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No matter her size, all active women need sports bras as part of their fitness gear. That’s because sports or athletic bras are especially designed to reduce the vertical movement of exercise that can be unhealthy for a woman’s breasts. An underwire sports bra offers a style that will give a woman additional shape and support during vigorous activity.
Underwire Sports Bras For Protection
The purpose of a good underwire sports bra is to support and protect a woman athlete’s breasts, which are made up of fatty tissue, milk-producing glands, connective tissue and the supportive structure known as the Cooper’s ligament. Exercise can stretch the Cooper’s ligament, which leads to sagging breasts and pain during activity. A well-fitted sports bra is made to keep the breasts firmly controlled and to prevent ligament stretching.
When considering an underwire sports bra, it’s important to recognize that underwire shapes vary among bra makers. Lingerie manufacturers often claim that the distinctive materials and shape of their underwires are the secret to their brand’s fit. Because of these variations, women athletes often find that one bra manufacturer fits them better than another.
Underwires also come in different lengths, although they curve the same way no matter how long they are. Underwires also are made to be spring. They may be created out of sheet metal, plastic or heavy gauge wire. An underwire spreads out when a woman puts on her bra, and resumes it original shape when she takes it off. It’s this springiness that allows the underwire to support the breasts. If you find in trying on an underwire sports bra that the underwire is smaller than the width of your breasts, you’ll need to go up a size; otherwise the wire may break when you’re in the middle of the big game. Women who choose too small a band size, thinking it will give them extra support, are also making a mistake, because a too-small band also will cause an underwire to break.
Check the fit of your underwire sports bra carefully. The wire should fit snugly but not tightly, against the ribs. If the end of wire pokes into your breasts underneath your arms or catches when you swing your arm forward, then you know that the diameter of the underwire is too small. Likewise, the diameter is too big if the wire end pokes into your armpit. Look for an underwire bra that encircles the breast without poking tender places.
In addition, underwire bras require that a woman understand another aspect of bra sizing – breast projection, otherwise known as cup size. Breasts have projection as well as diameter, both of which go into correct bra sizing. In an underwire bra, the band size has a pre-determined breast diameter built into it through the underwire. That’s wire changing the band size has so much effect on the underwire’s diameter. That’s also why we sometimes find that, depending on the style of bra we choose, we might wear a 36C from one manufacturer but a 38B from another. Either way, the underwire is the same in both sizes.
Finally, be sure the wire is well covered in your underwire sports bra. The last thing you need is to get poke, chafed or rubbed the wrong way as you’re about to make that crucial racquetball shot!
