Runs small in the band and small-ish in the cups. I went up one sister size from 30E to 32DD. Band fits well (not as tight as the Shock Absorber Ultimate Run Bra (B5044), but tight enough and WAY more comfortable), but the cups are a little bit small. I get some overspill at the sides, near the armpit area. It's barely noticable and no big deal, but I'd be interested to see how the 32E would fit me.
I love this bra! It is the best sports bra I've found. Encapsulation sports bras just don't seem to cut the mustard for me and I don't get any less bounce than I do in my regular fitting bras. But this one, it holds them in place even during a vigorous sitting trot, horse riding, they just don't move.
The bra runs tight in the band. It's even tighter than the other Shock Absorber sports bras I own. Apart from that, it gives great support. The shape isn't pointy at all, it's more flattened out. The bra seems like a mixture of encapsulation and compression sports bra to me.
The straps don't adjust as short as I need them (an issue I don't usually have with bras). It's okay with me, but if you're someone who needs very short straps, this bra is not for you.
When I first bought it, it fit okay. A little small in the cups, but I figured that was okay because it was a sports bra. I did find that my breast wanted to escape to the sides, though the bra tried to push them together and flat. It looks really ugly underneath a shirt, showing all it's lines and seems, while creating a weird shape to your bust. As a sports bra it seemed to function okay. My favourite part was the way the straps in the back are designed. Having the two sets of hook-and-eye closures in the back makes it hard to put on, but was really comfortable once on. It ensured that the straps never slipped off, and was overall pretty comfortable. Now that the cups are definitely too small, though, it is very very uncomfortable.
Holy crow! I'd read reviews about how ridiculously small the Max was before buying, but I figured as long as I used my "high estimate" numbers when buying it I'd be fine. Totally wrong! I don't even have to talk about specific fit, because this is just comically tiny, let's say three sizes smaller in the cup than it says on the label. I'd be laughing if I wasn't heartbroken, because it seems pretty high quality. Don't order this one unless you have free returns, because you'll be sizing blind. Band fits OK, though maybe somewhat loose for a sports bra.
I was unaware that this bra was sold by US sizing as opposed to UK sizing, so watch out for that. The bra is listed as a 34E US and a 34DD UK. I did not have the same issues with the band being too tight as other women had, so I am ordering a 32F (US) to try. It compressed my boobs fairly well (I'm generally around a 42" bust, down to 36") and kept them mostly in place, but I am worried that the band will stretch out when I run, as has been a concern with other purchasers.
I have two shock abso's this size, both quite tight - other one fits well and another's too tight. I thought that was impossible to ever happen! Hence just okay comfort. Cups seem to be about the right size. It keeps breasts really firm to the chest minimizing all bouncing. I prefer this flat style rather than cone or push up style as I think boobs are in the way while doing sports. Keeps boobs separate, which is great as between boob-sweat won't be a problem.
This is a relatively light-weight sports bra that does the job for light exercise and looks ok under a shirt. It does, however, take some getting used to. It also looks and feels quite odd when worn on its own, as it has an inner sling that does not encompass the entire breast.
I ordered this online and unfortunately it fits differently from B5044 (the Run Bra), so the band is too big! I like shock absorber bras, but I wish they would have more consistent sizing. I am going to order a band size down and hope that fits better. It was quite comfortable on and seemed to have pretty nice support, maybe about the same or even better than B5044. Luckily, my little sister liked it so it wasn't a total waste to order it. I've been trying to help her find good ones so she doesn't have to wear a Target bra over her regular bras when she works out and I'm so glad she has one that does just that.
Just as a side note, the back isn't nearly as hard to fasten as you might think, just fasten both hooks in front, turn it around, and carefully ease the straps into place! (It is a bit difficult to get off, though. Definitely require some contortion-y twisting!)
I can't give a very good review of this bra just because it was sent to me by mistake. I ordered a 32D and 32DD, but got a 32DD and 34D instead. The one thing that struck me was that the band is not as firm as in B5044 (the Run Bra). It was quite comfortable and actually felt true to size. (As in, it fit me like most 34D's do.) So I would not suggest ordering up a band size in this bra.
This is a heavy duty bra. Not pretty looking, but very solid. You can adjust the shoulders as well as the back. Shoulder straps are thick. Comfy and will hold you into place.
