Exercise and
Breast Support

All females, of all breast sizes involved in sports involving running, jumping and forceful arm movements should be wearing a high-support sports bra.

Movement of the body and arms during physical activity and sports causes movement of the breasts. The breast movement that occurs during running and jumping activities is called “breast bounce” because female breasts appear to bounce up and down.

During one hour of running, female breasts can bounce ~10,000 times.

Sports bras provide external supports for female breasts; just like shoes support your feet when you run, sports bras support your breasts.

Sports bras are therefore essential sporting equipment for female athletes and active women.

Research of elite athletes across multiple sports has found most female athletes have insufficient knowledge and ability to independently:

Identify the design features of high-support sports bras.
Determine if their sports bra fitted correctly.
Determine if their sports bra provided adequate breast support for their breast size, age and sport.

A high percentage of female athletes wear sports bras:

That provide insufficient support.
Are poorly fitted.
Are too old (past their use-by date).

This fact sheet will guide you on how to choose a high support, correctly fitted sports bra suitable for your physical activity and sports, to enable you to maximise your athletic performance and exercise in comfort.

High support correctly fitted sports bras optimise athletic performance and breast health.

Research has found that high support, correctly fitted sports bras can:

Minimise

Breast movement during exercise
Breast pain associated with excessive breast movement during sport and breast pain associated with your monthly cycle
Embarrassment associated with excessive breast movement

Optimise

The posture of the upper torso, shoulder range of motion and muscle strength
Running economy
Alignment of the lower limbs during landing
Comfort during exercise

Different sports bra designs

The amount of breast support provided by a sports bra refers to how much it limits breast movement during physical activity and sport. The level of breast support provided varies with different types of sports bra designs and their design features.

There are three different types of sports bra designs:

i. Encapsulation sports bras

ii. Crop top sports bras

iii. Hybrid (combination) sports bras.

These sports bras limit breast movement during physical activity by elevating the breasts (i.e., lifting the breasts compared to the position they are in when you are bare-breasted) and compressing the breasts against the chest wall.

The different sports bra designs vary in their design features.

TIP: Athletes with large breasts (> than DD cup) commonly need to wear 2 bras simultaneously to achieve adequate breast support (e.g., a hybrid sports bra with a crop top over it).

Design

Front

Back

Breast support strategy and design

Encapsulation sports bra design

Limits breast movement by containing and elevating the breasts

Design features:

Band and straps are adjustable in length to optimise the fit and lifespan of sports bra
May have underwire

Crop top sports bra design

Limits breast movement by compressing the breasts as a unit against the chest wall

Design features:

Band and straps are NOT adjustable in length, essentially one piece of material
Has no underwire

Hybrid (combination) sport bra design

Limits breast movement by a combination of breast elevation and compression

Design features:

Band and straps are adjustable in length to optimise the fit and lifespan of sports bra
Has no underwire

Encapsulation sports bra design

Crop top sports bra design

Hybrid (combination) sports bra design

Band:

Wide (1 – 3 cm), strong elastic that does not curl up on your trunk and is firm around the trunk
Non-abrasive hooks/clip/zipper that open at front or back of bra (for Encapsulation and Hybrid designs)

Cups:

Completely covers all your breast tissue (high neckline)
Elevates breasts (Encapsulation and Hybrid designs)
Compresses breasts (Crop top and Hybrid designs)
Has no seams over breast tissue or smooth, non-abrasive seams
Cups made of strong elastic material (Crop top and Hybrid designs)

Straps:

Wide, strong elastic material
Adjustable in length (Encapsulation and Hybrid designs)

Material:

Band and straps made of strong elastic material
Cups made of breathable material that wicks sweat away from the body and feels smooth and comfortable against your skin
Cups made of strong elastic material that compresses your breasts (Crop top and Hybrid designs)

Underwire:

Personal preference (Encapsulation designs)
NOT recommended for females involved in contact, collision or combat sports because of the risk of breast injuries in these sports
NOT recommended for females who are breastfeeding because of risk of isolated pressure blocking milk ducts

TIP: If only a low level of breast support is required (e.g. if you are young, have small breasts and are doing a sport with a small amount of breast movement, e.g., walking), a crop top might provide sufficient breast support.

