Building A Better Sports Bra (NAPSA)—The 1970s were watershed years for female athletes, with the passageof Title IX ensuring equality in men’s and women’s sports—and the introduction of the first sports bra. The advent of cutting-edge technology has made today’s sports gear even better, and leading sports bra companies such as Champion are now using sciencebased research programsto test and evaluate their products. Using biomechanical research conducted in partnership with scientists at Oregon State University, the company established a proprietary Motion Control Requirements (MCR) System, which means each sports bra can be rated based on how effectively it controls motion and bounce. “Champion continues to update the MCR system in response to changing trends in fitness activities and breast size,” said Dr. LaJean Lawson, a sports bra expert and research team leader at Oregon State University. “We’re now using four levels of support— Light, Medium, High and Maximum—which correspond to a woman’s specific fitness activities and bust size.” Each Champion sports bra indicates a rating by cup size with corresponding fitness activities using a color-coded system to ensure an optimum level of support, fit and comfort. Here are some tips on what to look for when buying a sports bra: Consider the activity you intend to do. For example, a sports bra rated as Light Support would be appropriate for activities such as yoga, Pilates and weight training, while a Maximum Sup- State-of-the-art biomechanical motion analysis tools have been used to design sports bras for different activity levels. port sports bra is more geared to high-impact sports such as running, basketball and horseback riding. Take bust size into consideration. Active females who need more full support—for example, those women whoare a C, D, DD or larger cup size—require more motion control, so the full-support sports bras are typically rated as High and Maximum. Try on more than onestyle. “Today’s sports bras provide support through a variety of designs and fabrics,” said Dr. Lawson. “Support can come through traditional compression or new designs using encapsulation or hybrid constructions. Also, look for new seamless styles that combine exceptional support and comfort.” Replace often. Dr. Lawson recommends replacing a sports bra after 100 wearings. For more information, visit www.championusa.com.
