The feats being performed during the Olympics are amazing. It is also easy to see how much wear and tear the bodies of the athletes take. In the case of women, this includes the massive movements requiring sports bras.
If you do not wear a sports bra when you exercise, you are crazy. Studies have revealed that during simple running, breasts may bounce up and down as much as six to eight inches. There are actual videos on YouTube.com showing this painful fact.
If anything, Americans do not get enough exercise. If you are being active, it is a good thing. That being said, you must protect yourself. You would not jog on a hot road without shoes, so do not do the same without a sports bra.
Your breasts are not supported by muscles per se. Instead, they are supported by ligaments and, obviously, skin. If you watch sports at all, you know ligaments can be damaged and skin, of course, stretches. You need some additional support.
The sports bra is not the most seductive of accessories, but it is a vital necessity. A regular bra is not designed to handle the motion involved in sports. If you want to play, wear a sports bra. If you want to look hot, wear something sexy but do not play hard.
For the longest of times, there was only one sports bra. It was known as the compression sports bra and worked pretty well. In recent times, the encapsulation bra has come on the scene and is receiving good reviews.
When it comes to tradition, the compression sports bra is the queen. The bra counters the effects of bouncing by flattening the breast against the chest as a one piece support system. This effectively keeps the ligaments from being stretched or stressed.
The compression sports bra has not always worked well for well endowed women. The newer encapsulation bra was designed as an alternative. It works by providing maximum cup support to each breast, but lets them move independently for less of a smushed feeling.
Unlike many issues with bras, the choice between these two breaks down pretty cleanly. If you have a C cup or larger, try the encapsulation sports bra. If you are smaller, go with the compression version.
Unlike many of the variations of brassieres we have seen through the years, the sports bra has pretty much remained the same. Why? It works well. The encapsulation has only come around as bust sizes have grown, but should carry on the tradition of the compression sports bra.