Happy Thursday guys! As some of you may have seen earlier this week on either my Instagram Stories or the Brooks Running Instagram, I had the opportunity to spend time shopping for sports bras with Brooks and Jack Rabbit. If you are a long-time reader, you may remember that I am small chested (36A). For years, I didn’t think much about sports bras because I didn’t think that someone who was small chested needed support. I did not enjoy wearing sports bras as I felt they made my small chest even smaller and flatter. Maybe that’s because for the first four years I worked out, from the age of 22-26, I wore a very basic sports bra that was $14.99 at Target. It provided no support or padding, instead it was more like an ace bandage wrapped around my chest. No wonder I hated putting that thing on.
Luckily since my favorite brand, Brooks, makes wonderful sports bras, they offered to provide me with a bra fitting session in partnership with Jack Rabbit. During my session with Leslie at Jack Rabbit, I learned so many tips that I asked my friends at Brooks if I could share the images and tips with you guys to ensure you pick the right sports bra for you, regardless your chest size.
- Women of all size can benefit from a quality, well-fitted sports bra – not just those with larger chests.
- Women with small chests need to have a bra with support to avoid sagging and permanent damage to breast tissue later in life.
- Get measured every year because even small changes can make big differences, especially for people with smaller chests.
- The fit of the bottom band is the most important part of the bra as this is what provides most of the support. You want it to be tight enough to provide support but tight enough so that your girls won’t come out if you raise your arms.
- Breast tissue moves in a figure eight pattern when you run, walk or jump. Wearing a sports bra with cups, known formally as an encapsulation bra, will support you better and help you avoid that unfortunate uniboob feeling.
- If the bra is folding, wrinkling or has too much space in the cup that means you need to go down a cup size.
- Your sports bra size may be different from the bra size you wear each day. Try on lots of different sizes and styles, often in one size smaller and larger than your daily bra, before choosing a sports bra.
- A bra with adjustable straps can help ensure a perfect fit and that the bra can provide enough support regardless the exercise.
- In the Fall of 2015, Brooks began re-branding their Moving Comfort division to Brooks. Therefore, if you have a favorite Moving Comfort bra that you’re looking for, it can be found on the Brooks site and may now have a Brooks logo on it!
During my session, I fell in love with three bras.
I have never worn a sports bra with a hook and eye closure but man did I fall in love with the level of flexibility and comfort this provided. In addition, this bra comes with molded cups so I felt supported and shapely versus flat as a pancake. The adjustable straps, which I am modeling in the above picture, also allow me to adjust the bra depending on the activity. For high intensity or running I would tighten it to limit the movement but for yoga or pilates, I can wear it a bit looser. If you are nursing, the adjustable straps can also make this a great bra option for easy access. The molded cups on this bra made me actually feel as if I had shape versus being flat as a pancake. I loved this bra so much that I bought two of them, one in black and one in blue!
How fun and unique is the design of this bra with the plunging v-neck and seamless style? This lightweight, breathable bra is a great option as it provides support and contoured cups without sacrificing style. Even though I tried this bra on again at Jack Rabbit, I have owned this bra for three months and have worn it to many a workouts and run. It is comfortable and a great, chafe-free option!
This bra is the only one that I tried on which was designed specifically for A/B cups. Even though it has S/M/L sizing it still has contoured cups which provide support as well as a nice, curvy shape while the cross back allows for ventilation during your workout. As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, I love this bra so much that I wore it throughout our Canada hiking trip, even stripping down to just the bra on an especially hot day. The only thing that could make this bra even better would be adjustable straps.
GIVEAWAY CLOSED – Winner @momsgottarun entry #47
