Gals with Girls - A Sports Bra Review for You

Okay, the crowd for this post is pretty specific:

If you're a gal with girls and looking for extra support for your friends,

stick around and read on....

(or if you're a guy who knows a girl....well, you get the idea)

If not, feel free to click on the little red x in the upper right corner now. Go ahead. My feelings won't be hurt. 

Just stop back by another day!  

Okay, now that we've cleared the room, let's get down to business...

Can we talk?? I mean, really.

Gals, are you finding that your girls just aren't feeling as snug and comfy as they could when you run? Do gallon-size water jugs come to mind when you run?

Are you suffering from the uniboob? You know what I'm talking about: the smooshed-all-together-flat-as-a-pancake situation?

Are you wearing an underwire bra that jabs, pokes, and digs in*all*the*wrong*places?

Here's the deal: Been there. Done that.

Have a drawer full of sports bras to show for it.

Seriously, you can see my evolution in sports bras right there in the drawer. There are the little (none of my bras have ever been little!) basic sports bras with no cups, no underwire, and just, well... basic with little to no support, perfect for the gals whose girls have moved out since running shoes took up residence.

Then there are the underwire versions, which became the 'foundation bra' for me, with the basic ones over the top. Yes, I said, 'ones' because for a long time, I wore three sports bras when I headed out for a run.

But now.....

One bra. Supportive. Wire-free. Individual cups. Adjustable Straps. Back closures. Thank goodness!

No more climbing into and then out of a sweat-soaked, over-the-head, t-back bra...whew! That's a lot of work! And boy, if you get stuck with that thing wrapped around your head and the phone rings... I'm just saying! (You KNOW what I'm talking about!)

Growing as a runner (with girls) means evolving into your Big Girl Sports Bra (BGSB), that yes, may will cost more than the basic versions, BUT... will be worth every penny!

Two styles by Moving Comfort were recommended to me, both for C/D cup gals: Helena and Fiona.

The Helena bra has a wide band that fits snugly against your ribcage, below your girls, like the support of wire, but without the poking and jabbing.  Its cups are individualized, so you're not smooshed together and each one is firmly supported. The closure is in the back and has three hooks. The shoulder straps are wide, don't slip, and are adjustable in the front - a great feature for tightening up as much as you need/want to.  Great for those girls that are wanting to hang out with your fave running shoes! (Think about it.....)

This bra ran true to size, and I wore the cup size I normally would. The fabric is a synthetic that wicks moisture away from your skin; it feels and looks like neoprene... a little unusual, but not off-putting. This was my first experience with something that looked like an 'non-wire' bra, and frankly, I thought, "There is NO way this bra will keep my girls from doing their own dance during my run."  I was mostly wrong. The bra performed well with minimal bounce, but not completely bounce-free.  I'd rate it a 3 out of 5 because I'd like to have had no bounce... the point of the better-made, more expensive Big Girl Sports Bra (BGSB) and I couldn't completely warm up to the fabric.

The other sports bra, Fiona, quickly became my favorite, with a few colors already in my collection.  Its fit allowed me to go down one cup size. (Yay!).  The band under the girls isn't as wide as that of Helena's, but the bounce factor is as close to nonexistent as I think you can get. I like this bra a lot! The individualized cups encapsulate (good support/no smoosh factor) comfortably, and there are three hooks on the back closure; the website says they have four hooks on the 40 - 44" bands.  Nice support, indeed.  The shoulder straps, though not as wide as the Helena, do stay in place, and like Helena, are adjustable on the front.  Again, pull as tightly and highly as you wish* (see previous paragraph for comment on this!). The fabric is also synthetic, but not the neoprene-type like Helena.  I'd rate this bra 4 out of 5; I'd like the band around my ribcage/below my girls to be as wide as the Helena bra, for more support.

At about $45.00 retail, these bras definitely cost a little more than their basic cousins; however, good support is worth the extra few dollars you'll pay. And, there are others that are more expensive. Make the investment. Buy your BGSBs soon!

Note:  Every time I purchase a new one, our running store experts remind me to hook all the hooks before washing.  I also wash them in small lingerie laundry bags to protect my investment $$$! 

I'd like to try other sports bras (and everyday bras) in the Moving Comfort collection as well as some of their t-back styles to wear under singlets and racer-back summer running tops.  They seem to understand women's needs - in all shapes and sizes - with sports bras to DD/E, and have an interactive website to help you find what you need (or extra fun stuff you might like to have!).  YES!

Happy running (and BGSB shopping!), friends.....

Robin