I am precious about my physical assets – and a good quality sports bra that keeps everything in place when I am running is high on my list of needs. Big or small, our breasts move about with physical activity.
There is only skin and Cooper's ligaments to support breast tissue – and no muscle. Any excessive breast movement puts strain on these ligaments and causes them to stretch. Sadly, there is nothing we can do naturally to restore stretched Cooper’s ligaments and, hence, the issue of saggy bosoms.
This is why a sports bra that is well-fitting and supportive is vital. Despite being small chested I have generally paid heed to the need for a decent sports bra.
But there is a problem. Most of the sports bras that offer high-impact are a nightmare to get on and off.
I have tried all kinds of sports bras, including Shock Absorber Crop Top sports bras, SKINZ Dnamic Speed Crop Top bra and Adidas Tailored Impact Training High-Support Bra to name a few.
They all work well to keep my breasts in place – once the sports bra is on. Putting on the bra before exercise is the first act of contortion, although it’s not as tough as the final act.
You need to “get into” many supportive sports bras, rather than putting them on, and it takes quite a high a degree of flexibility especially around the shoulders.
My sports bras are the over-the-head crop top style, which you might imagine slip on easily.
However, because of the requirement for a firm fit and good compression, the design does need to be neat fitting. I usually fight to get the bra over my head, down around my shoulders and then in place over my chest. There is often a tight elastic band around the chest and below the bosom.
After a bit of wriggling and adjusting I will think that it’s done – the bra is on and I am ready to put on a baselayer. But then I remember there is a clip, usually at the rear, on some of my sports bras.
You might think that the clip fastener is a good idea because leaving it open as you climb into the bra should allow extra flex in one area of the sports bra.
But I have stiff shoulders and I am generally quite inflexible so I find the clips difficult to fasten. I have often given up and headed out with the clips unfastened, or I’ve asked for my husband to help.
With over-the-head spots bras it’s not possible to fasten these clips before pulling the bra up over your shoulders, as you might with a more traditional bra style.
Not all high impact running bras have the clips and I have bought several different brands and styles to find out if any of them are easier to get on. I think the fact is that if you want a bra to be supportive with good compression, it needs to be a battle to get it on.
So, then, with the bra on and adjusted, I go for my run. A well-fitting bra shouldn’t move about or rub the skin. My chest stays nicely in place with very little bounce and all is good with the world. I feel happy knowing that the bra is doing its job.
But worse is yet to come – it’s when you need to take off the sports bra. By now, the bra is damp or wet with sweat. My skin is also clammy and I have run until I am tired.
Now I need to become an expert contortionist to get out of the breast-and-chest-hugging item. I have tried so many different ways to do this.
Whether I push it up at the front, try to pull it up at the back, attempt to climb out of the sports bra by pushing is down over my waist and then my hips, or attempt each of these moves in one manic burst of energy, taking off a high impact sports bra is a huge and tricky feat.
There have been a few times, when I have been on my own, that I have given up and kept the bra on for the rest of the day and night and then tried again in the morning when I have renewed motivation. A few times I’ve needed to ask my husband or a friend to give me a hand to get the sports bra off.
The problem with all of this is that I now tend to choose the easiest sports bras to get on and off – and especially some of my favorite "worn-in" bras that should really have been discarded. (Sports bras have a fairly short shelf life and as soon as they start to show signs of wear, that is the time to discard and buy a new one.)
And here is the conundrum: it's a love-hate situation for me with my sports bras.
While a worn-in sports bra is easier to get on and a lot easier to get off, it won’t be as good at keeping the chest bounce under control.
So, I force myself, more often than not, to choose the sports bra that I know will hug my chest and offer much more support, but which also means I am going to struggle and wriggle and curse while getting it on and off.
