A sports bra can become one of the most important pieces of sports equipment or apparel that a woman chooses. In some cases, the sports bra can even be more important than the shoes that she wears, no matter what sport she is participating in. But, finding the right sport bra can be trying, especially for women who are large busted or for women who have exceptionally wide or exceptionally narrow backs. Even women who might think that they do not need a sports bra might benefit from having one, especially during long distance or endurance events.

There are several options to choose from,. including the crop top option that pulls over the head. These are typically sold in sizes that range from small to extra large and have very little real support. They are perfectly fine for women with A and B cup sizes, however C and larger may find that they still bounce or sway too much if they are doing more than very gentle yoga or walking. The more movement you will make, the more support that you need from your sports bra, especially if you have a large chest. For C cup and larger, a compression or encapsulation bra might be a far better suggestion, pressing your breasts as close to your chest wall as possible to prevent too much movement.

The breasts are made of tissue, fat and ligaments with muscles underneath holding them to the chest wall. As you move, so do they, in all directions including in and out, up and down and side to side. The faster you are moving, the more your breasts may move as well. A scientist measuring kinetic movements found that an average C cup sized breast may move as much as eight inches in its entire range of motion. All of that movement can cause ligaments to stretch and tear leading to pain in the chest area as well as sagging breasts. But, the movement can also cause friction inside of the bra and shirt, causing issues that includes bleeding nipples and more. Sports bras offer some protection from those problems by reducing breast movement.

If you have never bought a sports bra before, it is important to be measured and fitted. It is also a good idea to speak to an expert on the topic so that they can make recommendations for the right bra style for the exercises that you will be doing. If you do a variety of exercises, base your bra needs on the highest impact exercise type.