Sports Bras

Sports bras come in three main types: shelf bras, compression bras and encapsulation bras. We've come a long way from the simple compression pullover bra -- there are many varieties to choose from and some are better for particular impact levels than others. Title Nine's Barbell ratings are hard to top for comparing support.

Shelf bras
Athleta and Title Nine both have a great selection of tops with built-in shelf bras; some of them are almost a crossover with the compression styles in terms of how they actually support the breast. As a general rule, these are more for the smaller-breasted woman for low-to-medium impact activities.
Recommendations: any of the bra tops at Athleta or Title Nine


Compression
Compression bras do just that - to a greater or lesser extent, they 'squish' the breasts against the chest wall to keep them from moving as much as possible. They tend to create that oh-so-attractive uniboob effect but can be very supportive. Examples of this style include Title Nine's Frog Bra, Moving Comfort's Melbourne bra and the Enell bra. Recommendations: The aforementioned Frog Bra takes this category






Encapsulation
More like a traditional bra, these lift and separate -- no more uniboob. Some are more for low-impact activities, while others can be as tough as you'd like them to be. Anita, Shock Absorber and Moving Comfort all make fantastic encapsulation bras. The encapsulation style is The Bra Geek's favorite type of sports bra.
Recommendations: Moving Comfort Bella for low impact, their Selene for higher impact; Anita Active CoolMax for high impact support.





Underwire
There are some good underwire sports bras out there too; opinion is divided on whether or not they are as good for you (particularly at a higher impact), but I like Title Nine's Cuz She Says So bra.
Recommendations: Moving Comfort Maia




Check out Shock Absorber's Bounce-O-Meter for a disturbing look at what happens when you don't wear a sports bra!