However, if a high level of breast support is required (e.g. if you are older, have large breasts and doing a sport with a large amount of breast movement, e.g., running), a high supportive sports bra or even two bras may be required to achieve enough support (e.g. an encapsulation sports bra with a crop top worn over it).

Correct bra fit

Your sports bra must fit correctly to support your breasts, like your shoes must fit correctly to support your feet. The table below will help you to identify if your sports bra fits correctly.

Band

Correct: feels firm around your trunk and does not move up and down on your trunk when you raise your arms above head

Too big: band feels loose when you stretch it by pulling it away from your trunk; band moves up and down on your trunk when you raise your arms above head

Too small: feels too tight or is uncomfortable to wear

Straps

Correct: feels firm on your shoulders

Too big: feels loose, can slide off your shoulders

Too small: feels too tight or uncomfortable, digging into your shoulders

Cup

Correct: all your breast tissue is contained within your bra cup

Too big: wrinkles in the material of cup or a gap between the bra cup material and your breast tissue; breasts appear to be sagging when viewed from side

Too small: breast tissue bulging out of the front or side (near your armpit) of your bra cup

Underwire

Correct: underwire sitting on your breastbone at front and on ribs near your armpit

Incorrect: underwire sitting on your breast tissue at the front and near your armpit

TIP: Research has shown that many women wear sports bras past their “use by date,” meaning the elastic has become overstretched and the material is worn out.

As a result, these sports bras no longer fit correctly and will be too big in the bra band, cup or straps. They will also no longer provide sufficient breast support and SHOULD BE REPLACED.

Level of breast support

The level of breast support required varies depending on your:

1. Breast size: larger breasts require a higher level of support

females with breast sizes D+ commonly require 2 bras to be worn simultaneously to achieve adequate breast support
breast size also increases during pregnancy and breastfeeding, requiring a higher level of breast support
breast size increases when you increase your body weight, requiring a higher level of breast support

2. Age: older athletes require a higher level of support because the elasticity of your breast skin and ligaments within your breasts decreases with age.

3. Sport: sports that involve more breast movement, such as running, jumping and forceful arm movements require a high level of breast support.

How to determine if your sports bra provides sufficient breast support

Perform an activity involved in your physical activity or sport (e.g. running) in front of a mirror while wearing your sports bra and use the scales below to assist you to determine if your sports bra provides sufficient breast support.

If your bra is providing sufficient support your breast discomfort as you perform your activity, your breast discomfort should be 0 out of 10 and your breast movement should not be greater than 3 to 4 out of 10.

If you experience greater breast discomfort and movement than this, you need more breast support from your sports bra. You could achieve this by either wearing an additional sports bra such as a crop top over your current sports bra or buying a new sports bra that is more supportive.

Further information

Australian Institute of Sport Female Performance and Health Initiative, Breast Health Module: https://www.ais.gov.au/fphi/education

Breast Research Australia, University of Wollongong: https://www.uow.edu.au/science-medicine-health/research/bra/

Use Sports Bra (www.bra.edu.au), the free web-based app endorsed by the AIS, to check the design features of your sports bra.

Always consult a trained professional

The information above is general in nature and is only intended to provide a summary of the subject matter covered. It is not a substitute for medical advice, and you should always consult a trained professional practising in the area of sports medicine in relation to any injury. You use or rely on the information above at your own risk, and no party involved in the production of this resource accepts any responsibility for the information contained within it or your use of that information.

Need a sports medicine practitioner?
Visit SMA’s Find a Sports Doctor online directory to connect with a qualified Sports Doctor near you.

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Acknowledgements

Sports Medicine Australia wishes to thank the sports medicine practitioners who provided expert feedback in the development of this fact sheet. More >>

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Exercise and
Breast Support