How Sports Bra Tightness Affects Breathing and Running Efficiency
When shopping for a sports bra, many athletes believe that the tighter and more snug, the better. However, new research suggests a too-tight bra can affect your breathing and impede running performance.
A study funded by athletic apparel brand Lululemon and conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, tracked the breathing and lung function of nine elite runners as they ran on a treadmill wearing a custom sports bra with a lower band that could be adjusted to tight, loose, or a standard size the runner chose.
The research showed that a too-tight sports bra affected the women’s breathing, causing them to take more shallow breaths and a few extra breaths per minute. Additionally, when the band was loosened, the runners consumed less oxygen at a given speed. This meant they had better running economy, which is the amount of oxygen consumed for a given speed.
Experts recommend runners wear a sports bra that offers adequate support but isn’t too tight around the rib cage.
How Bra Tightness Affects Breathing and Running Efficiency
Kipp, a 2012 Olympian in the steeplechase, also participated in the study as one of the nine subjects. The runners wore compression bras designed for women with bra sizes ranging from 30 to 34, which represents the band size around the rib cage, and a B or C cup.
The authors hypothesized that as the bra was tightened around the rib cage, respiratory or lung function may become compromised. “A decline in lung function makes breathing harder, which is especially critical during exercise or daily physical activity,” Kipp said.
To measure that, the researchers inserted a catheter that goes up the nasal passage and down into the esophagus.
“It was quite invasive,” Kipp said. “It’s the hardest experimental protocol I’ve ever had someone do.”
The runners completed various treadmill tests measuring running economy and adjusted the tightness of the sports bra each time. The modified version of Lululemon’s Energy sports bras was customized so that the underband tightness could be adjusted around the rib cage without participants taking off the bra.
Overall, the researchers found that the runners took deeper, less frequent breaths and ran more efficiently when the underband was loosened, all of which can affect running performance and comfort.
How the Findings Apply to Runners
Transitioning from a tight to looser underband had, on average, a 1.3 percent improvement in running economy, the study found. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s enough to affect running performance. Kipp said that a 2 percent change in running economy would translate to a three-minute improvement for a three-hour marathon runner.
Olympic distance runner Kim Conley said she had never given the tightness of her sports bra and breathing much thought before, but Kipp’s study has changed that.
“For an elite runner, that’s significant, especially as qualifying standards get harder and harder,” Conley said. “Everyone is looking for even a 1 percent gain. I think it’s significant and something I’ll think about now.”
Laura Hernandez, a 25-year-old Boston resident, is a trail runner who is training for her first road marathon this year. She runs at a pace of about eight to nine minutes per mile and said that she has been “shocked” that sports bras don’t come up in conversations about running gear more often.
She said that she tends to wear tight sports bras because she’s worried about chafing. “But now that I’ve seen this study, I will be thinking about where’s the line between not t…
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