This jog bra is kind of chafing me.

September 29, 2009 4:34 PM

I'm training for a half marathon and am looking for some suggestions - specifically, jog bras that don't chafe and workout gear for the extra sweaty.

I am a 40 year old woman training for my first half marathon. The training itself is fine, but I'm having some issues with my gear.

First, my jog bras are chafing the heck out of me. I am a 36DD and I wear Size 0 Enell bras (thanks to previous Ask Metafilter answers) which seem to be the only bras that minimize (but don't stop) the bounce. Although according to the Enell size charts, I should be wearing a Size 1, the larger sized Enells didn't compress enough to do any good.

I am chafed to the point of bleeding under my arms and between my breasts. Glide doesn't seem to make a difference, and I use panty-liners to lessen the chafing between my breasts, but that doesn't always work.

Second, I sweat a lot. And when I run for more than an hour, even during the cool fall mornings, my clothing is drenched as if I was in a rainstorm. I've tried some wicking shirts (from Nike) but they got as wet as a cotton t-shirt.

I would love to get any specific bra/clothing recommendations or to hear about how others deal with these issues.

Thank you!

posted by anonymous to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 answers total)

if you need serious compression, go with the frog bra. FtM trans people wear these before their mastectomies. it will mash those babies down.

otherwise - just look at title nine in general. their customer service live chat is really good.
posted by nadawi at 4:49 PM on September 29, 2009 [3 favorites]

Can't say anything about the boob issue, but as for the sweat: are you wearing too much clothing? Unless you're really uninsulated (read: thin skinned, literally), you should still be going out in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt down to about 55 degrees.
posted by notsnot at 4:52 PM on September 29, 2009

The NY Times just did a piece on chafing lubricants. You might find their suggestions helpful.
posted by cachondeo45 at 4:53 PM on September 29, 2009

Title nine (linked to by nadawi) also has the Last Resort bra, claiming no movement at all.

For sweating - you can use Certain Dri or Driclor on bits other than your pits. Yes it stings like a mother but it works.
posted by goo at 5:09 PM on September 29, 2009

This month's Runners World has an article on sports bras for As up to DDs.
posted by pised at 5:25 PM on September 29, 2009

another thumbs up for title nine... i worked a blowout sale for them over the summer while temping, and they're good people. and their customer service is awesome... they can do bra fittings over the phone. i think they could help you pick out a non-chafing bra.
posted by bluloo at 5:43 PM on September 29, 2009

I sweat a lot too, and I'm partial to Under Armour bras like this one. No chafing and more than adequate compression.
posted by contrariwise at 5:53 PM on September 29, 2009

There are two types of running bras - compression (uniboob) and encapsulation (a home of there own). I'm a big fan of underwire, encapsulation bras, because my breasts cannot go for a run without an underwire to supervise. Lots of women think compression is the only option for the running bra.

Right now I'm wearing the Cara (low impact workouts and shorter runs) or the Maia (long runs). Both are shown at the Moving Comfort site.

Now, let's talk lube. This roll on is the best lube running (ha!). Seriously, my inner thighs would have caught fire at some point, without Two Toms. I have no interest in the company, but I let tons of teammates try it. Every single one of them has raved about it. Hard to find, but that damn good for skin on skin friction.
posted by 26.2 at 7:29 PM on September 29, 2009

Nthing Title 9. They're expensive, but they have a wide selection and once you figure out what works for you you can always look for the model elsewhere (save the tag! there's no brand/model identification on the website/catalog itself). While the Frog Bra did not work for me, some of the others have...have you tried an encapsulating bra, or just the compression ones? If you haven't tried an underwire, encapsulating wicking bra of more than three barbells you haven't really lived, as a larger-breasted woman. I speak as a 34DD who hates, hates hates bouncing of any kind.

I don't have any solution for the chafing problems but I wonder if you might have more success in that department with the encapsulating ones just because they don't have to be cranked down so darn tight.

I'm partial to this one.
posted by charmedimsure at 10:45 PM on September 29, 2009

I'm a 36G, and I wear this bra from Shock Absorber -- it's brilliant! It's comfortable, I get no bouncing problems, and it's pretty to boot. I've never had any chaffing problems.

One reason you have chaffing problems might be that you're wearing the wrong size -- i'm always suspicious of a bra size like 36DD, because I've met so many women who thought they were DD's that turned out to be F, FF, or G cups and smaller band sizes (I work in lingerie). As a data point, I am a 36 back and I wear a size 14-16 US. I thought I was a 40D for years until I got into the lingerie industry.

If you are a smaller dress size, it could be that your band is too big and the cup too small, which could be why your bra is chaffing you. Give a 34F or a 32G a whirl and see if that helps at all.
posted by ukdanae at 12:55 AM on September 30, 2009

I'm sorry that bodyglide doesn't work, as that's my only recommendation, but for post-running relief from chafing I suggest diaper rash cream. Works absolute wonders.

I sweat pretty heavily and it's just something I've had to get used to. I do favour a ventilation undershirt or a cotton tank as a base layer just to soak sweat up, but I also get hot very quickly. Make a point to wear less clothes than you think you need. That's not much of an answer, but just keep experimenting with different layers and types of fabric and hopefully you'll find something that works.
posted by poissonrouge at 10:03 AM on September 30, 2009

I'm your size, and for me the best sports bra ever is the Lunaire Coolmax, but I know other people with similar dimensions who hate it. Bras are so specific to individual shapes that it's really hard to guess what's going to work. If you're anywhere near a Title 9 store or someplace similar, just go: try everything on and jump around.

(Title 9 calls the Lunaire bra "Wired and Ready for Action," but I bought it anyway.)
posted by tangerine at 9:42 PM on October 1, 2009