Exercising Without A Bra? Yay or Nay?

Have you ever wished you could just exercise in without changing into gym clothes? Especially when you have to wrestle into your tight sports bra! While it poses no harm to wear apparels which are not designed for exercise, to omit your bra or not, is a whole different topic. You may think “Exercising without a bra is like working out with your home shorts vs gym shorts since they have nothing to do with your fat burning process”, right? Well, here are some key differences!

Women’s breasts are made out of glandular tissue, fatty tissue, and connective tissue. This group of tissues has a certain weight on your body depending on each individual. When we exercise, our breasts may move up to 14cm if left without any support. This gives the chance for it to stretch for about 2cm. Hence, this is where the benefits of sports bras take place. It was to keep your boobs in place to help you reach maximum comfort while you enjoy the activities you do.

2 Reasons for Not Exercising Without A Bra

Exercising without a bra may sound trivial but it shouldn’t be neglected. A sports bra should be on the list of your workout kit. You may hate wearing a bra in the first place, but doing so while working out can trigger further discomfort. These are the 2 main reasons why exercising without a bra should be avoided and hence the benefits of sports bras can’t be underestimated:

Feeling The Pain? You Definitely Need A Sports Bra

Of course, you have the choice of whether to wear bras or not while you are working out. However, if you feel pain around your chest area while you’re doing jumping jacks or burpees, that’s a whole different story. Dannica Moore, a women’s health expert, said pain is a way your body is sending a signal that you need to make some changes, “Whether that something different is a different activity or different clothing, it’s important to know.”

In exercises that cause high-intensity of breast movement such as running, dancing, or kickboxing, gravity pulls your breast weight down. Also, rapid breast movement can damage your breast tissues. It is possible for your breast tissues to stretch over time if you do not wear a bra to exercise and work out. Therefore, if you’re active in high-contact sports such as basketball or volleyball, you’ll most definitely need better support for your ladies.

Your Breast Size Says The Need for One

Size is an important factor when it comes to pain. A study published by Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine in February 2020 shows that an athlete is five times more likely to experience exercise-induced pain in their breasts due to having medium to large breasts. As larger breasts have a higher mass of tissue, the weight will also increase, causing pain when they bounce. They also found that the possibility of experiencing breast pain increases every year following the increase in age.

This is proven that wearing a bra while exercising will avoid chest pain, especially for large-breasted women. This is because the bra can support your breasts while it’s moved due to the intensity of your exercise or workout. So, what kind of bra is suitable for exercise and workout? A sports bra is the answer.

How to Find The Right Sports Bra for Exercising

Now, the question is what kind of sports bra is best for exercising? Based on Dr. Donnica Moore’s explanation:

The answer depends on a few factors, including the size of your breasts and the types of exercises you’re doing.
Dr. Donnica Moore, Women’s Health Expert in Chester, NJ

Each type of exercise has a different impact on the body. The heavier the impact, the more support is needed. In this case, a sports bra is differentiated into 3 levels depending on the heaviness of the impact of the activity:

Low Level. A sports bra with low support is suitable for low-impact activities. For example, yoga, walking, and swimming. These types of activities won’t cause your breast to bounce vigorously. Hence, wearing a low-level sports bra will be enough.
Medium Level. You can wear a medium-level sports bra for skiing, cycling, and hiking.
High Level. This type of bra can be worn for running, kickboxing, and horseback riding. Any type of exercise that involve a lot of movements including running and jumping, and causes your breasts to bounce will require this type of bra.

Conclusion

In conclusion, is it bad to exercise without a bra? Yes! Although you may want to let your breasts be free from bra restrictions, it is highly important to wear a bra when you exercise. This is to prevent chest pain that is caused by the breasts’ movement while exercising. With this, a sports bra is recommended for exercising. It has 3 different impact levels that suit the exercise you’re performing from low impact level to high impact level. So, get yourself one today if you’re yet to own one. If you need help making a decision about which sports bra to buy, feel free to hit us up on our Instagram or Facebook Page, we are more than happy to help you!

Thanks for reading along!

In some of our articles, you may see that they contain affiliate links, which means we could receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. If we recommend you to a product or brand, it is only because we believe in it. If you do purchase through our affiliate link, we appreciate and thank you for your support!