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Jump to it! How to get the most out of your sports bra
Posted by Claire Boote, on April 29, 2021.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
We’re jumping for joy now that the gyms have reopened! Sorry Joe Wicks, apologies Adriene Mishler, we do love you but even the most dedicated fitness fan is tiring of only online workouts. Getting back to the gym means a change of scene, some new equipment to play with, and the chance for a socially-distanced chat with our fellow gym members.
If you’re getting back to the gym, or even staying committed to keeping fit at home for now, it’s a good time to treat yourself to a new sports bra. Here’s our guide to getting the most out of this essential piece of gym kit.
Yes, you need a sports bra!
Don’t think the supportive qualities of your regular bras will do. For any fitness activity you need a dedicated sports bra – your boobs will thank you for it. The average breast weighs between 250-300g and any vigorous activity will send them swinging up and down, in and out, and side to side if they’re unsupported. In fact, research suggests breasts can move up to 15cm in any direction during a particularly energetic HIIT session! This movement can cause the delicate ligaments in the breast to stretch leading to irreversible damage. Even in the short term, a good sports bra can alleviate back, neck or shoulder pain by minimising breast movement.
Choose your level of impact
Sports bras are usually labelled as suitable for low, medium or high-impact activity. Low-impact covers gentler, slower activity such as walking, yoga or Pilates; medium-impact can include cycling and some forms of aerobic exercise; with high-impact covering vigorous activity such as sprinting and HIIT. Obviously, these areas can overlap so it’s worth considering how much your breasts move during your regular fitness sessions and testing out different impact levels to suit you.
Find the right fit
As with any bra, it’s all in finding the right fit. When it comes to sports bras it also means that your boobs may feel a little more compressed (depending on the impact level required) to ensure that movement is minimised.
If possible, get a professional in-person fitting. Otherwise, follow our online fit guide or get a remote fitting over the phone with one of our expert fitters (call 01295 265557). Like a regular bra, the underband should sit straight across the back with no riding up; and the cups should be fully-enclosed with no bagginess or bulging. If you’re buying a high-impact, compression-style bra, such as our new Aerocool, you may want to go up a cup size to stay comfortable but securely fitted.
Test the bra by jumping about, bending forwards and generally jiggling around a bit. If your bra feels comfortable but also keeps those boobs firmly in place, it’s doing the job.
Extra features for extra support
Look for additional design features – an adjustable racer-back helps anchor the bra closer to the chest, providing extra support and the best fit (all boobs fluctuate in size). Higher necklines are good for larger cup sizes and high-impact exercise as they help minimise vertical bounce; and internal side slings can minimise horizontal movement. At Royce Lingerie, all of our sports bras are wirefree so the wide underband and straps, as well as expert pattern cutting, help do the supportive work of an underwire.
Washing and ongoing care
Sports bras are often made using moisture-wicking poly fabrics to help draw sweat away from the skin, keeping you cooler and helping avoid skin irritation. Cotton is also useful in letting the skin breathe while you exercise. This inevitably means that even though you spend less time wearing them, you’re more likely to wash your sports bras than your regular bras.
Help your bras last longer by following the washing instructions – all of our Royce bras, even our sports bras, can be washed effectively on a 30 degree, delicate cycle (good for your bras and good for the planet). If you have a moulded cup bra, such as Aerocool, you should reshape it whilst damp and maintain the cup contour when folding it away in your drawer or gym bag.
New styles for your gym bag
Our new Aerocool bra, on sale now, has arrived with a bang! As the UK’s first wirefree, high-impact sports bra for G-K cups it’s been receiving rave reviews on Instagram from our fuller-cup fitness fans. And in a recent round-up of sports bras for bigger busts, The Independent declared Aerocool “amazingly functional”, saying “boy, does it deliver!” as well as being “chic” and “the prettiest bra we tested” (aww, thanks *blushes*).
Next month, we welcome the new black version of our Impact Free Adjustable Fit. This style, designed with smaller frames in mind, comes with the aforementioned adjustable racer-back for superb fit and support for medium-intensity activity.
