By Tish Monahan
SPORTS
BRAS
101
A
necdotally we know
that women often
use their breasts
as a barrier to activity,
or as a reason to avoid
doing certain activities
or drills. However, this
was demonstrated more
scientifically during a recent
study in the UK, which
found that a whopping 17
per cent of women opted
out of an activity due to
their breasts. In many cases
they claimed their boobs
were a bigger deterrent
to exercise than time or
money.
16
Did you know the average breast size
in Australia is now 12DD? With boobs
getting bigger and women becoming
more active, sports bras are going to
be something we all get to learn more
about in the future.
For those that haven’t experienced
the impact of bouncing breasts, I can
assure you that the struggle is real. An
unsupported E cup breast (which is not
much bigger than the average) has
been reported to displace up to 19cm
during activity. This sort of excessive
movement can do long term damage
to the already weak naturally support
structures of the breast, cause significant
breast pain, and result in confidence
crushing embarrassment.
When it comes to sports bras here’s what
you need to know.
Fit is the most important
feature
If a bra doesn’t fit perfectly then it has
no chance of functioning well. Naturally,
the most important part of the bra fit is
most commonly the part that women
get wrong. That is, the band that runs
around our ribcage. This is responsible
for taking upwards of 80% of the weight
of the breast and works to resist breast
displacement during activity. This means
if the band is too loose then the weight
of the breast is shifted to the shoulders
and breast displacement is not
controlled while exercising.
Understand that crop tops
and sports bras are not the
same
While there is a time and place for
pattern-cut crop tops produced in S, M,
L sizing, their role should be limited to low
impact activity. So the fit can be perfect,
not just ‘near enough’, a sports bra must
be produced in cup sizes (e.g. 12DD).
Technical sports bras will also have
undergone rigorous biomechanical
testing in a purpose designed lab, will
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SUMMER 2016