You are here

OT - Tone-up Tuesday

Aniki-Moderator's picture

It’s Tuesday, Stalkers. You know what that means! How goes your toning up?

I was at physical therapy the other day and had the misfortune to witness two women on the treadmill. Woman A was in her 50s. ; Woman B was in her 20s. WA wore shorts and a t-shirt. WA wore capris and a tank top. WA had short hair. WB had long hair. The ONE thing these women had in common? NO SUPPORT. Both looked like they had two bags of marbles in their shirts which were bouncing UP and DOWN and they jogged. ~shudder~ I’m thinking they must roll ‘em up to tuck into their bras.*wacko*

So let’s talk about sports bras.

A sports bra is a bra that provides support to female breasts during physical exercise. They are sturdier than typical bras, minimize breast movement, alleviate discomfort, and reduce potential damage to chest ligaments. Breasts have no muscle, yet without proper support, the skin and Cooper's ligaments (ligaments near the breast which give them their size and shape) can break down and cause sagging. Once your Cooper's ligaments stretch out, THEY DO NOT BOUNCE BACK. Shok

Be sure you have a proper fitting sports bra to minimize the movement of your chest!
The band should be snug but comfortable, should stay in place and should not chafe or irritate your skin. It should not move around your rib cage. The band should be hooked on the loosest or middle hooks, not the tightest. If it's hooked on the tightest, then there is no place to go when the bra loosens up a bit. There should be no sign of your breast spilling out of the side of the bra, nor under the arm. Also, there should be no spillage along the neckline of the bra. The neckline part of the bra should cover the top portion of your breast to enhance support and minimize bounce. Remember, a DD or E cup woman cannot completely eliminate movement due to the volume and weight of her breasts. Remember to adjust the straps if that is a feature.

There are 3 types of sports bras: high impact, medium impact, and low impact.

  • HIGH IMPACT means that there is a high degree of bouncing in the activity and the breast is subject to a lot of up and down stress/movement (like running, mountain biking, dance, aerobics).
  • MEDUIM IMPACT means there is a moderate degree of bouncing. Activities include the elliptical trainer and power walking.
  • LOW IMPACT means that there is little to no bouncing. Activities include yoga, Pilates and weight training.

There ARE underwire sports bras. One with underwire enhances encapsulation and “holds” the breast securely in place in the cup. The underwire should feel comfortable and should be positioned right under the breast, not in contact with any part of the lower breast and not on the lower part of the rib cage where it expands. The channel in which the wire lives should be very plush and soft and offer the wire room to move as the body moves. Hence, we don't have the dreaded "poke through".

The most important bra strap for larger breasted women is an adjustable strap. The more “lift” in the cup, the less up/down movement and less bounce. (This is true for all cups sizes.) Adjustable straps allow the bra to lift the breasts and minimize any bouncing. They can also take pucker out of upper part of the cup if that's an issue. They simply offer a better, more precise fit. Be sure that the straps are not cutting into your shoulders or feel like they are holding most of the weight. When adjusting the straps, be sure that they are not cutting into your shoulders or feel like they are holding most of the weight.

So don't let your 'girls' bounce around like they're on trampolines, ladies. Strap 'em down!!

Comments

Thumper's picture

Didn't you want to pull them aside and say "HEY get a good bra"...

My Mom would comment on women who walked around with their boobs hanging down half way to their naval in a whisper... "I think she needs a new brazier GoodLuck she look like a tramp".  I AM serious. Wink

Aniki there is no way these women dont know their boobs are flying around. ...that HURTS

There is a curent TV commercial on major networks...cant remember what it's for but this lady is on the tredmill too jogging and HER boobs are flopping UP and DOWN too. I was surprised the advertiser didnt pull it and re-do it.  

 

 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Goodluck, I wanted to pull them aside and bind them with duct tape!!

What baffled me - how can it NOT hurt??? Just watching it made MINE hurt! Honestly, how comfortable can it be for them to be LITERALLY flopping up to shoulder height and back down over and over and over?

ESMOD's picture

I always am searching for that "perfect" fit...lol.  I recently bought some dirt cheap ones off Amazon Mirity Racer back that were 3 for 24.. but now I wish I had sprung for the 5 for 25 pack.  The material is substantial and has enough stretch to be comfortable.. yet provides decent enough bounce coverage for my moderate aerobic workouts.  It isn't the most maximum impact bra... but it is among the most comfortable and seems made well enough.

My fitness and nutrition journey has been pretty darn good.  I have basically one cheat day which is Saturday.. the day I see my DH each week  when we meet in the middle.I am down almost 15 lbs and clothes are starting to fit better and can actually wear a few things that were a bit too snug a month ago!

 

Aniki-Moderator's picture

That's wonderful, ESMOD!! Good for you! I'd wire my mouth shut, but know I'd figure out a way to puree bad things...

I had sports bras that were almost like crop tops - they came several inches down my rib cage and hooked up the front. I wore a spandex tank top over them and my breasts were immobile! I miss those... 

Coco72's picture

I would love suggestions on actual brands of sport bras those of you wear that have larger breasts. I am a 42DDD and I have not found a sports bra that gives me adequate support, it needs to be high imapct, as I hike, walk, and play tennis pretty regularly. As of now I wear a normal underwire bra and then a sports bra on top.

What do you all suggest?

 

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

I basically just stick with high impact ones... I figure chances are I'll do something eventually in it... I have ONE medium impact, but it definitley doesn't provide enough support for what I do.