Disqus for Where Are My Knees

The importance of sports bras.

Wednesday 30 November 2011

A few weeks ago, when I was changing for my weekly exercise class, I realised I'd forgotten my sports bra. Bit annoying, but I figured I'd just make do with what I had and exercise in a regular bra. I know, I know, you should always wear a sports bra when doing strenuous exercise, but what harm could just one session do, really?

The. Bra. BROKE.

One of the straps broke clean in two, with ten minutes to go before the end of my exercise class. It was mortifying. I had to spend the rest of the class with one of my arms clasped to my chest, doing all the exercises one-sided. I mean, I say mortifying – it was mostly just hilarious (my fitness teacher laughed for five solid minutes when I told her), but it also really freaked me out. We all know that we SHOULD wear sports bras, right? They’re better for your back, and all sorts. But this was a clear, tangible sign that some bras are physically not STRONG enough to support your bouncing boobies during exercise.

That’s a pretty extreme situation, but the ramifications of not wearing a sports bra are very real. If your boobs aren’t properly supported and are bouncing about all over the place (you’re loving the imagery, I hope), you’re actually making gradual, small tears in the tissue inside your breasts. This is permanent. You know those old ladies you see on the street with boobs down to their waistband? That’s most likely from a lifetime of never wearing a bra.


Until now I’ve been wearing a very cheap sports bra from Primark. It does the job, but the elastic is already stretchier than it was and I’ve been worrying that it wasn’t helping all that much. So when LingeriePlease offered to send me a Triumph bra to test-drive for Where Are My Knees, I obviously jumped at the chance.

I actually can’t recommend it enough. The bra is very well-fitted, but also not uncomfortable. In fact, I’m not really aware I’m wearing it at all. But it’s seen me through several very energetic Zumba classes, with hardly a bounce in sight (and I’m an E cup). I wore my older bra the other week and really noticed the difference – wearing a good bra made me realise how supported I wasn’t.

What about you? Are you wearing a good bra to exercise in? Or is it on your to do list?

10 comments:

  1. OHHHH I so need a good sorts bra. The one i have at the moment used to be good but since i've lost weight my boobs have shrunk and now its not really doing the job! x

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  2. Oh god, I feel your pain - I once had to exercise in a normal bra and ended up popping out, repeatedly. Awkward! I wear two sports bras now, both fairly decent ones but I'm totally paranoid about popping out/too much bounce and find wearing two does the trick!x

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  3. I recently got one from sweaty betty, amazing quality and no boobs bouncing at all (also an E cup), so its great for running etc, but I cant wear it for more than an hour or two I really feel suffocated! x

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  6. I agree with you one million percent! I've never had a bra snap to be honest but ohh I know the pain of exercising without a decent sports bra! I got one from Bravissimo and It is really good although I think I'm going to need to replace it soon as I'm noticing it working less. Good post! x

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  7. Oh my gosh, the broken strap. I have been there too! I made the mistake of going to a spin class and then Zumba wearing my normal bra. On one particularly high jump, I felt the strap go. Hello, mortifying. Never again, but I do need a new sports bra... my current one's elastic is completely shot.

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  8. broken bra straps, they're the worst! haha I've never been one to really wear sports bras though, I just find they fit strangely.

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  9. Hmm, you can probably try other sports bra from manufacturers like Nike and Adidas, though their products come at a higher price. You can also search the net and go shopping at sports centers. A broken strap in the middle of a workout? Err, that's disappointing!

    Regards,
    Ted

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