Finally, a Sports Bra That Will Make You Want to Work Out

Let’s talk about boobs. Breasts. Titties. Boobies. Despite a sizeable chunk of the population owning a set of these wonderful mounds of fat and tissue, our relationship with boobs remains uncomfortable. Women’s nipples are deemed too offensive for certain social media platforms and the fitness industry often seems to forget that people with breasts exist at all. This Real Life Review deals, in part, with both of those issues. Because adidas and its new sports bra collection wants to start a revolution in the name of boobs – all of them.

As you may have seen back in February 2022, adidas launched a new campaign promoting its 43 new styles of sports bras and the importance of comfort for women and people with breasts during exercise.

We believe women’s breasts in all shapes and sizes deserve support and comfort. Which is why our new sports bra range contains 43 styles, so everyone can find the right fit for them.

🔗 Explore the new adidas sports bra collection at https://t.co/fJZUEjvopQ#SupportIsEverything pic.twitter.com/CESqmsXOwI

— adidas (@adidas) February 9, 2022

Yes, it’s an ad. Sure, it uses shock factor. And absolutely, it caused a whole lot of controversy.

But as someone who is an owner of a pair of breasts – and at a size that is not really considered by all that many clothing brands – I have a long struggled to find sports bras that keep me comfortable while I train. So, irrespective of the conversation surrounding the promotion, this launch caught my attention immediately.

I was offered an opportunity to try out the adidas Fast Impact Luxe Run High-Support sports bra, and I’ll tell you now – it was kind of life-changing.

What’s good about the new adidas sports bras?

Now, I’ve only been able to try out one style out of the 43 new adidas sports bras now on offer.

I can’t speak on all of the bras, but one thing I have noticed about the the full range is that they’re all made in part with recycled materials (at least 60 per cent recycled content, according to adidas) which is certainly an added bonus when it comes to any clothing purchase.

When it comes to the Fast Impact sports bra in particular, there are a lot of things that impressed me.

First of all, it looks good.

Sometimes, as a bigger-busted woman, it can feel like there are no nice bras made in the D+ sizes. Once you move beyond the ‘standard’ size range, you’re often met with daggy looking options that hardly inspire confidence.

When compared to all the cute yoga bras designed for petite women, it can be a little disappointing to pull out your marquee tent of a bra when prepping for a workout.

In my opinion, the Fast Impact sports bra does a good job of bridging that gap. It comes in three colours – Orange Rush, Magic Grey and Black – and while it’s clearly built for solid support, the bra is no eyesore.

Now, onto arguably the most important element at hand: comfort.

Another annoyance for big boobs and exercise is that sports bras are rarely comfortable. Most of the time, you’ll find yourself wearing a bra with thick bungee-cord-looking straps and 30,000 clips to keep everything in place.

I’ve had cuts in my skin or pain in my neck countless times because of the intense structure of many high-support sports bras. So instead, I often go for cup-free, clip-free bras with less support and literally hold my chest when I need to run or jump.

This is obviously less than ideal. But I’ve seen a lot of other women do the same.

Want to hear a couple of interesting facts on breast movement during exercise? Of course you do.

adidas shared that unsupported breasts can move up to 19cm during star jumps, and that the University of Portsmouth found that if breasts are not properly supported during a run they experience the same G force as an F1 driver.

It’s a big deal. And it deters a whole lot of women and girls from exercising.

So, when I tried on the Fast Impact sports bra, the first thing I did was jump. I didn’t feel a thing. I’ve since worn the bra while running, during a HIIT class (loads of jumping) and during some traditional weights training.

I haven’t had any discomfort. And beyond offering a cosy exercise experience because of appropriate support, I also didn’t have any pain from straps digging into my skin. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it.

Additional to all that is the fact that the moisture-absorbing fabric helps you avoid any icky sensation of cold sweat sitting on your skin as you train. You love to see it.

What’s not so good?

Not much, to be perfectly honest.

I will say it took me a few goes to figure out how to put the bra on correctly, however. Because of the kind of wrapped design, I got a little tangled up at first. But that could very much just be a me thing…

I’ve since learnt how to dress myself properly.

The other point I’ll highlight is that this is not a cheap bra at $110. There are more affordable styles in the range (starting from around $50) if this is beyond your budget, but anyone with a bigger bust will know that the higher price point for DD+ bras is a fairly universal (annoying) thing.

Adidas sports bra: the verdict

As you can probably gather, I am absolutely in love with this sports bra. It sounds wild but wearing it was the first time I ever exercised without some sort of discomfort during or after training. (And I’ve had sports bras I thought were quite good in the past, too.)

Yes, it’s a pricey option. But if you’re able to invest the money into one good sports bra, I honestly feel like this adidas design should be at the top of your list.