Staying motivated to work out is hard enough as it is, but for many women, it is made all the more unpleasant because of discomfort in the chest area. In fact, a good deal of ladies who would otherwise love to exercise hate it because of this discomfort.
Luckily, there is an easy fix. Sports bras give women the support that they need during exercise. When you find a great sports bra that fits well, most of your exercise woes will go out the door.
Below are a few tips on how you can find the best sports bra possible to exercise in.
Size Comes First
The most important aspect of any sports bra is size. If you aren’t wearing the right size bra, you won’t receive maximum support. Your best bet is to talk to an expert fitter at your local department store. If you can’t find one, websites like amazon.com provide handy “bra finder” tools.
Compression or Encapsulation
One of the main differences between sports bra varieties is the style of the cup they have. The two most common cup types are compression and encapsulation. Compression sports bras work best for those with smaller breasts (A to B). On the other hand, encapsulation sports bras should be the first choice for women with larger breasts. When it comes to outdoor gear and exercise gear, one of the most important factors for women is the sports bra cup style.
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Another primary difference between sports bras is the way they are held in place. The two options available are pullovers and back clasping. Pullover style sports bras offer more support for the back but sacrifice adjustability and frontal support. Though they work great for low to moderate impact exercises, back clasps are the best bet for women with larger breasts. The clasp allows you to tighten the bra’s band, increasing overall support.
Racerback or Wide Straps
Your final decision to make when buying a sports bra is whether you want it to be a racerback or a wide strap. Both types of bras have their pros and cons when it comes to working out. A racerback bra cinches in the back which provides more support for your breasts. Wide strap sports bras help distribute weight across your upper body more efficiently. Racerbacks are great for girls with smaller chests while wide straps should be the go-to for larger-breasted women.
Choosing a sports bra is a process that you shouldn’t rush through. Taking the time to find the best bra for your body is the key to being comfortable while working out. Take the three options above into consideration while trying on bras. Better yet, find an expert fitter who knows what they’re doing so you can find the absolute best bra possible. And, above all, don’t rush! The more sports bras you try on, the better idea you will have of what type you need.
Get The Right Sports Bra For A Better Workout
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This New Smart Sports Bra Knows Whether or Not Your Workout Is Actually Effective
One of the most deceptively difficult things about exercising is trying to decide whether or not any particular workout session has been effective. Sometimes you’re more tired than usual, sometimes you just feel like an exercise didn’t feel as hard as it normally does—either way, there’s no definitive way to determine what a “good workout” is. It’s the reason that so many people lean on fitness trackers, but even those can get clunky and uncomfortable when you really start to work up a sweat.
Enter MyZone, a company known for its various fitness trackers, including belts and watches. Elle reports that earlier today, MyZone launched a smart sports bra that tracks your heart rate, which is one the best indicators of the effectiveness of any workout.
It works in a similar fashion to any piece of smart fashion. The module on the front of the bra, shown above, measures your heart rate activity and pairs up with a MyZone app. The results are twofold: you get the physical benefits of having a heart rate monitor on your person at all times during your workout, and you get the added motivation of MyZone fitness trackers. Apparently, ”the app uses a game-based platform that rewards effort with points for any activity—running, cycling, rowing, you name it.” The app is also color-coded (grey for least intense, and then moving through blue, green, yellow, and red for the highest intensity) to show you just how vigorous your workout is.
There’s a catch, though. Since the sports bra is new, it’s only available in low support. So, while it might be great for a barre class or any other low-intensity workout you might be doing, it’s definitely not recommended for running, jumping, or any otherwise intense exercise. The same Elle report states that a moderate-to-high support style is in the works and is likely to roll out later this spring.
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I have some issues with this sports bra. For one, it seems to me that wearing a bulky fitness tracker right above your rib cage would be painful, especially if you attempt to do any kind of sit-up. Plus, the bra and fitness tracker are sold separately (the bra for $70, and the fitness tracker belt, which connects the band on the bra, for $150), which seems like a load of BS, if you ask me.
But you know what? To each their own. I’m sure there are some fitness fanatics out there who have been waiting for this day for a long time, and I don’t want to take away from your joy. But when you have bruises on your torso from this silliness, don’t come crying to me and my cozy, neon pink bras.
(Photos: MyZone)