Sports bras for women are a must-have. Swimming, biking, running, lifting - even rock climbing - with the right bra - can be so much more fulfilling and enjoyable. No matter what your shape or size , - a sports bra should be comfortable, useful, and flattering, and it should allow you to get the most out of your workout, run, ride, swim, and show out in force on race day for your benefit.
Brooks Video: Runners Get Real About Different Bra Experiences
When looking for the best sports bras for endurance training and racing, there are a number of features to consider. In an ideal situation, they should be comfortable to wear, allowing you to move freely and lessen impact while also wicking away perspiration, drying rapidly, and preventing chafing.
There are many bra's on the market with labels of high impact, medium impact, and low impact - indicating the level of support it offers to accommodate your need or activity.
ENDURANCE & RUNNING BRA LIES & FACTOIDS
Bra Lie #1: Support level for running is standard
Brook experts found that most women preferred a similar range of support for running, but that there’s no single best level of support. That’s why they no longer sell or categorize by level of impact/support. Brooks run bras are all built within the range that MOST women survey and tested told them felt most comfortable.
Bra Lie #2: Your regular bra size is what you have to wear for running
Although your day to day bra measurement provides a great starting point and is often accurate, that’s not always the case person-by-person. You should start with your know size first, then try and make sure that the fit feels right for your body. For example, some women who are a 34DD do well with a small/medium labeled bra that provides great compressive support and hugs the body.
Here is a link to a running sports bra fit guide:
Bra Lie #3: Wearing an unsupportive bra regular bra is ok that bad
Brooks research partners learned that when women wear a bra without enough support, women can lose up to 4cm of stride length due to poorly controlled breast bounce movement — that’s an entire over an extra mile over the length a 13.1-26.2 event! Who wants to run extra and harder - not us!
Bra Lie #4: Wearing two sports bras gives double the support
Plenty of women do this, but we want to share that they don’t need to! Wearing the right bra that’s designed for running and fits correctly is the best way to get the right support and improve running posture, form and times.
Bra Lie #5: Bras with built-in cups are best and more supportive than bras
Very well known that built-in cups offer one kind of support — their structured mold can help prevent bouncing and avoid uniboob — but depending on your body type, type of runner or walker you are and what you find most comfortable, you may prefer bras that use compressive fabric instead of built-in cups. There’s no this way or that way exacting solution! Go to Fleet Feet or Dicks Sporting Goods and try on all the bras until you find one you like and go with that.
Good Bra Better Performance
Finding the right sports bra can be difficult. When you run, your breasts move in a figure-eight motion; they not only bounce up and down, but they also move from side to side. According to studies, this movement can cause pain or discomfort, which can be a barrier to or discourage physical activity in girls and women.
Breast movement can not only be painful, but it can also impair performance. Brooks Running and the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth discovered that breast movement causes women to lose four centimeters per stride. Researchers discovered that an extra four centimeters can add up to an extra mile's worth of steps over the course of a 26.2.
Finding the right sports bra will not only keep you more comfortable, but it will also help you improve your running performance.