How to Put on a Sports Bra

Sports bras are designed to keep your breasts in place while you exercise. Many women complain that breast movement during exercise causes pain, and may even put them off exercising altogether. So, a good sports bra can be a difference-maker for a woman’s comfort, health, and confidence.

Because sports bras have a serious job to do, they are usually constructed of thick performance materials that ensure full breast coverage, and even expanded back and shoulder strap support. 

Depending on the style of sports bra, this can lead to different challenges putting on sports bras than with your regular bra...

Answer: It Depends on the Style

When we complain about getting in and out of sports bras, we’re usually complaining about the pullover style of sports bra. 

With thick elasticized fabrics, it can be difficult to pull on this style of sports bra (especially if you’re inflexible or have ample breasts to cover). What’s more: You don’t want to stretch these sports bras excessively as that will lessen their breast support.

However, the pullover style of sports bra isn’t the only style of sports bra. And the challenges of getting into and out of sports bras can be greatly reduced by choosing a different style than the pullover style (e.g., racer back styles). Let’s look at the different styles of sports bras.

Different Types of Sports Bra Support

There are 3 (high level) styles of sport bra that offer different breast support:

1. Compression Sports Bras

Compression bras focus on doing exactly that—compressing your breasts against your chest wall, so they lie as flat as possible against your body. By compressing you, a compression sports bra minimizes movement and bounce.

However, compression bras do not have cups built in for each breast and can also cause an appearance of “uni-boob.” Many women won’t be bothered by this, but others will want to preserve their breast shape even when working out.

2. Encapsulation Sports Bras

Encapsulation bras do have cups that surround and shape each breast. There is generally no compression with this type of sports bra, which makes them ideal for low impact sports.

Because each breast is “cupped,” encapsulation bras do a good job preserving your natural body shape, especially while you play low impact sports.

3. Encapsulation-Compression Sports Bras

Don’t want to choose? You don’t have to. There are bras that do both! These bras usually have an inner layer that provides cupped support and an outer layer or band of material that compresses your breasts against the chest wall.

These bras provide the best-of-both-worlds in terms of both appearance and support. They can provide enough support for high impact sports and suit all sizes of breasts.

Other Sports Bra Features to Consider

In addition to compression or encapsulation as types of sports bras, there are other features that provide more options for you. 

Depending on your cup size, style, and exercise impact level, some of these features may be more important than others as you search for the right support and fit.

• Adjustable straps: Adjustable straps allow you to lengthen or shorten straps depending on your torso size and shape. If you have a larger cup size (C cup and above), adjustable straps are more important in a sports bra as more support is required.
• Strap style: As sports bras have become more fashion-forward (and are often worn revealed, or even without tops), different styles of sports bra straps have emerged. There’s the traditional tank top style (often a pullover bra that goes on over your head). There are also racerback—if you experience slipping shoulder straps a lot, you may love this style. There are also crisscross straps that make a bigger style statement.
• Underwire: As with regular bras, sports bras come with and without underwire. While underwire is often considered to offer more support in a sports bra, it can also be uncomfortable for many women. Underwire bras are also more likely to require handwashing. With many technical fabrics (e.g., moisture wicking material) and designs on the market, underwire is a personal choice rather than a support necessity in a sports bra.
• Moisture wicking material: In addition to providing you with ample breast support, the job of a sports bra is also to withstand whatever activity you throw at it. Sweating is a natural by-product of activity, but breast sweat can also cause irritation and chafing. Moisture wicking material will help keep you dry as you work out.

Putting It On: Different Styles/Types of Closures

There are already a lot of different variables to consider, so it starts to become clear that the question of “how to put on a sports bra” isn’t a straightforward or easy one. 

When it comes to getting a sports bra on and off, the biggest factor will be the different types of closures it has, or whether your sports bra has closures at all...

Pullover Sports Bra 

A pullover bra has no closures. It can have a tank top, racerback, or crisscross style of strap, but there is only one way you can put it on: Over your head, arms pointing skyward through the armholes of your sports bra.

This is the style of sports bra that some women struggle with. It has even become a butt of jokes, including warnings to remove glasses before attempting to put on or remove. 

While some of these exaggerate the challenge for humor’s sake, it can take a bit of practice (and flexibility) to gracefully get your right arm and left arm in and out of pullover sports bras. 

Follow these steps (think of it like a pullover):

• Grab the sports bra. Hold it upside down (by the band), cups facing you.
• Stretch the band slightly and slide the arms into the armholes, bringing the band to your elbows.
• Now whisk the sports bra above your head and stretch your arms so the bra and straps slip to your shoulders. The sports bra will be “stuck” above your breasts now.
• Using both hands, begin tugging and shimmy the sports bra over your chest and back. Remain calm—the sports bra is now on and you can make any necessary adjustments!

Once the bra is on and covering both breasts, make adjustments before hitting the gym:

• Lean forward and massage your breasts into place
• Tighten (or loosen) any adjustable straps to ensure they’re snug but not too tight around your rib cage or breasts

If you don’t want to go through the contortions that sometimes seem necessary with pullover bras, consider one of the following...

Front Closure Sports Bra

Front closure bras do exactly that: They close at the front, often with a zipper or series of hooks.

Putting on a front closure sports bra is easier than a pullover bra, but may still require a little practice. Basically: 

• With the sports bra open, put your arms through the holes, like you would a vest
• Adjust the shoulder straps so they are tight but not too tight
• Pull the front two sides of the bra to close, again like you would a vest or jacket
• You may need to squeeze or physically lift your breasts into place to get the bra closure secure
• Once the bra is fastened, you can make any necessary adjustments by bending forward and fine-tuning the adjustable straps to make sure they're not too tight or too loose

Back Closure Sports Bra

Back closure sports bras work the same way most everyday bras do, so there will be the least amount of mystery about how to put on this style of bra.

That said, because of the thickness and volume of material on sports bras, you may find getting in and out of a back closure sports bra a tiny bit more challenging than your everyday bra. 

Never fear: The process is just the same... Arms through straps, breasts in the cups, and then fasten at the back. For some racerback styles there may be an additional clasp or hook at the top of the racerback. 

As always, make adjustments to ensure the sports bra is snug—but not too tight—for the right support. And remember, wearing a sports bra should be comfortable.

Notes on Maintaining Your Sports Bras

Once you’ve found the right sports bra for your cup size, body shape, and activity level, you’ll want to take care of it. Some tips:

• Wash after every wear or use: Because your bra absorbs a lot of sweat, wash it between every wear or use. This will ensure sweat and body oils don’t cause elastic to break down.
• Keep a few in rotation: Let your bras rest between each wear by keeping a few in rotation.
• Get measured regularly: Just as with regular bras, you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing a sports bra that's the correct size—not too loose and not too tight. If your body undergoes changes, such as weight or muscle gain or loss, get your cup size measured again.
• Replace when it's time: Look out for any sign that it's time to replace your bra, such as stretched straps or tears in the elastic.

Written by Jane Flanagan — Updated on March 1, 2022.

We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.