BRAH!
BRAH!
BRAH!
By Esther Labi
A
ccording to Esther
Labi, the bra
whisperer and
founder of online store
‘Storm in a D Cup’, women
should always wear a good
fitting fitness bra when
exercising otherwise you
can cause serious long term
damage to your boobs.
Esther says, fitness bras provide important
structured support and reduce the
bounce, the cause of stretchmarks, pain
and strain and sagging boobs.
Why you should wear a sports
bra for sport.
1
In a nutshell, a normal bra has
more lycra in it, which means it
has more stretch in it and will feel
comfortable on your body when you
wear it all day. A sports bra has very
limited stretch to stop your breasts
from moving around, in the cups, the
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WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2018
back, and the straps. The more lycra
in it, the more stretch and less support.
That’s why if a bra is stretchy, its suitable
for low impact sports, like yoga and
pilates(some people like to wear these
as an everyday bra). As the stretch gets
more limited, you have bras that are
suitable for fast walking and small bouts
of high impact and then very limited
stretch in real high impact sports bras.
2
Your breasts move in a figure of 8
when you run and up and down for
ball sports, side to side for racquet
sport. Sports bras are designed for this
kind of movement, normal bras aren’t.
3
Sports bras are made from high
performance fabrics, which means
they are breathable, and usually
made from a moisture-wicking material,
moving sweat away from your skin.
4
There are other features too that
you don’t get in a normal bra.
Usually, the straps are wide and
padded, to soften the impact on your
shoulders. The hook and eye section can
also be padded, the underwire channel
can be padded to minimise chaffing
and some even eliminate seams on the
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2018
inside of the cup so nothing irritates your
nipples when running a marathon!
5
A sports bra is twice as effective at
reducing bounce than a normal
bra. Here’s the research to prove it:
A normal bra can reduce breast bounce
by up to 38% whilst a sports bra can
reduce breast bounce by up 78%*.
6
There are different types of bras
for different types of activities,
make sure you choose the right
bra for your sport. You wouldn’t wear a
sports bra under a top with a plunging
neckline, so why would you wear a
plunge bra for sport?
7
Research shows that unsupported
breasts can move up and down by
as much as 12cm during high
impact activities like running. This is
because only skin and Cooper’s
ligaments support breast tissue, as there
are no muscles in your breasts. Therefore,
excessive breast movement stretches
the ligaments and no amount of chest
presses can naturally restore them.
* University of Portsmouth 2005 (Scurr et
al): testing against « no bra » conditions.
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