FitSugar

Stay Dry With the Adidas TechFit Sports Bra

Leta Shy — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:34:30 PDT

Daily workouts mean I can never have too many sports bras. And while I'm not blessed with the type of goods that need to be supported and bounce-free during a high-impact workout, a structured sports bra is essential for keeping me comfortable while I exercise. So when Adidas sent me their new TechFit sports bra from their Fall line to review, I happily added it to my workout wardrobe rotation and went running.

The Adidas TechFit Bra ($30) promises to contour to your body shape while keeping you cool and comes in basic black as well as a a few bright color combinations. It's a compression-style (read: uniboob) bra and is made of a stretchy interlocking fabric that promises to move with you while wicking away sweat and heat.

Read on for my thoughts on the TechFit bra!

OnSugar Blog: My Favorite Nursing Bra Style

OnSugar Blog — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:31:10 PDT

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CWTMommy is one of them. She is on a mission to find the best nursing bra on the market. Here's her latest review from her My Experiment With Nursing Bras blog.

Drum roll please . . . and the winner is . . . a classic underwire bra! The specific one I tried from Leading Lady is style J126640 ($26).

I've always been an underwire kind of girl from as long as I can remember. It all comes down to support for me. They need to be tamed and framed. So naturally, when I decided to breastfeed I was so scared about what to do with my bras. Everywhere you go in the mommy world you hear about horror stories of infections and complications with mastitis. If I couldn't do underwire I didn't know what I would do. But I am lucky, so incredibly terribly lucky.

I'm not going to give another total review on it. If you'd like to read the original one here's the link to it. I will, however, give you some of the highlights of why it's my favorite. The support is super fabulous. Naturally it would be because of the underwire, but it is a really well made bra. The cups are molded and supportive all on their own. The straps didn't fall down off my shoulders either. The lace is just an added bonus. It's so pretty and it makes me really feel like a woman again.

Now, I know that most of you reading this probably can't do underwire, so I'm going to share my second favorite: no wire molded cup sport bra (The one I tried was style 4388.)

No, this is not the most attractive bra in the world. No, this is not the most supportive bra in the world. However, being a no wire it's pretty darn close. This is my second favorite because this is the most supportive no wire bra I've ever tried. Granted, besides this experiment there haven't been many, but I am really impressed with it. The cotton is soft and kept me dry through leakage or sweat. I really enjoyed the familiar feeling of having dedicated cups rather than a squishy compression bra that hurts like no other with sore milky boobs. I personally would need a little more from it to use it as a heavy activity sports bra, but it's pretty great for light stuff like cleaning the house or walking with a stroller. It's also decent enough to go out in public for those of you who are self conscious about that kind of thing.

I'm done! Now that this experiment has concluded, I'm currently coming up with ideas for what to focus on next. I would love any feedback you have for what direction to go now. But stay tuned because I just might have something else up my sleeve.

Want to see more? Start following My Experiment With Nursing Bras, or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.

Get Fit Challenge 9: A Reader's Sports Bra Combo

Fit Community — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:00:40 PST

FitSugar reader bcn1000 shared her fitness must haves for the ninth challenge of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway, and you should, too!

I'm a *ahem* larger busted lady, and one who likes high-intensity workouts. As a result I can rarely find a sports bra that keeps me in check, is comfortable, and doesn't chafe. Until I can find that holy grail I combine a sports bra (pictured is my favorite Champion bra) with a built-in bra tank top (my fave is Old Navy, as they have great length). This way I can make sure that the cut and compression are more suitable to my body, and also cut down on the chances of flashing my tummy while running/jumping/lifting.

Be sure to share your fitness must haves in our Get Fit For 2011 group to enter our weekly giveaway of a $100 Nike gift card and a chance to win our grand prize - a four-day fitness boot camp in LA, which includes a nutritional consultation with the C&J Nutrition team!

Do You Feel Your Sports Bra Provides Enough Support?

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:47:55 PDT

After, I am assuming, plenty of observation hours of breasts in motion, researchers discovered that running produces more than just up-and-down motion in women's chests. Breasts actually make a figure eight pattern. Even with this important discovery, no sports bra has yet to be designed to handle the lateral sway of breasts in motion. Neither compression bras that smoosh your chest into a uni-boob, or cup bras, which separate the girls, can keep your knockers from knocking about.

Scientists from down under have figured out how to help us gals up top. The Aussie researchers observed that when running in water, large-breasted women didn't experience much discomfort. Using compressed foam pads to simulate the buoyancy found in water, scientists created a bra that tamed both the side-to-side and up-and-down motion of runners' breasts. Testers gave the prototype sports bar a high comfort ranking, but unfortunately no manufacturer has stepped up to use this cutting edge support technology to build a better sports bra.

How do you feel about your fave sports bra? If you have one you love, share the deets with us in the comments section below.

