Is Sports Bra Necessary For Gym?
Sports bra is a very crucial part of a woman's training, and workout wardrobe as a woman's chest is fighting against gravity. It is a misconception that sports bra is only essential for large-chested women and for the beautification of workout clothes because a woman’s chest needs an adequate amount of support from all the high-intensity moves and activities. So, is sports bra necessary for gym? The logical answer is YES because you do not want to feel uncomfortable while working out. If you are thinking where you should spend your next money on, let me tell you why purchasing a quality sports bra is worth every penny.
What is a Sports Bra?
If you actively spend most of your time exercising and training, wearing a sports bra is a must to protect your chest and muscles. As an essential part of a woman's gym outfit, a sports bra is underwear designed to provide additional support to a woman’s chest during physical activities. It comes in various sizes, types, color, and materials used.
To answer the question of why is sports bra necessary for gym, just think how physical activities and exercises make your chest bounce up and down. Now, imagine how it would affect your chest if you are not wearing a sports bra. Failure to not wearing a proper sports bra during exercise may result in discomfort, pain, soreness, and damage to the Cooper's ligament. This may result in the sagging of your breasts.
What type of sports bra should you buy?
Is sports bra necessary for gym? Different types of sports bra are made to complement all kinds of low-impact and high-impact physical activities. It does not matter if you are not actively engaged with sports because you can still purchase a sports bra that you can use for yoga and occasional workout at gyms as it is better to be well-equipped all the time.
Levels of bra support for your activity
Generally, sports bras that can be seen on the market as of today are created to provide three levels of support:
- Low support: Sports bras under this category are designed for less strenuous activities like yoga, brisk walking, and stretching exercises. Ideal for cup A and B, the low support sports bra has usually narrower straps, lighter weight, and pullover style without band adjustments.
- Medium support: Sports bras under this category provide additional support for more vigorous physical activities like moderate hiking, skiing, and road cycling. They have wider bands and straps to restrict breast movement more than low-support bras.
- High support: Sports bras under this category are tailored for most intense physical activities like running, mountain biking, and high-intensity workouts. Ideal for cup D or larger breasts, high support sports bra have widest bands, adjustable shoulder straps, and hook-loop closures.
Types of Sports Bra
Wearing sports bra can reduce the impact of your physical movements by half. Because of this, several types of sports bras are constructed differently:
- Compression Sports Bras: Is sports bra necessary for gym? To restrict movement, these sports bras usually have pull over style and can compress the breasts against the chest wall. This type of sports bra that does not have built-in cups is tailored for low to medium impact activities.
- Encapsulation Sports Bras: To surround and support each breast separately, this type of sports bras uses individual cups and has no compression, making encapsulation sports bras best suited for low-impact activities.
- Combination of Compression/ Encapsulation Sports Bra: To provide the best support and natural shaping, some sports bras combine the two methods above. Supported individually in the cup and compressed against each breast's chest wall, this type of sports bras provides additional support.
How to find your Perfect Sports Bra Size
After exploring the reasons why is sports bra necessary for gym and having enough knowledge about the different types of sports bra, let us now proceed to find your perfect sports bra size. It is very important to calculate your bra size to have a perfect, comfortable, and useful sports bra for your chest.
Measuring your Bra Size
Before proceeding to the measurement of your bra size, make sure that you have a measuring tape to help you start. You can measure yourself without wearing a bra, or you can also wear an unpadded bra that does not affect your breast size when measuring your chest. Guide yourself with the following steps:
- Starting with your band size, just below your underarms, pull the tape measure around your chest. Make sure that you hold the tape measure firmly against your body without it squeezing you. Round up if you got an odd number.
- Proceeding to the bust measurement, measure loosely around your bustline's fullest part using the tape measure.
- Computing your cup size, subtract your band size from your bust measurement to find your cup size, and match the result to this bra size chart to determine your cup size.
1"= A5"= DD 9"= I
2"= B6"= DDD & F 10"= J
3"= C7"= G
4"= D8"= H
If your bust measurement is 48 inches and your band size is 43 inches, subtracting 43 from 48, the result is 5 inches. Based on the chart, your bra size is DD.
Ensuring a Perfect Fit Sports Bra
After knowing your bra size, it is now the time to buy a perfect sports bra for you. However, before purchasing your next sports bra, be guided with the following tips on fitting a sports bra below:
- Make sure that the band of the sports bra should fit flat against your ribcage. A perfect sports bra can let you fit two fingers between the straps and your shoulders.
- Straps should not dig on your shoulders as it makes the bra too tight for you. Look for a sports bra with adjustable straps to provide a customizable fit.
- The cups of your sports bra should make your breast fully covered and should not let your breasts pouring at the top of your sports bra. Take note that the fabric should have no wrinkles. This is an indication of a sports bra that is too big for you.
- Before buying your sports bra, test it by moving around like running or jumping. If you are not feeling any discomfort or pain, you should now add that sports bra to your shopping cart.
Conclusion
A woman’s breast is a delicate and sensitive external organ because it is made up of soft tissues and mammary glands. If you're still asking - is sports bra necessary for gym? The answer is definitely - yes! Wearing sports bra is an indispensable part of the workout routine of an athlete or an active woman. To ensure that you are buying a sports bra that can last for a longer period of time and that can be used comfortably, you should always be guided of the different types of sports bra, ways of measuring your bra size, and guidelines on fitting a perfect sports bra before purchasing. As we take good care of our bodies by being physically active, we should also make sure that our breasts are not compromised by wearing quality and perfectly fit sports bra. Here's how to learn more about sports bras.
