Just like running shoes support and cushion your feet, the best sports bras for running are important to protect your chest from bouncing and chafing. Finding the right sports bra can not only make your run much more comfortable and enjoyable, but proper breast support can even improve your running performance. But make sure that it fits properly, because if doesn’t, you may restrict your breathing. To find the best running sports bras, we asked marathoners, trail runners, trainers, running coaches, and even Olympic athletes for their top picks, whether on daily jogs or long distance races.
The best sports bras for running, at a glance
How to find the right sports bra for running
Running is a high-intensity and high-impact activity, so your perfect sports bra should offer more support than for other exercises like, say, yoga. Sports bras are usually categorized with a level of support: light, medium, or high. The bigger your chest size, the more support you’ll likely need.
According to Olympic runner Colleen Quigley, you’ll also want to look for the right bra features for your chest size. “For someone with bigger boobs, sports bras with more fabric and a breast shaped molded into the front [molded cups] might be helpful,” she says, compared to bras that are flat without much shaping in the chest area. Molded cups provide both space and structure to keep the boob bounce-age to a minimum. Those with small chests may be comfortable without molded cups, and with just a compressive fabric to keep everything in place.
Another thing to look out for is the design, which contributes to comfort and breathability. For example, do you want a high neckline or not? A high neckline will offer more coverage, but may trap sweat. Length is also important: “Some [longline sports bras] come further over your ribs and look more like a crop top, while some are shorter and definitely give off more of a bra look,” Quigley says.
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