SPORTS bras make you run faster, a study shows.
Proper support improved women’s running times by 4.2 seconds for every minute, researchers found.
GettyRunning with a supportive sports bra increased runners’ performance by 7 per cent, a study found[/caption]
They used cameras to track their movement on a treadmill to see how it changed when they were wearing two types of bra or went without one.
When wearing the more supportive underwear, the runners improved their performance by 7 per cent.
Dr Douglas Powell, of the University of Memphis, said: “sports bras should be considered not only as apparel, but also as sports equipment.
“They can both improve performance and reduce the risk of injury, playing a role in women’s health.
“Breast support not only influences movement of the breasts but that compensations occur across the entire body.”
Just under three quarters of women experience breast pain while running, putting some off sports and exercise.
Previous research has suggested sports bras not only limit movement and pain, but also boosts sports performance.
Prescription bras were worn by the Lionesses throughout their successful Euro 2022 campaign.
The latest study, published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, looked at how wearing a sports bra influences women’s biomechanics while running.
Twelve runners aged between 18 and 35 with bra sizes ranging from a B- to D-cup were filmed running with a 10-camera motion capture system.
Compared to running without a bra, women wearing a low supportive bra ran with 2 per cent stiffer knee, as they did not have to cushion their movement so much.
Wearing a high support bra increased stiffness by 5 per cent.
Taken together, the team estimated this would increase performance by around 10 minutes in world-class marathon runners.
Dr Powell said: “Over the past 50 years, limited evolution in bra design has occurred.
“The biomechanics underlying improved running performance with greater breast support are not well understood.
“We wanted to identify strategies to reduce activity-induced breast pain for females — a group that makes up approximately 50 percent of the population.”