How we test sports bras

A sports bra may not seem intimidating at first. After all, it's stretchy, often sold in regular clothing sizes and offers more wiggle room for error than its cupped counterparts. But the measure of a sports bra is tested the moment your workout begins, when you may realize that your extra-supportive bra inhibits your ability to do a full oblique twist, or, on the flip-side, it's not compressive enough to prevent excessive bouncing.

We test products in a way that replicates that real experience to help us narrow down the best bras , the best sports bras and the best plus-size sports bra options that'll support you through even the toughest workouts. The best way to figure out if a sports bra is worth its salt is to dive into the features and claims, then compare them against real feedback from people who have tested that exact bra across a variety of activities. Here's exactly how we find best sports bras.

Our testers

Our testing pool consists of people with a wide range of bust sizes, body types and activity preferences. Each has a slightly different idea of what their ideal sports bra is like, from secure, high-support picks to stretchy, low-impact bras.

Our current testers span in age from 25 to 44 and bra sizes 30B-38DD. They range from petite to plus-size, along with folks with small-band/large-cup and large-band/small-cup combinations who often find it trickier to find a well-fitting sports bra.

Our testing process

Each tester is required to wear their sports bras while exercising or otherwise breaking a sweat (think hiking, carrying moving boxes, sprinting for the train, etc). They fill out a survey with more than 40 questions on each bra's comfort, fit, support and durability. Our most recent test resulted in over 1,100 ratings and responses to pull from, with plenty more underway and to come.

Research

Our research process is a foundational part of our testing methodology. It's extensive, but necessary. With our decades of combined experience, our team of style editors starts by conducting a broad scan of what's currently available in the sports bra market, from popular styles with lots of buzz to lesser-known, up-and-coming brands with lots of potential.

We survey social media and internet forums and poll a pool of staff testers on preferences, must-haves and pain points. Our goal is to hone in on the most common complaints and features consumers wish were easier to find. We also attend press events and trade shows and to get the inside scoop on new launches before they're announced to the public.

Using all of this data, we compile an initial list of products that we're interested in evaluating firsthand. Anything that's priced well above comparable options, poorly rated or not available in a wide range of sizes gets cut, as do any products or brands with a track record of difficult shipping or returns. Finally, we order each sports bra and match it with a tester who takes it out into the real world for wear testing.

Fit

A sports bra can't do its job if it doesn't fit well. A proper fit ensures that every element of your sports bra, from the straps to the band to the underwire and cups, works together to support your chest without excessively tugging or putting pressure on one area over another.

Testers report on whether the bra creates a shape and lift they like, whether that's a proper push-up or no lift at all. Testers also rate their sports bras on the overall fit, whether it runs small, large or true to size and the specifics, including the band, which should be snug enough to support the bust without restricting breathing or movement, shifting or riding up, and cups, which should properly encapsulate or cover the breasts without any gaping or spillage. If the band features a hook-and-eye clasp, we evaluate how easy or difficult it is to put on, adjust and remove.

And if the challenges don't end once your workout does and removing the damp, sticky, compressive garment makes you break a second sweat — or injure yourself, as one tester previously reported — we dock points for being difficult to remove.

Comfort

While a good sports bra may not be as objectively comfortable as, say, your favorite oversized T-shirt, it still needs to be comfortable enough that you willingly reach for it.

Testers note whether they feel any irritation or discomfort while wearing their sports bras, as well as the level of mobility it allows for. Consider: A bra designed for high-impact activity poses a higher risk of reducing your range of movement (think shoulder mobility, twisting your torso, etc.), so we look for a balance between security and freedom of movement.

We also score the straps, cups and material for any potential chafing or irritation. We account for the variance in cup sizes when processing the comfort ratings, keeping in mind an unlined sports bralette may receive a higher comfort rating than a zip-front encapsulation bra designed for runners with D+ cups — but that doesn't mean that one is necessarily better than the other on that basis alone.

Support

When it comes to support, we first and foremost take into account the variance in activity levels, testing bras for the low-, medium- and high-impact workouts they were designed for, rather than holding every sports bra up against the standard of a super high-impact workout. We test sports bras that offer support in two different ways:

• Compressionrelies on stretchy materials to hold the breast tissue close to the chest.

• Encapsulationsupports each breast individually for better separation.

We then consider support features like proper underwire, reinforced side slings, durable materials and adjustable straps that can be tightened or loosened for the right lift. We like to see as straps thick enough to distribute pressure without being so thick that they're hard to wear underneath a tank top or thin T-shirt.

Durability

Sports bras are high-performance garments that need to withstand repeated washing and drying without losing their stretch or shape or showing excessive wear. Each tester washes and dries their sports bra and reports how the padding, elasticity and fit react to repeated laundering. If they buckle, warp or stretch out, they're docked.

And because other telltale signs of poor quality, like pilling, tend to surface over time, each bra is assigned to a long-term tester who continues to wear and wash it over the next year. We often revisit the final score based on a product's performance during this long-term testing.

Our top sports bras

• The best sports bras

• The best plus-size sports bras