The 10 Best Sports Bras, Tested by Fitness and Style Editors
Our favorite on this list is from On.

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FINDING THE RIGHT sports bra is crucial. That’s because a well-fitted one will keep your girls locked in and comfortable during jogs, stretches, and squats, so you don’t have to worry about spillage or bounce.
To find the best of the best sports bras, our fitness and style editors tested more than 50 options—from high-impact sports bras designed to minimize bounce to softer options from our fave activewear brands that prioritize comfort. We evaluated each pick for support, fit, comfort, and performance across a range of workouts and body types.
Best Sports Bras
- Best Overall: On Performance Flex Bra
- Best Budget: Nike Swoosh Medium Support Padded Sports Bra
- Best Posture-Correcting: Forme Power+ Bra
- Most Comfortable: lululemon Energy Bra
- Best Longline: Alo Airlift Super Sleek Bra Tank
Before we get to the recs, here's exactly what you should keep in mind before shopping for a sports bra.
What to Consider
What Material Is Best for a Sports Bra?
You want to make sure your sports bra is made from high-quality, breathable fabrics, such as the below.
- Elastane: This is a lightweight, stretchy fabric that will give your bra that snappy, elastic feel.
- Nylon: A soft, stretchy, and durable fabric that's moisture-wicking—perfect for when you want to stay dry and keep sweat stains at bay during your workout.
- Polyester: A strong, water-resistant fabric that keeps you dry during exercise, but it's not as breathable as elastane and nylon. It’s also very soft and smooth.
- Wool: A natural fiber that comes from the coat of sheep and other animals, wool naturally wicks away moisture, is antimicrobial and anti-odor, and dries quickly. It’s ideal for high-intensity, long workouts because of these qualities, and is great for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities, as well.
How Supportive Should a Sports Bra Feel?
When looking for a sports bra, you should know the difference between compression and encapsulation in your bra. Compression, which can be found in the Nike or Lululemon sports bras, offers the feeling of your boobs being so supported that they’re a bit squished and pushed down. Encapsulation lifts, cradles, and separates your girls while still eliminating boob bounce. It can be found in the Beyond Yoga bra. In terms of support, there are three options to choose from when shopping:
- Low support: This type of bra is designed for low-impact movement like walking, pilates, barre, and yoga. It doesn’t have a lot of compression or padding, so it’s not suitable for activities that require running or jumping.
- Medium support: This level is great if you’re looking for moderate support during activities like weight training, skiing, cycling, or light jogging. It usually has wider straps, a bit more compression, and sometimes a high neckline to hold the girls in.
- High support: If you’re into dance, running, or HIIT training, this is the bra for you, as it can have max compression, built-in pads, adjustable straps, and a back clasp to adjust tightness.
How We Chose
As Women's Health editors, we practically live in sports bras. Our editors and testers are of all different fitness levels, ages, and sizes. For this story, I spoke to style contributors Lily Wohlner, Rose Lauture, and Kristen Saladino, as well as Executive Health and Fitness Director Jacqueline Andriakos about their favorite sports bras for running, high-intensity training, low-intensity activity, and lounging. Then, we narrowed down our list and retested them at the gym. We rated them based on comfort, support, breathability, moisture-wicking abilities, and the list goes on. The options that got the highest marks are the ones that made it onto this list.
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Shannen Zitz is the Associate Style & Reviews Editor at Women's Health, where she covers all-things sneakers and activewear. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Prevention. Shannen graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland with a bachelor's degree in English. If she’s not reading or writing, you can probably find her frequenting the skincare and makeup forums on Reddit or hogging the squat rack at the gym.
Christian is the Style and Reviews Director at Men's Health and Women’s Health, where he oversees shopping and style content for both brands. He started his magazine career as an accessories assistant at Vogue, and has since held editorial roles at Tatler Asia and The Manual. When he’s not online shopping, you can find him on long walks with his two corgis.

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