How to Find the Right Style of Sports Bra

It’s no secret bras come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles. In particular, sports bras offer a plethora of options depending on the intensity of your workouts.

From design, material, and strap styles, to closures, cups, and compression, the best sports bras promote confidence and physical activity as a lifestyle.

Are you on the lookout for the right styles of sports bras? Look no further—we created this guided list so you know what to look out for when Choosing amongst various types of bra styles.

Bra Styles for Sporty Women

Compression Bras

The compression bra compresses the breasts against the body, leaving little to no room for movement during high-impact workouts. They often come in two common styles: scoop-back and racer-back. Women with smaller breasts (with an A or B cup size) find that this type of support is the best-fitting for their body type. Take a look at some of the best compression bras to consider for your workout.

Encapsulation Bras

Known to support larger busts, the encapsulation bra is built with individual cups to surround and support each breast separately. These bras are void of the typical compression element as seen in the traditional, everyday bra. The encapsulation bra is more versatile, with thick adjustable straps built in to adequately support the bust. Encapsulation bras are best for women with larger cup sizes.

Hybrid Bras

The hybrid sports bra is quickly growing in popularity in the sports bra industry–mainly for its unique style. It offers a healthy medium between the compression and encapsulation bra using compression to restrict movement and encapsulation to lift and support the bust. For breast sizes larger than a D cup, we recommend the ENELL Sport featuring shoulder comfort, movement control, and moisture-wicking fabric technology to keep you cool during high-activity workouts.

Sports Bras Back Styles

Convertible

Convertible-styled bras are extremely versatile and fun to wear. The straps on this style of bra can be readjusted and reattached to offer a completely different look while in action. Criss-cross, racerback, halter, or low-back–the choice is yours.

Racer-Back

The racerback style is similar to your common tank top or summer dress, with a design that intersects between your shoulders. It offers optimal and comfortable support for the larger-breasted woman.

Scoop-Back/Low-Back

The scoop-back bra plunges deep and halfway down the back. It is often constructed as a pull-over and hides well under cut-out activewear.

Halter

The halter sports bra is the perfect undergarment if you like to work out in halter-style activewear. Believe it or not, this type of bra offers enough support for a stylish workout, but it’s not the best option as your everyday bra. Women with an A or B cup size are likely to choose this type of sports bra.

Cross-Back

The cross-back sport is similar to the convertible bra, except it has two thick comfortable straps that are stationed in one consistent criss-cross style, offering a maximum hold for the larger-breasted active woman.

Types of Sports Bras Closures

Front-Open Closure

This bra closure is constructed with a seamless hook fastening in the front of the bra, allowing for an easy mount on and off. This closure type works for any cup size.

Front-Zip Closure

Much like the front-open closure, the front-zip closure is a good choice for the woman looking to put on and take off their sports bra in milliseconds. It’ll save you time, offer you great support, and provide full coverage.

Classic Back Closure

The classic back closure bra fastens like your classic bra. It often has a two or three-level hook fastener, and its style is versatile enough to compliment any activewear.

No Closure (Pull-On)

Just as it sounds, the no-closure bra is among the most popular in the market. It’s a pullover style, it’s built with extremely stretchy material, and it offers full coverage for any cup size.

Finding the Right Sports Bra Style for You

You will want to choose your sports bra depending on your activity, needs, and preferences. Think about the kind of support you’re looking for:

Low Support - This is ideal for a woman with an A or B cup who is performing low-impact activities, like walking or yoga. This bra type will feature light-weight straps and there are pullover styles available so you don’t need to make any band adjustments. These are most often compression bras.
Medium Support - As this model offers firmer support than the style above, it is perfect for higher impact activities like cycling, hiking, or skiing. Breast movement is more restricted and these bras feature wider straps. You can find pullover models, as well as hook closures for the level of comfort you need, and they are available in encapsulation or compression styles.
High Support - For high-impact activities, including running, mountain biking, or rock climbing, you need additional support, especially with D-cup sizes or larger. The adjustable wide straps and bands in encapsulation or compression styles will provide that extra support.

Then there is sizing. Your bra will not provide the comfort or support you want if it doesn’t fit properly. Take these steps to identify your sports bra size:

Determine your rib cage measurement. Measure just under the breasts around your ribs and round down to the nearest inch.
Find your band size. The band size you’re looking for will be two to four inches greater than the rib cage measurement you found in the previous step.
Figure out your cup size. Measure your bust at the widest point and take the measuring tape all the way around, straight across your back to get your bust measurement. Subtract your rib cage measurement from this bust measurement to find your cup size in inches:

3 inches-AA	7 inches-D
4 inches-A	8 inches-DD
5 inches-B	9 inches-E
6 inches-C	10 inches-F

Round up if you are between sizes. Learn more about the bra fitting process by reading our complete guide

Putting It All Together With Sportsbras.ca

Many women underestimate the power of a good-fitting bra—much less a sports bra. Finding the perfect sports bra has proven to improve the physical and mental state of the daily active woman.

