Wow this is a tight one. My 28F - Shock Absorber » Active Multi Sports (4490) stretches to 26" and I can wear it because my BTT is 26. This one, this 30 band, I could barely get to 25" and I had to PULL.
The color is a bright coral red, (I wouldn't call it dark pink like they did, but whatever) with a charcoal gray piping on the trim. The materials are smooth and sturdy. Two band clasps in the back, straps are only about 1/4-1/3 adjustable. Sliders are sturdy and adjust easily, the front of the straps are wide, thick, and cushioned.
This particular color would be good for someone with a 24" underbust, it just isn't going to happen on anyone larger. These are great sports bras, I'm really disappointed that I couldn't even hook this because I'd love to have a second one. Times like this are when I really appreciate free returns with Amazon Prime.
Because the 32E - Shock Absorber » Active Multi Sports (4490) Dark Floral measured one band size small, I figured this one would too, but it's closer to two. I could stretch it to 26" and that's it. I could barely fasten it and it hurt my lats for the few seconds I had it on, so no modeling pics of this one.
Anyway, my 28F - Shock Absorber » Active Multi Sports (4490) also measures about 26", the difference, I think is use. I've had my 28F forever, it's been washed and worn more times than I can count and the materials are not as stiff and unforgiving. I could probably wear this one too with enough time (or when I cut and am less fluffy), but it was the most expensive of the three I bought so I'm sending it back.
I marked quality as "okay" the Dark Pink at least shows consistency with both sizes running two bands small, but the Dark Floral isn't as consistent.
The back is tight, but I don't need to size up. It is absolutely perfect. I can breath easily, but the band don't ride up when I expire, or rise my arms (my ribcage is 73cm, mesured tightly, 69cm as tight as possible). If I want to have a very deep breath, I feel the tighteness of the band, it is not super confortable, but I can deal with during one hour of fun sport !
Cups fits too. But I have a little issue with this bra : part of my breast tissues is quite high on chest, and this bra ...is too short for support it. When I jump, my breast can escape at the top,but it is not painfull. The good thing is I have absolutely no bounce from the sides. Maybe the next time I will purchase something with more coverage.
edit 10 months later : This bra gets old very well ! I have worn it 3 hours each week. Still very supportive and tight in the band, still looks good. But my underbust is now 2 cm bigger so my bra is too tight, even if the band has stretched a little bit (like 1 hook, maybe less). Read more 102 more words
I had high hopes for this bra. Silly me, I didn't listen to others' reviews and order up a band size - I had to go out and buy an extender because after 30 minutes of running I would start getting chest pains because it was so tight!
Pros: Quite comfortable, very soft, and not at all itchy. The material absorbs sweat very well (bleh!) and because of the cut, it doesn't ever feel like I am stuck in a heavy, sweaty bra: it is very light feeling. Also, unlike many other sports bras I have tried, the straps don't stretch!
Cons: The straps do not adjust enough; even using ...the racerback option I could still use a good inch less. In order to get great support I have to pull the band down in the back, so it is essentially "riding down" and not parallel and I have to adjust it several times during my workout because it shifts back up to being parallel. Also, since I have to use the racerback option in order to get decent support, my shoulders hurt by the end of my workout and I can't do any exercises that involve raising my arms because it puts strain on those muscles by my neck. Regarding shape: this is a bra that straps you down so you do get monoboob and I end up with a tad amount of side boob.
Overall, the quality of this bra is very high and I am glad I bought it. If I ever get around to taking up the straps it might just become my favorite sports bra. I would highly suggest trying this one out if you can find it on sale from a site that allows exchanges. Definitely order up a band size (I would use your plus-four measurement if you have a bonier ribcage) and consider going down a cup size if you are a less full __. (So a 30E/DDD might try a 32DD or 32D.)
My favourite sports bra. It's very comfortable and I especially recomend it for some jumping sports or running - I do irish dancing, there is lot of jumps and this bra has really very good anti-bouncing efect. It's because of very tight material, but not uncomfortable, I have this bra over a year and anti-bouncing effect is still same, it didn't stretch out much, what I appreaciate. It doesn't do "racket boobs" like Freya active, boobs are nice rounded.
I think it's best compromise between anti-bouncing effect and nice shape, which you can have in sports bras.
I'm 68/93 cm, but band is tight, so 65cm band is ok for my measure. Maybe I could have F cup, but E cup sits good too.
