A survey of More Than A Handful clients has revealed that the majority of women do not feel supported by their sports bras. When questioned on the subject, many women acknowledge that a good sports bra is missing from their lingerie drawers, with every second new customer admitting that they wear one or more crop tops over their bra to gain support.Did you know that there are no muscles in the breast? Your breasts are made up of the suspensory Cooper's Ligament which, when unsupported during exercise, can bounce upto 9cm, stretch beyond repair and lead to irreversible breast sag. A good sports bra is as essential as a good pair of trainers. Over half of the fittings booked in our boutique, which specialises in lingerie from a D to an L cup, include sports bras. Yet our fitters have been dismayed with a distinct lack of sports bras catering to the same size range, until now.Kate, from German manufacturer Ulla, is the world's first sports bra to come in an L cup.Ulla spent two years perfecting Kate's design to ensure it would provide unparalleled support, shape and comfort to fuller busted women. Kate is made from a specially designed fabric which draws perspiration away from the body, prevents odours and inhibits the growth of bacteria in the fibre. With back sizes ranging from an 8 up to a 30 and cups from D to L, Kate's generous fit has already made it a hit amongst More Than A Handful's clients. Ex-nurse and store owner Margaret says that a good sports bra is necessary to prevent damage to breasts and keep "the girls" looking their best. "A bra that does not fit can press on lymphatic tissue and prevent good vascular and lymphatic flow to and from the breasts. Wearing the wrong size or not having enough support during exercise causes excess bouncing, which effects skin elasticity and causes back and neck strain. Some clients are sent to us by their physiotherapists. Others have come as a last resort before reduction surgery. Many of these soon discover that an ill fitting bra was the main cause of their discomfort: in 9 out of 10 cases the idea of surgery is forgotten within three months.""In terms of size, our most popular bras are an 18 I to an 18 L. Women with larger busts can be hindered during high impact activities, like jogging, due to increased susceptibility to neck and back pain or just the feeling of not having enough support. But for many women, they're held back by the thought that they don't look good while exercising and a good bra can do wonders for confidence levels."Compared to an everyday bra, Margaret says that sports bras are engineered to be more supportive. "Once there are signs of breast development at puberty, girls should start to wear a good sports bra. One of the many great things about this particular Ulla bra is its popularity and suitability across age groups. Whilst they wouldn't like to believe it, it is just as handy for young girls to wear to school as it is for their mothers to wear to work and that's before you factor in the benefits of its support during exercise."Tips on how to find the right sports bra for you: Always get fitted. No matter how many times we say it there are still women who don't see the value in a good fitting.If you are losing weight or just toning up, you will need to be re-sized as changes to your back size can effect the size needed in the cups.A sports bra should support the breasts though a firm, wide back. It should have comfortable, cushioned straps and be higher across the cup than many other brasAlways test sports bras with a few jumps or a quick jog around the store to mimic the action of your exercise. You may feel silly, but putting a bra like Kate through its paces will show you just how good German engineering can be!