It's a good, comfortable sports bra, which fit me well when I was a 30C in other bras but still fit me when I wore 30D bras as well. I think this one is unusual because it has two rows of hooks and eyelets at the top as well and usually this model is only supposed to have those from a D cup up. It's level 4 in Shock Absorber's system, so it's fine for running, riding ... It's a compression bra, so it didn't give me the most flattering shape, but it still looked fine under a shirt. So far the band hasn't stretched out.
My under bust ranges from a super tight 28.75 to inhaled and loose 31, so I ordered a band size 32 since I saw they ran tight. Trying it on, everything fit as it should. Jiggling was minimized but I did not feel like was wearing a medieval breast plate like I usually do when I wear sports bras- so that was a huge plus! The cup fabric was nice and silky feeling so I wouldn't have any nipple irritation either.
To test out the bra, I wore it on a camping trip to Joshua Tree. The back side of the bra is very open ...with only straps and some mesh which was helpful for keeping me cool in the 100 degree heat (well as cool as you can possibly be at that temp). Cup fabric did great at wicking away under boob sweat, so I only had sweat gathering in my cleavage, which I'm fine with on a compression bra.
The major problem with this bra is it runs extremely tight. Halfway through the day my lungs felt very compressed, like it was too difficult to breathe in. It got to the point where I had to unhook both sets of hooks to give my intercostals a rest. When i measured the bra once home i discovered the stretched band was 30.5 inches, not even close to 32! I'm hoping this stretches out but until then I do not plan on using it for anything over any extended physical activity.
As for cosmetics, the bra has lots of seams and almost all of them show under tech clothing. Boobs are minimized but the monoboob isn't that pronounced. It also looks super cute when worn shirtless, especially if you manage to pick up one of their colored ones https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> Read more 205 more words
My band size is a 33 and I ordered this in a 34. The band is slightly loose, so I definitely could have sized down. As for the cup size, it compresses the breasts very far back and I don't get much bounce. The bra seems to compress and somewhat encapsulate the breasts to keep them in place. I can finally jog, jump rope, and do just about anything in this bra. The straps are adjustable, meaning that they can be made shorter or longer which is very nice since I have a long torso. The straps can be pulled slightly in, but I don't like their position, just resting on my shoulder blades. I would prefer if it was a true racer back or the straps sit farther out. If I am doing alot of arm and shoulder exercises I prefer to wear a racerback over this bra, but I love this for cardio.
This bra is available pretty cheaply on ebay, and that's what drew me towards it. I needed a sports bra, didn't want to spend too much money, and I heard good things about this model. This bra doesn't work for me. I heard that the band ran crazy tight so I went with a 34 (I'm 33 under so I switch between 32 and 34 bands) but the band was crazy stretchy and too big to be supportive. This is the type of sports bra that squishes everything down so the too big band really just negated everything the bra tried to do for me because the bottom ...would slip down and my boobs would just end up laying against my torso. As you could have guessed, because the band is so stretchy I fail the bounce test in this bra majorly. It's barely better than just wearing a regular bra but too bouncy to do any sort of exercise. Aside from the band problems, I think I just have far too much projection to be able to make a compression style sports bra work. After scooping and swooping into it, my boobs just fold at the top because it's too shallow and they don't like to be squished down. Read more 102 more words
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
A pretty great sports bra. It's not as bounce-proof as the Shock Absorber Active Multi Sports (4490) , but it is a vast improvement over the generic medium sports bras I was previously wearing. This bra is also lower-cut than the Active Multi Sports, so I'm a bit more hesitant to wear this bra without a shirt, especially during high-impact activities.
Overall, I wear it quite consistently and am very happy with it.
I absolutely love this bra! It holds my breasts firmly in place, even when playing ultimate frisbee. Even better, it has enough coverage that I feel comfortable going on a run without a shirt, which is nice in the hot, humid weather of my locale. (But not so much coverage that you feel like you're wearing a shirt anyways!)
I'm finding that with use, I need to tighten the upper set of hook-and-eye closures, but that's a result of accidentally ordering a cup size to big because of a conversion error between UK and US sizing.
I used to have to wear TWO lighter impact sports bras for running, but I only need this one! Good support and keeps everything in place. Almost a little too tight in the band.