Cons? I think it's not very good in absorbing sweat, but maybe I'm only sweating too much https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_surprised.gif" alt=":o" />)
WARNING: I have N102 Shock Absorber bra too and N102 has smaller cups and more elastic band, so you probably will need different size.
During my journey to find a bra that fits, I also decided to find a sports bra that fits. I decided to compare the top 3 companies for sports bras recommended on r/ABraThatFits: Panache, Freya, and Shock Absorber. My main goal was to find a sports bra suitable for running. For reference, I'm projected, FOB, center full, narrow roots, petite (4'11"), and normal bra size UK 28F.
I sized up in the band after reading other reviews, and I really should have sized up in the cup too. The cups were way too small and flattened my breasts into an ugly shape. The bra also cut into the sides ...of my armpits in a suffocating way.
The material was very thin and didn't fully conceal the outline of my nipples. I also felt the quality of the material was not as good compared to Freya and Panache.
It did pass my jog-in-place/jump tests though. My boobs were not going anywhere in that thing though that may also be because it was too small. In the end, I didn't think it was worth it to try sizing up to 30F. After comparing to the Freya and Panache bras, I very much prefer encapsulation sports bras compared to compression.
This bra runs extremely tight in the band. I'm a small 28 band normally (ribcage measures around 25.5 inches), and this alleged 30 band is quite snug round my ribs. Definitely size up if possible, and if that's not possible for you then look for a different sports bra. Cup-wise, I suspect that this bra is a cup size too small for me, but since I'm only wearing it for an hour or so each time this doesn't really matter. The bra squishes my boobs all the way down to my chest and provides great support for high-impact activity such as running (it's a life saver when I'm exercising with tender PMS boobs that hurt with each jiggle).
I really don;t get that this hype about how Shock Absorber is a great sports bra. It fits so-so, close to fitting, but supports my boobs worse than my S/M - Pepco » Microfibre Gym Bra . This goes straight to the listings section.
Super tight band actually feels great, but the straps don't adjust short enough. I may need to go down a size, as there is some odd wrinkling of the "cup" seams, but everything feels secure without chafing. This is a "wear it a couple times before I decide" kind of thing.
I seriously love this sports bra. I've been using it for over 2 years now (starting from when I was a 30d), until now. Anyway, I have it in 30d's, 30dd, and 30e now.It's a combination encapsulaton and compression bra.
The band is super tight, so it works great for me (26'' underbust). I like that it's not wireless, and the back is adjustable in multiple directions. The back closure is padded- which helps with comfort, and the straps are pretty comfortable. It is very supportive- I get very little bounce. It literally feels like I have my middle school (32aa) sized chest when I run. ...Also, the shape is pretty good- it doesn't totally flatten me out.
The other thing I like, is that because of the design, I can actually still wear it if I'm a cup size larger. That was really helpful as my chest was growing over the past 2 years.
It doesn't get too hot when I run in this in the summer (unlike my Panache sports bra). Unfortunately, I do get show through with this one. Read more 76 more words
Excellent bra for running, feels like I have hardly any movement in these, less than in my B4490 that I've used so far. The cup size also seems somewhat larger than in B4490. Purple/turquoise color is lovely https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
I wear sports bras as my everyday bra, because they just feel more comfortable and I can run to catch a bus without painful bouncing if need be (read: very often). Shock Absorber B4490 has been my choice in a few different cup sizes for the last several years. It is an excellent bra, comfortable, durable and it does keep the bouncing to minimum.
Color wise they come in standard black/white and white, plus a special color that seems to change every year. This one is the previous special red/blue with white accent around the edge.
It is a compression bra, so it gives a bit of a uniboob look. It also makes the breasts seem 2-3 cup sizes smaller, which I like a lot, but I bet that it is not to everyone's tastes. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
Seems good quality and (as it says on the tin) good for high-impact stuff. I purposely chose it for not having individual cups, but some might not like that. However, rather difficult to do up unless you have great shoulder mobility, due to having two sets of double hook-and-eyes - one on the band, as with all bras, but another halfway between there and the shoulders, which was rather hard to reach.
It worked nicely but I didn't use it much before outgrowing it (or rather, outgrew it because I didn't wear it much, due to not exercising much? https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" />).
Was this the Amazon super sale color way? I bought it for my mom and sized up, but maybe not enough.