You are wearing the wrong sports bra. No really, you are.

We’ve all seen it before: a woman jogging along with a level of bounce that makes us cringe. But the bad news is, she’s not the only one who’s wearing the wrong sports bra.

Researchers have found that many basic sports bras/crop tops on the market don’t actually do what they’re supposed to, limit breast movement. The boob-watching study concluded that breasts don’t just move up and down they “arc through a complicated figure-8 pattern.” And it’s this movement that strains the Cooper’s ligament – the one that prevents our breasts from touching the floor.

Another study published last month in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Aussie (male?) researchers also found that, for woman D-cup and larger, the most supportive bra is an encapsulated bra (one that lifts and separates) over a ‘uniboob’ compression crop top. (We could’ve told them that, at age 11.)

With all this talk of ‘uniboobs’ and ‘encapsulation,’ we spoke to Triumph’s bra fitting specialist Paula Svobada, who has fitted over 35,000 women in her 11 year career, to get the lowdown on what we’re doing wrong.

1. Fit, fit, fit!

There probably isn’t a woman alive who hasn’t been stuck in a change room in a too-small, too-tight sports bra, and Paula stresses it’s just as important to get fitted for sports bras as it is for regular bras.

“If you can, asking a qualified fitter to check is always best, especially if you haven’t been fitted in the last year or your body has changed recently (weight gain, weight loss and most importantly pre, during and post-pregnancy).”

2. Make sure the bra you buy suits the sport you’re doing.

Seems obvious but if you’re anything like us, you’ve probably got one ‘do all’ sports bra that you use for everything from yoga to running. “Make sure the bra you buy suits the sport you’re doing – not all sports bras give the same level of support so look at the labels and it should tell you,” says Paula.

“Triumph has an Actiometer which covers 4 levels of support from light (yoga and everyday walking) through to extreme (running, triathlon or larger busts) and always allows you to choose the best bra for your action.”

3. Invest in your er, breasts.

Do you fork out a bunch of money for quality running shoes but wince at the expensive of a supportive sports bra? Wah waah, you’re doing it wrong. “You definitely get what you pay for,” says Paula. She recommends you spend as much as your budget can afford on a quality sports bra.

4. The bounce test.

“Most women mistake the feeling of a tight fit in a sports bra as too small but your sports bra should feel firmer than your everyday bras,” states Paula. “A tight fit will reduce breast bounce when you exercise which will help prevent damage to the breast’s delicate ligaments, which ultimately prevents breast sagging.” So all that jumping up and down in the change room doing the ‘bounce test’ is a still a good thing? Yes, says Paula.

5. Out with the old, in with the new.

Sports bras have a limited life and should be replaced frequently: yep, we’re guilty of this one. “Depending on how often you wear yours and how well you take care of it, a sports bra should be replaced every six months. Elastic fibres break down over time, reducing the level of support the bra offers,” says Paula.

In the market for a new bra? Here’s our top picks:

Shock Absorber Active Flexi Wire, SHOP HERE.

Triumph Triaction Women’s Extreme Moulded Sports Bra, SHOP HERE. 

 Berlei Women’s Electrify Underwire Sports Bra, SHOP HERE. 

Triumph Triaction Extreme Moulded Sports Bra, SHOP HERE.

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