Last week’s article; Sports Bra Fitting Essentials – Part 1: Shoulder Straps gave you an in depth look at everything you need to know to ensure the best possible shoulder strap fit. This was the ‘First Pillar’ of the ‘Three Pillars’ of sports bra fit.
This week I will take an in depth look at the ‘Second Pillar’; the band. As I have said if you successfully achieve all three pillars you should have the perfect fitting sports bra. Woo hoo!
So, let us look at what I would call the ‘foundation pillar’, the band. Get the foundation right and you are well on the way to supporting the girls! Hmmmm, I am starting to think I should have done the ‘foundation pillar’ first. Silly me.
Not to worry. Read on to discover how to get perfect fitting sports bra band.
It is a bit like finding the ‘goldilocks zone’. Not to lose and not too tight. You want you band to fit ‘just right’. 80% of your sports bras support comes from the band. It really is the foundation of our breast support. As such, it is important to get right.
So, how do we know when our band is just right? Before I answer it is important to realise that your sports bra band should fit firmer than the band of your everyday bra. It needs to support the extra load created from your bouncing breasts.
Your sports bra band should be a firm fit in a straight line around your torso. When it is correctly fitted do the ‘two fingers’ test. A well fitted band will allow you to place two fingers under the band against your rib cage. If you can’t it’s too tight!
If your sports bra doesn’t have a ‘hook and eye’ back clasp, then skip this section. If it does then read on. As with your shoulder straps there is a right way to adjust and set your band.
It is a common misconception that a new spots bra should fit well on a mid or tightest clasp setting. The theory being to get great support we need to ratchet things up to max. This can not only be uncomfortable it can damage your new bra.
Sports bras are designed to comfortably support you. Going tight not only offer little extra support benefit it can stretch your sports bra band making it less effective.
And if you stretch it what are your options? You got it, a new sports bra! Hence, it is quite the opposite. Your sports bra band should fit well on the loosest setting.
This will not only allow it to perform as designed without stretching. But as time takes its toll and your bra band inevitably does begin to stretch. You can compensate for this by tightening things up.
Let us look at the possible reasons for and common signs of poor sports bra band fit.
So, there you have it. Everything you need to know about correctly fitting your sport bra band. Your sports bra band forms an important second fit or ‘foundation pillar’ in your search for the perfect fit. Get this pillar right and you have set the foundation of a great fitting sports bra.
Next week I will take a look at the third and final pillar of fit, the cups.
Yours in Support.
Amy x
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