That’s why we’re so passionate about finding you the best-fitting and comfortable sports bra that matches your personal needs and lifestyle.

Need assistance finding the right sports bra style and size? Check out our online store or book a bra fitting today!

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The Cross-Border Bra Crisis - Are We Going to Have to Wear Hockey Jockstraps?

By Brigitte Lessard • March 4, 2025

👋 Picture this: You’re standing in front of your underwear drawer, clutching your favourite ENELL SPORTS bra like it’s a Timmy’s double-double on a Monday morning — pure survival gear. ☕️ Now, imagine a world where that bra couldn’t make it across the border thanks to tariffs, boycotts , and enough political nonsense to make even your most underwired bra feel comfortable. Welcome to the Cross-Border Bra Crisis , my friends — a story of boobs, borders, and bureaucratic buffoonery. Tariffs, Boycotts & Boobageddon Turns out, when countries start slapping tariffs on each other like a couple of drunk uncles at a wedding, it’s not just the big corporations that feel it. It’s devastating for small businesses — like ENELL and SPORTSBRA.CA — and you know who’s going to pay the real price? 👉 Our boobs. No ENELL SPORTS bras crossing the border means Canadian girls will be bouncing their way through horseback riding lessons, fitness classes, and Zumba sessions like a couple of caffeinated beavers . 🇨🇦 Without ENELL’s legendary lockdown, it’s only a matter of time before we’re forced to consider… drastic measures — like sewing together a couple of hockey jockstraps. 🏒 That’s right — the closest thing to high-impact support made in Canada is a jockstrap. Can you imagine tucking the twins into something designed to protect an entirely different set of equipment? 😳

Galentine’s Day: A Toast to Support

By Brigitte Lessard • February 13, 2025

Galentine’s Day: Cheers to Your Boobs & Besties! It’s Galentine’s Day, and whether you’ve already had brunch or you’re counting down to happy hour, there’s still plenty of time to celebrate the incredible women in your life. Today is all about raising a mimosa (or a coffee, or whatever’s in that tumbler at your desk—we won’t judge) to the ride-or-dies who have been there through bad dates, questionable haircuts, and the sheer tragedy of a snapped bra strap in public. How to Celebrate Your Besties Right Now Your best friends are the ones who hype you up, pick you up, and call you out when necessary (like when you text your ex… again). They are your therapists, your karaoke partners, your late-night snack enablers, and the ones who remind you that you deserve the best—whether that’s love, success, or a well-fitted sports bra. So take a moment today to show them some love. Send them a message filled with inside jokes. Drop off a coffee to their office. Venmo them $5 for a treat. If you’ve got plans later, go big: bring flowers, make a toast, and remind them they are a gift to this world. And if you’re apart, plan a Galentine’s movie night for the weekend—complete with snacks, cocktails, and an over-the-top rom-com lineup. Friendship: The Love That Lasts We often put so much weight on romantic love, chasing butterflies and grand gestures, but let’s be real—our friendships are the true love stories. How many times have we cried over a breakup, only to be scooped up by the very friends who knew it wouldn’t last? While romance may come and go, friendships are the steady, unwavering presence in our lives, sticking with us through every high, low, and “what was I thinking?” moment. So today, let’s celebrate the relationships that truly stand the test of time—the ones built on laughter, loyalty, and a deep, unconditional love that no candlelit dinner could ever replace. Galentine’s Day: A Toast to Support

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Bra: Lifting Adventures

By Brigitte Lessard • February 4, 2025

Ever gone on a trip and realized you packed the wrong bras for that horseback riding adventure or pickleball match? Painful mistake!!! A friend of mine (we’ll call her Sarah to protect the unsupported) came back from a romantic getaway to Mexico with her boyfriend and immediately called me. Not to gush about the sunsets, the margaritas, or the dreamy beach walks—but to confess her massive packing mistake. Sarah had packed push-up bras for “nice vacation vibes” and ONE comfy pullover sports bra for lounging. She figured she was set. She figured wrong. Push-Up Perils & Pullover Problems The first disaster? Pickleball. Sarah and her boyfriend had a fun little couples competition planned at the resort courts, but what she didn’t plan for was her push-up bra trying to escape the match. “Brigitte, I swear my boobs were moving more than the ball,” she told me. “Every time I jumped or reached, I had to stop and fix them. It was NOT cute.” She finished the game—barely—but her boyfriend won, mostly because she was too busy readjusting. 🫣🎾 Then came the horseback riding excursion. 🐎 Sarah imagined herself riding along the beach, wind in her hair, looking like a movie star. Instead, she was bouncing uncontrollably, holding onto the saddle with one hand and her chest with the other. The pullover sports bra she thought would be comfy? Useless. Zero support. And the humidity made it cling to her skin like a wet swimsuit. By the end of the ride, she wasn’t feeling romantic—she was chafed, sweaty, and swearing she’d never leave the country without a good sports bra again. 😅🌴