Gear Review: Rebel Sports Bra by Nike

FitSugar — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 07:00:59 PDT

As a runner with a not-so-tiny chest, I'm always on the hunt for a more comfortable, more supportive sports bra. When I heard about Nike's new Rebel Sports Bra featuring several new, supportive features, I had the company send me one to test out. The Rebel is designed to "deliver the benefits of an underwire bra without the wire," and promises vertical, horizontal, and surround support in four areas: chest band, cups, shoulder straps, and wings.

Remembering the size small Nike sports bra I still squeeze myself into on occasion (hello, uniboob), I opted to test out a medium. Because I have an exactly 33-inch ribcage, I toggle back and forth between wearing 32-inch and 34-inch bras. And while I'm not too busty, I do have trouble squeezing into a cup-less sports bra, especially the aforementioned Nike model. Unfortunately, the Rebel seems to run truer to size, and was a tad on the large side. Luckily, both shoulder straps and the chest band are adjustable, so after hooking each to the smallest possible size, I felt supported enough to tackle a five-mile run.

Learn the verdict on the Nike Rebel when you keep reading.

Fit Tip: Wash Your Sports Bra in the Shower With You

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:47:15 PDT

The warmer weather inspires me to get out and exercise, and that means I'm going through more sports bras. It's such a waste to wash them in the washing machine after each workout, and besides - who has time for that? Since I only have a few sports bras, I got into the habit of bringing my sweaty one into the shower with me. I keep a little container of laundry detergent on the shelf so I can hand wash it really quickly, and then let it dry over my shower rod. That way it's always clean when I want to wear it next, and I don't have to worry about doing a whole load of laundry just so I can have a clean sports bra. Plus, hand washing engineered wicking clothes helps to maintain the integrity of the fabric. This is especially great to do when you're on vacation and don't have access to a washing machine.

Gear Review: LOLË Silhouette 2 Tank Top

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 03:00:58 PDT

I thought when it came to good workout gear, I was pretty much in the know; turns out I was wrong. So when LOLË - a Canadian-based company specializing in activewear for women that I had never heard of - contacted me about its new Spring-Summer line, I was curious. After looking at the company's website and getting a sense of its philosophy, I was excited. LOLË is an all-encompassing line of clothing devoted to women who lead active lives, love to be outdoors, love to laugh, and want to look feminine.

When I first received the Silhouette 2 Tank Top ($60), I was pretty apprehensive. Disclaimer: sport tanks with built-in bras usually don't work for my larger-on-top frame. Still, I loved the color (sage green) and the design, so I wanted it to work. Guess what? It totally did! Once I took out the removable soft pads from the inner bra, the tank fit perfectly. Because my girls need extra support I still wore my own bra underneath it, but the built-in bra did not cut me off along the chest like most inner bras do.

To see how it performed and view more pics,

Gear Review: Freya Sports Bra

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:00:05 PDT

When you're heavy on top, finding a sports bra is downright frustrating. Most aren't made for women who are over a D cup - let alone DD-H. Even if you do manage to squeeze yourself into one, you end up with a very unattractive uniboob and barely there support. When Freya - one of my favorite bra companies - came out with an active line, I was overjoyed. (Without divulging too much, I have a small ribcage at 32 inches with an ample bosom.) Freya gets women with larger bust sizes. They even understand that some women have a large cup size but can still be small in the frame.

To see my review and other colors of the bra,

How Many Sports Bras Do You Own?

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:00:54 PDT

Let's face it, working out in the Summer is a very sweaty activity. If you don't do laundry every day - and really, who has time to - you need multiple sports bras if you work out regularly. My collection of support has grown over the years. I have a couple of favorites for running, and ones I like to wear for strength training or cycling. I now own a total of four quality sports bras, all of which I consider essential for my active life. What about you . . .

Brandi Chastain and Her Bra: a Great Moment in Women's Sports?

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:06:40 PDT

When the US women's soccer team won the Word Cup in 1999, it was thanks to Brandi Chastain. She scored the winning goal on a penalty kick and promptly ripped off her shirt to celebrate. The moment has been nicknamed "the bra heard 'round the world." The photos of her are infamous, and she became a household name, her moment in the spotlight eclipsing an amazing win for US women's soccer.

Her dark sports bra was part of the memorabilia installed at the Sports Museum of America in New York City. But when the museum went bankrupt and all the sporting souvenirs placed in probate, Brandi's bra was held for a ransom of $250, plus shipping. After many e-mails and phone calls, her bra is back in her hands to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her famous penalty kick win - an oddly sweet and sentimental tale.

Her disrobing on the field, to me, was a celebratory gesture. When my husband sees me wearing a sports bra with no shirt, he always calls me Brandi. Kind of funny but also kind of sad that this is what she is remembered for since she is also a tremendous athlete. What do you think? Was this a great moment in women's sports? Can you name any other infamous sporty gal moments that have captured the nation's attention? Are there moments in sports where our nation's female athletes made you proud to be an American?