No more bouncing!

June 18, 2010 7:51 AM

Can you recommend a sports bra that smooshes 'em real good? Preferably with a zipper.

I've had lousy luck with sports bras. One I ordered online was less support than my regular bra; the one I have now has a cheap crap front zipper that won't work most of the time.

Even a little jiggling is uncomfortable while on the treadmill, so I want one that really emphasizes the flattening part. And it would be great to have a zipper, those are very useful and convenient. Thank you!

(Am in Boston area, if you know of a good brick and mortar store.)

posted by Melismata to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

Frog bra.

http://www.titlenine.com/product/sports-bras-and-undies/medium-high-impact-sports-bras/310900.do?sortby=ourPicks&page=2

"warning! major masher bra!" as the site says.

(no affiliation, just buy my sports bras from them)
posted by micawber at 7:54 AM on June 18, 2010 [3 favorites]

Enell. No zipper, but holy hell does it smoosh.
posted by emeiji at 7:59 AM on June 18, 2010

Eponysterically, I just got a great UnderArmor bra at Dick's Sporting Goods. It zips in the front and the straps cross in the back; it has a thin foam lining for extra support. It's not as mashy as the Enell, but it's also $30 cheaper.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:05 AM on June 18, 2010

The New Balance outlet in Brighton has lots of sports bras, and they are rated for different workout intensities so you know which ones are good for running. Their stock changes frequently so I can't recommend a particular style, but you might check them out.
posted by tetralix at 8:14 AM on June 18, 2010

I can't vouch for the bras, but ShockAbsorber claims to settle things. Check their (NSFW) "Bounce-o-meter" (NSFW) to see how you may be affected.

FWIW, my wife likes UnderArmor sports bras the best.
posted by I'm Doing the Dishes at 8:16 AM on June 18, 2010

Oops, (NSFW)Bounce-o-meter(NSFW) link.
posted by I'm Doing the Dishes at 8:18 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

THE ENELL! I can't recommend the Enell bra highly enough. I am a D+ cup. I have been running for four years. A single while Enell has been my primary bra for that entire period. After four years of thrice-weekly runs and machine-washing, it's slightly dingy, but otherwise in perfect shape. And I haven't bounced ONCE.
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:45 AM on June 18, 2010 [1 favorite]

Link. It looks scary because it IS (my boyfriend calls it the "chastity bra"), but damned if it doesn't work wonders.
posted by julthumbscrew at 8:47 AM on June 18, 2010

Of all the sports bras I've tried, I like the Champion C9 Seamless sold at Target for under $20. I'm a very active C-cup and truly think this is the shizz in terms of support and value. Makes a wicked uniboob too.
posted by workerant at 8:49 AM on June 18, 2010

My running bra of choice is Moving Comfort's Fiona - no bouncing whatsoever. I've heard good things about their other models, too. City Sports carries them, and you can sometimes find discontinued colors marked down.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:00 AM on June 18, 2010

Moving Comport's Grace is the best I've found- and has a zipper! I have a bunch of Moving Comfort styles and this one is by far the smooshiest:

http://www.movingcomfort.com/product/344594/300271/_/Grace_CD
posted by whodatninja at 9:14 AM on June 18, 2010

No zipper, but this one is pretty bulletproof. There is absolutely no movement. Seriously, I feel like my boobs have vanished somewhere when I've got it on.
posted by Go Banana at 9:22 AM on June 18, 2010

Lululemon's Ta Ta Tamer bra. Awesome.
posted by pised at 9:34 AM on June 18, 2010

Not a zipper one. I picked up two of these Champion Double Dry at TJMaxx or Marshall's, and it was so much better than any of the other sports bras I'd bought there that I just started ordering them straight from Champion online so I could have enough for each of my week's workouts. (They're more expensive ordering directly than they were at the discount stores, but it's worth it for guaranteed support.) Champion also has some bras available with "maximum" support (the one I liked to is "high" support) that might be worth investigating. Champion's website recommends either high or maximum support for running, depending on your size. I have it in a large and I find it flattens well for all my jogging needs. If I combine it with a shirt with a built in shelf/sports bra, it's definitely flat uni-boob. But I'm happy with the support it provides when I'm wearing a regular workout t-shirt, too.
posted by Terriniski at 10:15 AM on June 18, 2010

the frog bra - or just poke around title nine and look at their "barbell ratings" and i think they have live support - i know they have email support. title nine, and specifically the frog bra, is the store/bra of choice for some of my FtM trans friends for keeping their tits locked down until they get their top surgery.
posted by nadawi at 12:12 PM on June 18, 2010

Of all the sports bras I've tried, I like the Champion C9 Seamless sold at Target for under $20.

I know nothing about bras, but have found that most UnderArmour gear has a nearly identical Champion counterpart that costs half the price. Before buying UnderArmour, I'd definitely check Target for a Champion.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:13 PM on June 18, 2010

I have a Shock Absorber bra (as mentioned above) and like it quite well.
posted by Lexica at 7:15 PM on June 18, 2010

I wear Moving Comfort's Fiona bra underneath an "Active Tank" from Old Navy. The tank top is itself pretty smooshy, so it works like a charm (but the Fiona is really enough on its own).
posted by granted at 6:15 PM on June 19, 2010

Personally I recommend going and trying a bunch on yourself (assuming that you are somewhere that there are sporting goods stores and the like). Since everyone is built a little differently, every bra fits a little differently on different people.

Also I think granted has a good idea - I know a lot of people who wear 2 sports bras, or a sports bra under a sport-tank.
posted by radioamy at 11:34 PM on June 19, 2010