I was rather excited to shop at a new Dick's Sporting Goods store which recently opened in my area. However, after shopping there, I found the store quite ordinary. My top choice for athletic clothing is definitely REI. They carry workout clothing by prAna, Patagonia, and Colombia to name a few brands. REI is a bit of a drive for me so I decided on a local store.
I didn't find an amazing selection of sports bras at Dick's, but have heard good things about Under Armour sports bras and purchased the bra below.
 |
| Under Armour sports bra |
I selected this sports bra as it has fairly solid construction with wide shoulder straps, lightly lined cups and hooked back which makes getting into a sports bra struggle free. The bra was expensive ($57.99), but I purchased it anyway and off I went.
When I tried the bra on at home, I'll admit it was really great to have the back hooks. I didn't have to wiggle and pull the bra on. However, once it was on, I felt like I was wearing a breast plate, like it was part of an Amazonian woman's warrior costume and I was heading to battle. It's not that the fit was tight, but it was more bra than I'll ever need for exercise. If you're a C cup and above and need to run a marathon, triathlon or into cross fit - this is the bra for you. This bra is a major piece of equipment.
For the price, the Under Armour sports bra is over kill for my fitness needs so I decided to return it. I then went back to Target and pick up two Champion sports bras (gray bra below and a pink bra, not shown) for the price of one Under Armour sports bra.
 | |
| Champion Double Dry Vent Compression Sports Bra |
If you are the athletic type, what is your favorite sports bra?
Cheers,
Monica
I might want to try the underarmour bra. I know you said its pretty major, but thats what I would like. I don't want a smasher though.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa,
DeleteThe UA bra fit was good, I didn't feel smooshed, it was just too much bra for the activity that I'm going to do. It is a good bra, I would recommend it :-)
Monica.
Thanks for the input. Its always nice to have the opinion of someone who has test driven a garment and can give an honest testimonial!
DeleteSince I am not heavy chested - I do not need a lot of support. I do work out consistently (5-6 days a week) and run a lot of mileage. I used to buy the Target champion bras and have found that after several washes, it lost it's elasticity. I found some great sports bra at Old Navy that I spend under $10 when they are on sale. I've run marathons in them and they don't chafe or anything.
ReplyDeleteAlice
www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hi Alice,
DeleteI haven't noticed any stretching with the Champion bra's that I've owned in the past. I think with wash/wear that most elastic breaks down. I'll have to check out Old Navy though .. they have some nice fitness clothing too :-)
Monica.
for sports they are perfect!
ReplyDeletegreat blog!
Maybe we follow each other !?
Let me know :)
Greetings
www.yuliekendra.com
Hi Yulie,
DeleteThanks for stopping by. I love your hair color!
Monica.
This was a fun read, Monica! I have a friend that absolutely loves REI so I'm not surprised that their bras are good. Target usually does it for my sports/exercise needs and if you wait for their stuff to hit clearance, it's amazing!
ReplyDeleteFashionEdible Blog
This weekend all the clearance racks at Target were all nice and neat and a pleasure to look through .. I didn't buy too much, just two tops. None of the fitness stuff was on sale though :-(
DeleteMonica.
Oh boo....sometimes you get lucky :) Right now, ours has ridiculous clearance (regular section - not the fitness section). I guess they just want to get rid of all their winter stuff.
Deletethank you for sharing the info on these as I am always in search of some really great ones for working out etc. xx. gigi. www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty happy with my purchase .. no need to pay a lot for something you don't need :-)
DeleteMonica
My (barely) B-cups and I sighed in envy when I saw that Champion sports bra- It looks so comfortable! Unfortunately, most brands don't carry a sports bra small enough for the girls...
ReplyDeletewww.thebellebeautyblog.blogspot.com
Hi Lainey,
DeleteThe Champion sports bra above is size medium. I'm sure Target carries sizes small to xl :-)
Monica
Lululemon!!!! :)
ReplyDeletewww.monicainheels.com
Hi Monica,
DeleteOh, yes .. I love Lululemon! But ugh, so expensive .. much like REI.
Monica
Great review! I was just thinking about how I need a really good sports bra, may have to keep an eye out on eBay for this one. Thanks for the comment, nice to know other women enjoy beer over froo froo drinks :P. I'm a stout/porter fan myself...although the choice between cake and beer would be a difficult one!!
ReplyDeleteKristine
www.pugglewearsprada.blogspot.com
Oh, I enjoy the sweet alcohol drinks too .. like a Cosmopolitan (but now we're talking vodka and that's a whole different love). Beer's good, it's casual .. like me :-)
DeleteMonica.
I need to buy some sports bras, too. I'm with the other Monica - Lululemon. They are very expensive, but it's such good quality. I've had several Lululemon items for years and they haven't worn out at all. If I hadn't gained weight I'd still be wearing them. I may have to try the Under Armor bra - I don't run marathons but I do need a fairly large size. I don't shop at Dicks's because a) they're expensive, and b) I worked a temp job at their main office and they weren't that nice. I'm sure that I can find Under Armour or something similar somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteDonna
www.prettysparklythings.blogspot.com
There is a Lululemon in Palm Desert that I need to check out. I found Dick's to be bland - a nothing special store, but the staff was nice. No problems returning the bra.
DeleteMonica
Another brand that I'm going to try is Shock Absorber. I don't know what stores sell them, but they're online.
ReplyDeleteDonna
Checked out Shock Absorber .. looks interesting .. expensive ($69.00), but it's an all adjustable sports bra which is truly ideal.
DeleteMonica.
These bras a cute and effective. I am not a full-figured woman so these bras do the job just fine. I plan to buy playtex 18 hour 4395 in other colors
ReplyDeleteHi Cathy,
DeleteI'm not full figured either, but wanted an easy to get on sports bra, but the Under Armor was just too much bra .. lol. Oh, well the champion bras work well .. guess I'll still have to wiggle it on ;-)
Monica
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete