Whether you’re a pro netball Good player, an avid runner, or a seasoned weightlifter, a gym bra is a crucial part of your exercise tool kit. Why? Our breasts, supported by delicate ligaments, soft tissue, and fragile skin, necessitate additional support when indulging in high-impact or repetitive activity.
Even if you’re on the smaller side, the bra you don for the gym should not be overlooked. However, not all are created equal. Some styles suit gentle exercises, such as yoga. Others are more geared towards intense CrossFit workouts.
With so many options available, we’ve created this handy guide to give you insight into each. Read on to discover more.
- Size Matters
Before choosing a sports bra solely based on the brand, color, or pattern, consider size. This is when getting measured professionally and trying before you buy is crucial. Often the sizes will vary across brands, which means you can’t rely on your cup size alone.
To give you insight into choosing the correct size, we’ve listed some tips below:
Shoulder Straps: The strap should neither be too loose nor too tight on your shoulders. For best results, pick one with a one-inch give.
Band: The band of your bra should be both level and firm around the entirety of your body. This will ensure you feel secure when jumping around.
To test the effectiveness of the band, raise your arms and rotate your upper body. If the band moves, it’s too big. To fix this issue, first try loosening the hook. If this doesn’t work, go down a cup size or up a band size. If you feel even slightly restricted, it’s too small.
Support: Try not to compare a gym bra to your traditional bra. Remember you’re performing activities that you wouldn’t normally do when sitting at your desk or walking to work. Gym bras need to offer a higher level of support.
Cup: To ensure a good fit, make sure your breasts fill the entirety of the cup. There shouldn’t be a gap or a bulge. To check the fit, perform a squat jump while wearing the bra. If your bust spills over the top, go up a cup size and if you feel a lot of movement, go down a cup size.
Comfort: Last but not least, comfort. Even though your gym bra should offer a certain level of tightness, it should still be comfortable enough to stretch, bounce, run, and squat in.
- Fabric
Another important reason to wear a gym bra? To prevent sweat. When we’re working out, even in low-impact exercise classes such as Pilates, we still sweat. Wearing a traditional bra won’t wick up any of this additional moisture, instead, it may cause a rash to form.
A gym bra is crafted from a unique material with moisture-wicking technology, microfiber fabrics, and ventilation – all promise to keep you dry, cool, and comfortable throughout your workout.
- Low-Intensity Workouts Count Too
Many women don’t feel the need to wear a gym bra, due to the fact they have a smaller bust size or feel it’s not worth it for moderate exercise.
You may think ‘It’s just yoga’, but even low-intensity workouts necessitate a gym bra. Without one, you may begin to experience discomfort, or worse, pain. To put this into perspective, an unsupported B cup can bounce up to 8 cm when active.
For low-impact workouts such as hiking, Pilates, and yoga, invest in a gym bar that offers maximum comfort and a lower level of support.
If you have a larger bust, you can opt to wear a medium-impact gym bra for low-impact activities, if you feel you need extra support.
- Quality is Key
Buying a gym bra is an investment. A good quality design can lessen bounce by up to 60%, and greater breast support is not only associated with improved comfort but also improved running performance. The result? You get to focus on exercising, rather than tugging at your bra throughout a workout. In addition, these unique sports accessories help to reduce breast pain. Workouts are meant to be good for us and make us feel on top of the world, not in pain.
- A Confidence Boost
Irrespective of our size, we can all feel self-conscious when we work out, especially if we’re worried about our workout bra falling, or our breasts bouncing around as we run, jump, or squat.
A gym bra with the right level of support ensures you can work out to your heart’s content without feeling self-confident. In addition, most gym bra brands boast matching accessories in the shape of leggings and shorts, as well as styles in varying cuts, hues, and patterns. They’re not only functional, they’re fashionable too.
The Bottom Line
Although a gym bra is an essential part of your workout regime, one style is not designed to suit all. When considering your next sports bra purchase, factor in your lifestyle, your size, and the types of workouts you engage in.
Armed with this information and the tips above, you can choose a style, fit, and shape that promises to protect your assets. As well as offering protection, a sports bra in a stylish hue or with matching shorts, can add an element of style to your workout too.
The bottom line? Don’t work out without one!
