The Quest for the Perfect Sports Bra

When I first thought about this topic, I wanted to add ‘the struggle is real’. It’s seriously hard to find what I would call the perfect sports bra. Over the years, I, like many of you, have tried several different brands.  As my activities changed, so did my opinion of what constitutes the perfect sports bra. I am pretty confident that I’ve found the holy grail at least for me.

The more women you speak to, the more this conversation comes up, and most have their brand or style of preference.  There are numerous options available for sports bras; however the support you desire and required size can significantly impact your choices.  I’ve never been what I deemed lucky enough to select just any type of sports bra as I require a significant amount of support and am vehemently opposed to the ‘uniboob’!  I also prefer an underwire bra to keep things in place and separated.  Like I said, this is a very personal decision.  In the past, I used the excuse that I couldn’t run because my chest was too large.  I am here to tell you that you can run (with the correct amount of support – well frankly you can run without this support, but it’s not pretty). Without further ado, my favorite high-impact sports bra is the Maia by Moving Comfort.

   While this picture of the Maia is fancy, the majority of my Maia bras are plain Jane – or white.  Over the years, I’ve purchased a few colors based upon availability or to coordinate with a particular running costume – just because I need a lot of support in the chest area doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with my running attire. As you can see, there is a ‘traditional back’ on the bra. Over the years, the shoulder padding has increased (to prevent the shoulder indents over time). Thank goodness someone is thinking of us larger-chested ladies! The struggle is definitely real.

I’ve often felt like the odd girl out when group costumes for races are both discussed and decided upon. What I mean by this is that many of the fun shirts (or tank tops specifically) are racer back.  It’s hard to find tank tops for those really hot days or races that aren’t in a t-back formation.  While I know it perfectly acceptable to wear bra straps that aren’t covered by the shirt (just look around at any public place), I myself am not the biggest fan of that style for me.  Therefore, at my last race, the Disneyland half-marathon, I ventured out of my Maia bra comfort zone for a supportive t-back sports bra so that I could be in costume – that and I couldn’t find a gray tank top that wasn’t a racer-back style I was willing to suck it up for at least one race for the sake of the group photo. It helped with the costume selection as well.  See my Disneyland half-marathon recap for more details. The Juno style was definitely supportive, but I found that it is difficult to get into (think body armor) and even more difficult to get out of when you are sweaty. It also dipped down more, so if I bent over for a picture, I was definitely sporting more cleavage – and not because I wanted to. However, the Juno bra did serve its purpose of being supportive with an anti-bounce bonus.

While I know that I have found my perfect fit, I am still envious my friends that are able to pick up cute sports bras or the fun tanks that have built in bras.  They also have their own struggles in finding the perfect fit (but there may be a tad more options available to them).   My point is everyone needs to find their perfect fit.  Once you find it, tackle those activities you were afraid to in the past for fear of bouncing (or lack of support). Don’t let the size of your chest interfere with high-impact activities (such as running).  You will find the perfect sports bra, and you might even find one in cute colors or patterns.  If at first you don’t find one you like, don’t give up on the quest. You’ll appreciate it when you find one for you and gush about it as I have above!

I know this is a hot topic, and I would love to know what your favorite brand/style of sports bra works for you.