Like a lot of ladies out there, I wouldn’t dream of working out without wearing a  sports bra, so it’s surprising to learn how recent the introduction of this essential item of athletic-wear is.

Playtex purchased the rights for the first exercise bra, the “Jogbra” in 1990 from it’s inventor Lisa Lindahl.  Lisa had constructed the prototype in 1977 from a pair of jockstraps after her sister complained to her about chafing, slipping straps, and sore breasts, all caused by “jogging” in an everyday bra. At the time there was nothing available to eliminate breast bounce and it was potentially very embarrassing for bigger breasted women to participate in any form of athletic activity.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s women’s aerobics, running and jogging activities flourished, generating a surge in sports specific exercise clothing from big brand sportswear manufacturers, but the simple “pull-on shelf bra” they offered was inadequate for anything more than light exercise.  So bra manufacturers such as Playtex, Triumph, Olga and Warner’s used their technical expertise to lead the way in this new niche “sports bra” market.

The n109 Shock Absorber Max Support Bra by Shock Absorber

Never before had proper research and development been done in this area, breast movement during exercise was studied for the first time by monitoring women running on treadmills. It was a groundbreaking study – the research gave credence to women’s complaints of breast pain – the force of a breast in motion is quite impressive.

The “Shock Absorber” Sports Bra was developed as a result of some of this new research and it’s now the leading and most widely recognized brand in the UK and throughout Europe. Runners and athletes endorse them and they’ve won numerous awards throughout the sports world. Personally I love them, being from the UK I own quite a few Shock Absorber bras and they do work, not only that but they last repeated washings too!

The 847 Tri-Action Sports Bra by Triumph

All this innovation and availability of performance sports bras has greatly enhanced women’s accomplishments in athletics, opening up opportunities for talented bigger-breasted athletes to participate in demanding and intense sports where previously their bust size would have caused agony and embarrassment.

They also offer high performance moisture management, welded and seamless parts to eliminate chaffing, molding to provide a more natural shape and close or crossed straps to anchor the frame when the arms are lifted. We now have two types of sports bras – those that encapsulate the breasts using shaped cups and those that merely compress the breast and restrict movement by flattening (mostly tank top styles).  Breasts move in three planes of motion during exercise – “encapsulation bras” restrict breast movement to two planes while “compression bras” restrict movement in only one plane.

The 8208 Tri-Action Non Wired Sports Bra by Triumph

Now That’s Lingerie carries a very impressive range of performance sports bras from the top brands providing different support for all your activities:

The 847 Tri-action Sports Bra by Triumph is ideal for medium impact activities, with it’s smooth, seamless molded cup it looks good enough to wear as a supportive everyday bra too.  The Triumph 8208 Tri Action Non Wired Sports Bra is great for medium impact too, I love it’s contrast striped red and white elastics giving it a very sporty look.

Naturana’s 5007 Sports High Impact Wire Free Soft Cup Bra is perfect for intense sports, it uses moisture absorbing, quick drying fabrics and incorporates wider built up straps and molded cups for comfort.

Finally the 13004130 Sports Bra by Change of Scandinavia is fantastically engineered to keep everything in place however intense your exercise!

So check out the fabulous new Shock Absorber collection on Now That’s Lingerie.com and beat the bounce!

Teresa

teresa@nowthatslingerie.com