Is it really better to wear a tighter sports bra? The answer is not what you think!

Myth: "When wearing a sports bra, a tighter one is better"

"Of course you have to wear a sports bra when exercising!" Most people know this, but there is some controversy over the choice of sports bra. Many people say: "It is best to choose a tighter sports bra when exercising. The tighter the sports bra, the better it will prevent breast sagging!"

Rumor analysis: Not true.

Although the function of sports bras is to fix, it does not mean that we always need to wear very tight sports bras. When we choose sports bras, the most important thing is to choose according to the intensity of our exercise.

Every girl faces the same problem when exercising - what underwear should she wear?

"Of course you have to wear a sports bra when you exercise!" Most people know this, but there is some controversy over the choice of sports bra. Many people say, "It is best to choose a tighter sports bra when exercising. The tighter the sports bra, the better it will prevent your breasts from sagging!" So, is this really the case? Today, let's talk about how to choose a sports bra!

Wearing a sports bra is really important

If you want to know which sports bra is good, you first need to understand what the role of sports bra is.

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Since the breast is mainly composed of adipose tissue, glandular tissue, connective tissue, etc., and is connected to the pectoralis major muscle through the breast suspensory ligament, the breast itself lacks muscle support and is easily displaced during exercise.

Studies have shown that during strenuous exercise such as running, women's breasts will move in three directions: up and down, left and right, and front and back. Especially in the vertical direction, the displacement can reach a range of 4 to 15 cm. Even women with cup size A will have a displacement of about 4 cm during exercise. This displacement will restrict women's movements during exercise, greatly affecting their exercise efficiency and effect.

This shaking is especially noticeable during high-intensity sports such as running, aerobics, and playing ball. Especially in sports that involve running and jumping, improperly protected breasts will affect women's athletic performance and even cause pain. A 2019 survey of Chinese women showed that 62.6% of women experienced breast pain during exercise.

This kind of breast pain not only exists in the present, but may even have a lasting impact. Breast pain can seriously affect women's quality of life and even their mental health, leading to depression, anxiety and other emotions.

If the breasts are not properly protected during long-term intense exercise, the breast tissue may be torn. In particular, the fragile breast suspensory ligaments are easily subjected to huge pressure during repeated exercise bumps, just like a rubber band that is overstretched and loses its elasticity over time. When ligament damage occurs, the breasts will sag and it will be difficult to recover.

In addition, a lot of sweat will be produced on the body surface during exercise. If you don't wear moisture-wicking underwear, the sweat will accumulate on the skin surface, which may cause acne, inflammation and other problems. If the sports bra does not have a strong fixed underwear, the underwear will shift with our movements and cause skin wear and even abrasions.

So, can these problems be solved by wearing a sports bra?

Ordinary bras are usually not specially designed for exercise. During exercise, as the body moves, they are prone to shifting and sliding up. This not only forces us to frequently adjust our bras during exercise, disrupting the rhythm of exercise, but also greatly affects our enthusiasm for exercise.

Imagine that you have to stop and pull your bra from time to time while running or doing other high-intensity exercises. The feeling of irritation is self-evident. In addition, ordinary bras are not good enough to wrap around your chest. If you do some heavy exercise, the breast fat will shake violently up and down and left and right, which cannot help shape your body.

Sports bras mainly use the pressure of fabric and cutting to fix the breasts as a whole to reduce displacement during exercise. According to the results of relevant research, after wearing sports bras correctly, the movement range of breasts will be reduced by 53%-59%, which can effectively reduce pain and protect breast health.

Sports bras, not the tighter the better

Let's go back to the question at the beginning. Since sports bras can shape the body and protect breast health, is it really better to be tighter? Although the function of sports bras is to fix, it does not mean that we always need to wear very tight sports bras. When we choose sports bras, the most important thing is to choose according to the intensity of our exercise.

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

Generally, sports bras can be divided into low-intensity support, medium-intensity support and high-intensity support according to the intensity of exercise.

For sports that involve little running and jumping, such as Pilates, yoga, and simple strength training, it is sufficient to choose a sports bra with low-intensity support. For sports that involve some body movement but are not so intense, such as skiing, hiking, and cycling, you can choose a sports bra with medium-intensity support. For sports that involve a lot of running and jumping, such as running, skipping, dancing, basketball, football, and badminton, it is best to choose a sports bra with high-intensity support.

There is no need to pursue high intensity in sports bras. In some soothing types of exercises, it is not conducive to our exercise if we are always restrained and tight by sports bras.

In addition, the size of the sports bra is also very important. The size of the sports bra should also be selected according to the upper and lower chest circumference. In order to reduce shaking during exercise, you can choose a size that is slightly closer than your daily bra. But it should be noted that even if it is slightly tight, it should be enough to allow normal breathing and not significantly compress the chest. After putting on the sports bra, it is best to do a few simple exercises such as jumping jacks to test the comfort of the sports bra.

Although sports bras can support the breasts well, it is not recommended to wear them for a long time. After all, sports bras are specially designed for sports scenes, they are more functional and not so comfortable for daily wear. In addition, there are not many scenes in our daily life where the breasts will shake, so wearing daily bras or even no bras is enough.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

Such rumors are mostly originated from the Internet or non-professionals, and lack reliable medical and scientific basis. They have a common feature of exaggerating a seemingly reasonable point, but ignoring its complexity and comprehensiveness. To identify such rumors, we should pay attention to the fact that reasonable suggestions usually contain conditions, exceptions or supplements, rather than "one size fits all".

This article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project. Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Hydra popular science author

Reviewer: Ji Gang, deputy chief physician of orthopedics, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University