Transcript

SPEAKER 1

Sports bras are designed to limit this movement. But with so many styles out there, which should you choose? Our volunteers are going to test three common types. First up, Tina’s testing a compression bra.

SPEAKER 2

This is what a lot of people think of as a sports bra, crop top, pull over the head. The challenge with these types of bras is they have to be stretchy enough to go over your shoulders.

SPEAKER 1

Because they’re stretchy, there’s a limit to how much these bras can reduce movement. How’s that feeling Tina?

SPEAKER 3

It’s comfortable, but I’m not supported.

SPEAKER 1

Not supported? Next, an encapsulation bra. This type supports each breast individually.

SPEAKER 2

So this one fits Tina really nicely. And you can tell it’s a true encapsulation sports bra if the centre part sits flat on the chest wall and separates the breasts completely. So we get that complete separation.

SPEAKER 1

Does that feel any different to the normal, regular bra?

SPEAKER 3

Yeah, I’m a lot more supported.

SPEAKER 1

Our volunteers are also testing the combination bra. This has elements of both the others. It supports the breasts separately, but also compresses them. Joanna’s team have analysed the data to find out which bra was best at reducing movement of the breast. Are you guys ready to hear your results?

SPEAKER 4

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER 2

OK, so we’ll start with Tina. The encapsulation bra reduced movement by 70%.

SPEAKER 3

I am absolutely gobsmacked with that.

SPEAKER 1

For all our volunteers, the two bra types which support each breast separately were really effective, reducing movement by up to 73%. In contrast, the crop top-style compression bra provided less support, around 55% for two of our volunteers.

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