bra will do all three of these perfectly: compression, containment and coverage.

Compression is the number one feature a woman needs out of her sport’s bra. If breast tissue is not held close to the chest wall – i.e. compressed – then said tissue will bounce and jiggle every which way. We’ve all needed to run up the stairs suddenly, so we get our newest package instead of being stuck with a pickup notice. What do we do when that happens? Your hands become a temporary bra squishing your girls tight to your body to keep them from jumping around like an excited puppy. In that moment you are compressing your breasts to limit their movement.

Containment simply means keeping all your breast tissue within the cup during exercise or rigorous activity. If a sports bra can’t fully contain breasts during moments of increased physical activity, then not all breast tissue can be compressed. Spilling out in your every day bra is no fun, let alone when you’re trying to hit every machine in the gym. No woman wants to risk suffocating in downward dog because their sports bra couldn’t contain their girls.

Coverage may not seem fun but it’s what makes the other two Cs possible. Bralettes lack coverage, which is fine; that’s them doing their job. A sports bra that doesn’t give enough coverage won’t be able to keep the breasts contained which means they can’t be compressed. Without one of these traits, you can’t have the other two.

Hashtag Gym Inspo

So, why does an actual sports bra matter? Why can’t women just wear whatever keeps their breasts tied down like a boat in a storm to the gym and be done with it? If you’re small breasted, do you even need a sports bra? We hear you. No one wants to be the fun police, especially bra fitters. What we’re looking at, however, is not the aesthetic side of the bra world but the anatomical.

A woman’s breasts are connected to her back, neck, and shoulder muscles. If you have ever known or been a woman who’s even considered getting a breast reduction this isn’t news to you. Back and neck pain from being the owner of large, heavy breasts is well documented. The fact is, though, that gravity is still gravity and it pushes against us all, B cups and J cups alike.  Every woman, no matter their bra size range, should wear a sports bra during exercise to lessen the strain on their back, neck, and shoulders or risk injury, be it sudden or over time.

Something important to keep in mind when debating your sports bra choices are the Cooper’s Ligaments. These suspensory ligaments are found through and around the breast tissue underneath the skin of the breast which connects to the tissue of the chest wall. It is completely normal for these ligaments to stretch out over time, causing breasts to droop. What women don’t realize is that Cooper’s Ligaments also stretch from repetitive motion, especially high-impact exercises like running or anything that cause bouncing. By wearing a proper sports bra during a workout, you lessen pulling and strain on these ligaments, minimizing additional stretching that would otherwise occur.

Trainer Bra

When looking to purchase a proper sports bra, always start with compression, containment, and coverage. If whatever you pick up is missing one of those features, put it back. As fitters we recommend a sports bra still have hook and eye closures in the back so you can move to the next set of hook and eyes as the bra’s band stretches. Though there are some front closure sport bras out there that work quite well, we find most front closing options are not ideal because once they stretch out, they need to be replaced making the life of the bra shorter than we prefer. Stretchy racerback bras you can pull over your head suffer the same issue, unfortunately. Remember, because something you try on is tight doesn’t mean it’s supportive when it comes to exercise.

If you can pop into a local boutique to for your sports bra needs, we highly recommend it. Women’s bodies are as unique as their workout plans. Don’t let your body do more work than it has too because you’re not wearing the right gear. Work supported, not bouncy.

When could you have used a proper sports bra? Tell us in the comments below!