Sports Bras

Sports Bras.  There, I said it.  ALL women, asymmetric or not, know the perils of a sports bra.  They're just wretched, aren't they?  I'm convinced a man designed them, and to this day, a man STILL designs them.  They're not supportive, they're not flattering, and they're not useful.  All of the things a bra should be, and a sports bra is none of them.  However, I've got some tricks up my sleeve for these beasts, and I've found some sports bras that I think might be helpful.  Together, we can fight the uniboob.

If you're asymmetric, like me, sports bras are just the worst.  I have one breast that is a natural breast, and the other breast is an implant.  My implant doesn't wander around too much, however my natural breast could slap me in the face (or could slap a stranger standing too close) if provoked.  This poses a problem when you're wearing a sports bra.  How do you jog in gym class, or at the gym, or out in public when only one boob bounces?  How humiliating, right?  You've got one small breast that barely moves, and the other is bouncing around like a ball in LeBron's hands.  There must be a way to combat this!  There is, ladies.  There is.  

We've been through how to find a good bra in other posts here, but I'll give a BRIEF recap just in case.  You need to have a bra that fits you around your rib cage appropriately.  From there, size yourself to your larger breast.  Bras with a push-up and lots of padding can really be your best friend, contrary to what you might believe.  Adjust your straps once your bra is properly fitted around your ribs.  Adjust so that your breasts appear as even as possible in all directions.  Your straps DO NOT have to be equal.  One breast is larger than the other, so your straps wouldn't be even, otherwise you wouldn't be worrying about asymmetry.  Once you have a good fitting bra, we can move on to the next part.  

I'm sure most of you ladies already layer your sports bras to provide more support (or squishing, really).  However, are you layering them with your decent bras?  You don't want to be working out in your most favorite, "my boobs look excellent in this $75 piece of beauty" bra, but you do want to use one that hides your asymmetry pretty well.  Start off with your bra that fits right (your average, everyday bra), then place a sports bra on top of it.  Now, I usually recommend using a sports bra that's tight, and in this case, I actually suggest the zip-up bra.  The zip-up bra I have was used as a post-surgical bra when I had my breast implant replaced in January.  The bra is somewhat padded, and provides a fair amount of support on its own.  However, when coupled with my regular bra, the asymmetry disappears, and I'm able to work out with the support my body deserves.  

This is a picture of me with just a plain, old-fashioned sports bra.  You can see my degree of asymmetry.
*Please ignore my sexy layer of winter blubber, and the shameless promotion of The Ohio State University.

Here you can see my nice, new bra from Victoria's Secret.  The way I've selected a bra and adjusted the bra helps to hide my asymmetry.

If this bra were to be worn with just your average racer-back tank top, you'd get this:

Not a bad hide of the asymmetry, but it could be better.  It's also hard to get a very accurate shot of this, as I'm taking these pictures myself. 

However, if I wear a tank top with one of those "built-in bras" (there are no cups, it's just an extra piece of fabric with elastic on it inside the shirt), there is even more support.

If I were to wear JUST the zip-up sports bra I mentioned before, you get this picture where my asymmetry is notable. 

If I were to couple this zip-up sports bra with my regular bra:

Here is the result in the racer-back tank top with the LAYERED regular bra and zip-up sports bra:

You can see that just a sports bra alone isn't enough.  You really do need to couple it with a regular bra that fits fairly well.  Again, don't use your most expensive and favorite bra to go sweat in, but use one that does a decent job of hiding your asymmetry.  

Recently, I've found that Lane Bryant makes an absolutely interesting sports bra.  This is one of those times when I went, "FINALLY! Someone got it right!"  This bra adjusts on the STRAPS (I know, right?! FINALLY!).  

Lane Bryant's Link To This Bra (as of 12/23/13)

The only thing about Lane Bryant is that their sizes start at a 36C and go up, so if you're a very petite woman, this site might not work for you.  However, if you're average to full-size, this site might be a tremendous help.  (Also, consider that Lane Bryant has bras with removable padding. This might be extremely helpful)  These straps don't quite give you the adjustable flexibility that a traditional bra does, but this is a huge step in the right direction.  If I remember correctly, the bra had only a small amount of padding, and didn't provide and push-up in the cup, but inserts are available for cups! 

Another bra I came across was this one, and it seems to give a lot of adjust-ability, which is lovely. 

The link to the Natori Power Yogi Convertible Underwire Sports Bra (as of 12/23/13)

This bra seems to be very beneficial, however I'm not able to see how much it's padded, if at all.  

I hope this helps with sports bras!  

Remember, asymmetry is not an excuse for not getting in shape.  When it comes to gym class, working out at the local gym, or even breaking a sweat outside, what it boils down to is that you're working out for YOU.  Workouts aren't a fashion statement, and they surely aren't a beauty pageant.  You're beautiful, and you're working hard to make yourself more beautiful while working out.  Stay strong!