Women are working out more than ever it seems these days. No longer are they just walking around the neighborhood or doing exercise videos in their basements; women are out running marathons and training for long distance biking competitions.
In short, women are becoming highly trained and skilled sports competitors – even if they never compete. With these new challenges, they need all the support they can get – from the sports bra.
What is a sports bra?
A sports bra is a piece of exercise equipment in many respects. Created out of cotton or synthetic materials, these bras cover more of the chest than a typical bra and also include more supportive elastics to help hold in the tissue and prevent painful movement.
Some sports bras are the typical bra shape, while others have more of a tank top styling to them. The straps can be the typical over the shoulder straps or can meet as a racerback style over the upper back.
A sports bra can come in any number of colors and sizes, from the smallest woman to the largest. They can also be worn underneath the workout cloths, or some women prefer to wear a sports bra as their ‘top’ with shorts. The arm holes are large enough to allow the arms to move freely and the elastic isn’t so tight as to hinder any other side to side movement.
Sports bras help with support and maintain proper form
One of the things that women have found as they moved to higher intensity training regimes was that their breasts weren’t being supported and it was causing pain. An early example of a sports bra was made out of bandages wrapped tightly around the woman’s chest, but this wasn’t any more comfortable that without it.
Women needed something that would help to support the tissue in their breasts without constricting the movement – enter the sports bra.
How are sports bras helpful?
There are many advantages to the sports bra, so long as the proper size is selected. First of all, the sports bra allows a woman to feel more comfortable throughout her workout, which can decrease the incidence of not working out in general.
Sports bras help with posture
The sports bra is also a great way to increase the woman’s overall posture and form during a workout as the compression can help to pull in the upper back. The sports bra is also useful as a layering piece when the temperatures vary widely – acting as both support and as a piece of clothing.
A correct fit is essential
However, you do need to make sure that you are choosing the right sports bra when you are out shopping.
When you choose a sports bra that is too tight – you can actually hinder your breathing during exercise which can diminish performance.
On the other hand, if you choose a sports bra that is too loose, it won’t provide the comfort support. The best advice is to try on a few sports bras in a dressing room prior to purchasing one. Try moving around in it to see how it feels and how it might feel during your workout.
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