What are you Playing at? - Choosing the Ultimate Sports Bra
Ironically, it was the male counterpart in support underwear, the jockstrap, which inspired joggers Hinda Miller and Lisa Lindahl to create the sports bra almost thirty years ago by sewing two of the elasticized pairs of briefs together. Initially referred to jokingly as the Jockbra, which quickly became the famous Jogbra brand, the concept then, as it is now, was to eliminate the intrusive wayward straps, remove the harsh abrasions and rid us of the burden of the bounce. Today, Nike and Adidas aren't the only ones who make provisions for this line of sportswear, with other brands such as Royce perfecting the science and Berlei releasing their high impact shock absorber range in 2000, with their infamous advertisement featuring Anna Kournikova.
Modern Materials for Sports Bras
Advances in design, not least in synthetic material, have come on leap and bounds from basic cotton manufacture. Lycra sports bras are the popular choice because of its elasticity and its use by professional athletes, while materials such as polypropylene are held in high regard for excellent absorption. Some sports bras are designed to appear as imitative crop tops, worn as a single layer, while others are made to be worn as traditional underwear.
Comfort & Performance Underwear
Sports bras have become almost the antithesis of lingerie. Whereas the latter's sole purpose is to look effortlessly sublime, and as such produce a reciprocated feeling for you the proud owner, the former sometimes has even more pressure to perform than its wearer, such is the demand placed on it. Sports bras often go unappreciated because they are simply regarded as adapted underwear. In truth, they are just as vital in sport as, say, shin pads or crash helmets; items made to offer protection to muscles, bones or organs most vulnerable to injury. One of the sports bra's key roles is to prevent damage to chest ligaments that are normally prone to stress in exercise, so choosing the right design should be of high priority for those with a drive to keep trim.
Motion Control Sports Bras
With all that in mind, it has still become a bane of contention when choosing comfort over figure, or vice-versa. Women have complained of high impact sports bras becoming overly-restrictive, while those with a smaller cup size often are left with an unflattering shape for the sake of compression.
Firstly, it's important to know what your real bra size is (see Advice Centre), then think about what impact level you require - most physical sports require high impact bras, while less demanding activities need just low or medium impact designs.
Next, be ready to invest - if you're at the gym, in the park or hitting the asphalt for the most part of your week's spare time, you'll need a set of sports bras to keep working through the laundry, and you need think about replacing them once they lose their stretch.
Finally, be sure this design is going to do its best to compress while keeping motion in control, and that the breathing isn't affected.
This all boils down to one key point: as we're all different, you need to consider your own needs when selecting the sports bra that's right for you rather than listen to advocates for one brand or another from anyone else. If you've tried others before, think about where they might have restricted you, as well as what they were doing well for you. If you've taken up a new activity, think carefully about the physicality and how you'll need to perform. Then think about how you'll perform at your very best.
Please click on the links below to view Rigby & Peller's recommended sports bras:
Royce Impact Free
Berlei Shock Absorber